does anyone else experience shushing when they want to express an idea? Or could it be a snakes rattle, or an angel keeping secrets, or just normal? I'm thinking everything in our heads if Satan because the voice of god would destroy us. But how to know? Maybe it's just me. Is it always you?
Hebrews 12:1-12
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says,
“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,
and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
because the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”
Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. “Make level paths for your feet,” so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.
You know brother I really struggled with understanding the voice of God in my life and at one stage concluded like you that all I heard within was from satan.
Now it is true that our spirit is not pure because of the lies living in us and from that perspective no one can hear truth in His purest form unless they are inspired by the Holy Spirit for everything in us, and from us, that is us in fleshly attire, is polluted by the wrong dwelling within us.
Be that as it may however it is still true that we come from God as people. In Acts 17:28 it says that we are God's offspring, and indeed the Word tells us that children are a gift from Him and that our life form within is not only in His image it is His very breath.
From the perspective of right and wrong we are an oxymoron if ever there was one. Plainly this is the result of our forefathers and ourselves eating from the fruit of right and wrong all the time making a mess of our reality.
For this is the plain truth of it brother, in sin we kill the very good life God gave us as His offspring and raise selves within us that fall far short of our good life raising bad life instead! This is why Scripture calls us sinners.
Psalms 14 and 53 for example tell us that the fools (or more precisely the morally deficient,) says in his heart there is no God and devours good life like they eat bread but never call upon the Lord ever! However we know that the godly call on the Lord and are saved! (Acts 2:21, we can also see in Scripture - take Lamentations 3 for example - how in our faithful selves we suffer our unfaithful deeds and God uses this to save us His fallen children from our distress.)
So clearly it is through being alert to our attitudes/beliefs/morals/values within that we become aware what in us is from God and what in us is from the devil.
So all that lives in us which loves doing it wrong and doesn't care about good life apart of to squander it will die and be punished for doing that, (Isaiah 57:1-13) while all in us that suffers our sin will be saved by Christ.(Isaiah 57:14-21) From this perspective it easy to see who the sheep and who the goats are in our hearts I reckon. (Matthew 25:31-46 confirms this nicely!)
This is what I see in living in me - that though I desire to do God's will and love rightly in real life - I don't do this rightly and fall all the time. Now I know trust and believe that God in His mercy will wash away my sinner self and replace this with the righteous killed - all 144,000 chosen in me who died righteous at the hand of the wicked - Isaiah 57:1-2, Ezekiel 37:1-14 and Revelation 20:4-6 - and so am raised in Christ to newness of life.
This is an ongoing process brother! Which happens within the Wheels of His Wheels time and again and is not just an one off process but rather a constant process.
Isaiah 27:12-13
"In that day the Lord will thresh from the flowing Euphrates to the Wadi of Egypt, and you, Israel, will be gathered up one by one. And in that day a great trumpet will sound. Those who were perishing in Assyria and those who were exiled in Egypt will come and worship the Lord on the holy mountain in Jerusalem."
So if you despair your wrongful spirit brother then go to Christ and understand that the love of God extents to those He calls not My children! For those who He because of sin calls not my children, in graceful love He calls My Children, Hosea 2:23, and those cursed because of their transgressions He will call righteous because of Christ's. Romans 3:21-26.
So be of very good courage brother! Faith in Jesus is what you need most and such is freely given to those who ask. However understand that the more faith in Jesus grows in your heart the more the opposition dwelling in you speaks up. This is because God's truth is a mirror ( James 1:23-25) and reflects the colour of our heart at anyone given moment in time. Jude 11-16! It is for us to be aware of this and not talk bad good, or good bad, like we are so good at doing in the sorry excuse we call our sinful self, but rather when we see we fall short of God's glory that we look at Christ for our salvation and not stare ourselves blind looking at our sin and perish. (Colossians 3:1-4)
So like the author of the letter to the Hebrews tells us so clearly let us endevour to stay at the right side of God's punishments. (Hebrews 12:1-11) For when we continue in sin then we may know we will be cut off being like that on the last Day and that God will call us to account for every sinful deed committed. (Hebrews 4:12-13) However when we see that we have sinned and repent of our wrongful deeds we will be forgiven and surely saved.
Ezekiel 18:21-23
But if a wicked person turns away from all the sins they have committed and keeps all my decrees and does what is just and right, that person will surely live; they will not die. None of the offenses they have committed will be remembered against them. Because of the righteous things they have done, they will live. Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign Lord. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?
The truth is each time you seek after God through Christ you will find back the good life you lost, even if your sufferings continue down on this earth, for that is the reward of those who call on His name - we are saved - time and again!
Much faith, love and hope your way bro.
Peace.
Philippians 4:4-7
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
