Two voices

God is always speaking to us - but so is Satan.

So, how are we to tell the difference?

For believers, this is an important question.  It is a key issue for those who are seeking to draw closer to God through prayer.

Peter Lord offers some guidance in his book Hearing God.

Unlike Satan, God “desires a relationship of love and trust,” Lord writes.  “He seeks you and offers himself to you.”

He points to the great passage in Revelation 3:20 where Jesus says: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock.  If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.”

It is up to us to open the door to Christ and let him in to our hearts.

On the other hand, Satan tries to force his way in “through your emotions and your reasonings”.

“He bombards you with ideas and feelings and bombards is a good way to describe Satan’s approach,” says Lord.

God wants fellowship with us while Satan wants to subvert us for his evil purposes.

Referring to Jesus’ picture of the shepherd of the sheep in John 10:2-3, Lord says God wants to lead us - not push us and drive us.

Satan “threatens and intimidates”, suggesting that if we don’t do something, bad things will happen to us.  He tries to compel us to do things.

Jesus knows all about us because he lives within us.  He speaks to us in loving terms.

I have learned through my own experiences in writing what I believe God is saying to me in my spiritual journals that the Lord knows all my weaknesses and yet is constantly offering his counsel - and sometimes correction - in love.

Satan takes a different approach.  As the scriptures say, Satan is “the accuser”.  He seeks to discourage us and condemn us.  He wants to make us feel worthless.

Lord also says that Satan tries to compel us to brood over the past or worry about the future.  God wants us to keep our eyes on the present, offering to walk with us through our everyday work and relationships.

He quotes Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:34 that we are not to “worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will take care of itself - each day has enough trouble of its own”.

“When your thoughts are filled with worries and cares about what tomorrow may bring, you can be sure you are not hearing his voice,” Lord writes. “Jesus commands you to be concerned about today, and he will certainly guide you about the present.”

Jesus also says God will provide us with our needs and help us in the situations we are in.  We just need to trust him with these details and not spend restless nights worrying about them.  Worry is Satan’s weapon.

I find Peter Lord’s thoughts helpful.  

God wants me to lean on him and reject Satan’s agitating voice.