Discerning the Voices

 Recently I was facing some battles, and I pulled out my old KJV Bible that has a little stash of clippings I've saved through the years.

Precious little thoughts that have meant something to me over and over.

I found a letter to me from a Christian friend years ago that I would like to share because it was such a help to me at that time and it comforted and directed me even now. If there is anyone reading my blog who may be perplexed, burdened, or confused, I hope this may be a help. What follows is a condensation of parts of actually two letters which she wrote me:

"Often when I knelt to pray, I would hear these thoughts in my mind:
1. God won't hear you until you've taken care of this matter.
2. God is angry with you because of this.   
3. Perhaps you've lost out because of this....                           
4. If you were really all right with God, you'd be able to sense His presence.
5. If you were really all right with God you would not still be struggling...
6. God no longer speaks to you.
7. There must be something you've done to turn Him away.
8. You've grieved His Spirit.
And on and on the horrible suggestions, all of them leading to the same dreadful feeling that I had somehow lost God or angered Him or spurned Him or grieved Him.

      "One day I came to the lowest point of this horrible depression. I had been praying a lot for my dad , and it occurred to me that if he got saved, he would have to go through these same kind of battles. I told my husband, 'I'm afraid for my father to ever get saved, because he could never deal with this kind of pressure on his mind.' (My dad has struggled with chronic depression for much of his life, she wrote.)
           "When I made that statement, it seemed to snap my mind to attention. If this is so horrible that I am afraid for someone to even get saved, then this CANNOT be from God...Suddenly and immediately and absolutely I saw it all for what it was. Every bit of it was from the enemy. My entire struggle was over a restitution...Satan took advantage of my tender conscience and my hungry desire to be completely right in God's eyes, and he ran me around in circles for months!

Here is how I got out of it. First I took it to Jesus...and laid it at His feet. Then each time I knelt to pray, and those horrible suggestions started again, I would say, "NO! I have given that to Jesus. I no longer have to carry that burden." Then I would repeat a Bible verse about God's love...

Then I would continue on with the rest of my prayer time..After several days my mind began to clear up. Instead of seeing all the "woes' in the Bible, I began to once again feed on and cherish the promises. After a very short time, I once again had a mind that was clear and sharp and COMPLETELY CONVINCED that ALL was well with my soul. (And I never had to do anything more or say anything further about that restitution. It was over." It was all just noise and confusion from the enemy, and it kept me from praying, really praying–because I was so tied up in knots over it. That’s one of Satan’s greatest tactics.

       One day, after my mind was clear again, I was thinking about all the ways the enemy had "tortured" my thoughts. I sat down and wrote out a list of adjectives that described the way he had assaulted my mind. Then I wrote a list of phrases that described how I ended up feeling...
         Here is the list. See if it does not show you how the enemy's plan is to keep us from trusting in God's love, and to keep us from bearing fruit through a productive prayer life.

 The Holy Spirit’s voice:   The enemy’s voice
persuasive                            relentless
pleading                               accusing
convicting                            condemning
quiet                                    raucous
loving                                  painful                     
uplifting                              belittling
restoring                             destroying

Inward results of        Inward results of
heeding the Spirit        heeding the enemy
hope                              despair
peace                             turmoil
clarity                             confusions
a sound mind                 indecisiveness
deep,abiding love for    fear and mistrust in God
                                
Outward results of             Outward results of 
heeding the Spirit                heeding the enemy
wisdom of action                foolishness of action
fruit that remains                fruitlessness
committed prayer life         frustrated prayer life
ability to help others           preoccupation with self

When I listened to the voice that was relentless and condemning and accusing, I ended up in despair, turmoil and confusion. Before long, I was wondering if God really did love me after all. My prayer life was frustrated, because all I could do was pray to “get clear.” Everything else seemed for naught if I could not KNOW I was clear.
Now when a voice comes to my mind and tells me to do anything or seems to be expecting me to change something, I listen carefully. Do I feel condemned? Accused? Is the voice relentless? If so, I immediately toss it out and refuse to listen any further. God NEVER speaks like that.
Satan does not care how he messes up our prayer lives, he just wants us to be so preoccupied with something–anything-so that we cannot REALLY pray.
Satan is the father of lies, and he is continually telling God’s people these three lies:
1. You are not really saved, Or, you’ve lost your salvation.
2. You are not really committed, consecrated, sanctified. Or, you’ve lost it.
3. God has abandoned you. Or, God is angry with you. Or, God won’t hear you because...(and he will always come up with a legitimate reason that has you wondering.)
This paper [Discerning the Voices] has helped me so often when I have had a difficult time trying to decide where the thoughts are coming from. I have learned to KNOW when God is speaking to me, and when the enemy is sending his hurtful darts and trying to disguise himself as “the angel of light.”

This letter from a long time ago helped me again in something I was facing.

Satan knows that prayer is our biggest weapon, and He trembles when he sees

the weakest saint upon His knees.

But what to do when the weakest saint can't even kneel for sheer distraction?

Does the heavenly Father understands wordless prayers?

Thank God, He does!

 The above song in our Methodist hymnal is one I often sit down and play softly to myself at the piano. I never get tired of it.

"I look to Thee in every need, and never look in vain.

I feel Thy strong and tender love and all is well again; 

The thought of Thee is mightier far

Than sin and pain and sorrow are.

Discouraged in the work of life, disheartened by its load,

Shamed by its failures or its fears, I sink beside the road.

But let me only think of Thee 

And then new heart springs up in me.

 Thy calmness bends serene above, my restlessness to still; 

Around me flows Thy quickening life to nerve my faltering will;

Thy presence fills my solitude;

Thy providence turns all to good.

Embosomed deep in Thy dear love, Held in Thy law I stand;

Thy hand in all things I behold, and all things in Thy hand.

Thou leadest me by unsought ways

And turn'st my mourning into praise!