“I have something against the lying voices that noise our world.”
Max Lucado wrote that in his book, Eye of the Storm. He goes on to say,
“You’ve heard them. They tell you to swap your integrity for a new sale. To barter your convictions for an easy deal. To exchange your devotion for a quick thrill. They whisper. They woo. They taunt. They tantalize. They flirt. They flatter.
The world rams at your door, and Jesus taps at your door.
The voices scream for your allegiance: Jesus softly and tenderly requests it.
The world promises flashy pleasure: Jesus promises a quiet dinner with God.
Which voice do you hear?”
Precisely, how I’m feeling. I’m so weary of the loud and lying voices that noise our world and pressure wickedness upon us.
Everywhere we turn. In the news, movies, commercials, schools, government, and libraries we are bombarded with nonsensical voices spuing evil ideologies.
I thank God for people like Max Lucado, Allie Beth Stuckey, Ben Shapiro, and others who are not afraid to call out the lies of our culture and push back on the prevailing narrative that is leading people astray.
Max asked a great question, “Which voice do you hear?” I think a good follow-up question would be, who’s voice are you following? And, whose voice can we trust? How do we discern truth from lies?
Among the many voices calling for our allegiance, two voices influence all the others. One speaks the truth, and the other speaks lies and we learn about both in the Bible.
1 Kings 19:12 describes God speaking to Elijah:
“After the earthquake, there was a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a still, small voice.”
Jesus says in John 10:3-5
“…the sheep listen for his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will flee from him because they do not recognize his voice.”
And in John 10:27 He says,
“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.”
Psalm 55:1-3 describes another voice:
“I am restless in my complaint, and distraught at the voice of the enemy, at the pressure of the wicked. For they release disaster upon (us) and revile (us) in their anger.”
Who’s voice do you hear? Who’s voice are you following?
Can you tell the difference between the voices? Who’s speaking the truth and who’s lying?
We can tell by what the voices are saying.
Some voices tell us that a man can become a woman. A woman can become a man. Male and female are only two of many genders. Men can get pregnant. Children can choose to change their gender. Parents, teachers, and doctors give those children sterilizing drugs and permanently disfiguring surgeries to affirm “the voice” that says they can change their gender. They say drag queen story hour and drag shows are safe and good for children. They’ve told us for years that men can marry men, women can marry women, and same-sex couples can adopt and raise children.
Voices have been shouting for years that it’s okay to kill your baby during every stage of pregnancy.
Does any of this make sense? Is any of it true? Who’s voice is saying these things?
In the Bible, we hear the voice of God who, in the beginning, spoke the heavens and the earth into existence. He tells us how to know, believe, love, and obey His Son Jesus, who is the way, the truth, and eternal life.
God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness, to rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, and over all the earth itself and every creature that crawls upon it.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God, He created him; male and female, He created them. Genesis 1:26-27
God says plainly and clearly that there are only two genders. God does not lie or make mistakes. The Bible, not to mention good common sense, makes it clear that only women can get pregnant and that every one of us is fearfully and wonderfully made in God’s image in our mother’s womb. (Psalm 139) Marriage is only between a man and woman and children are a blessed heritage from God to be defended and protected from slaughter. (Proverbs 24:11 and 31:8)
In the Bible, we learn about another voice that speaks lies to us. He prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). He's a thief looking to kill, steal, and destroy us (John 10:10). Known as the father of lies (John 8), the devil, the adversary, the enemy of God, and the enemy of our soul. He was the serpent in the garden, telling Eve that she could be like God and do things her way, whispering, “Did God really say?” (Genesis 3:1)
Eve tragically ignored the voice of truth that gave her life, breath, beauty, and purpose and chose to believe the voice of lies which brought sin and unimaginable suffering upon all human beings.
And here we are today.
People can’t define a woman. Men pretend to be women and compete in women’s sports, and women allow it. Men pretending to be women hold high positions in office, make policies that govern society, and everyone allows it. Men pretending to be women are invited to the White House to interview the President and flash their fake boobs on the White House lawn. The President of the United States encourages the slaughter of babies in the womb and the genital mutilation of children and teens, and people applaud him for it. Children are taught in school or should I say indoctrinated into an evil ideology that encourages them to change their gender and pronouns. Children are given porn to read and watch to learn how to have gay sex. And parents, teachers, government officials, and the citizens of this country allow it. The entire month of June is devoted to celebrating the deadliest sin – PRIDE, and people just accept it.
Does any of this make sense? Which voice are they listening to? Which voice are you listening to?
I was deceived years ago and chose to exchange the truth of God for the lie of the enemy that I was in charge of my life which, like Eve, brought terrible suffering upon myself and those I love.
God’s Word is clear to the Christian. He calls us to be holy in all we do. (1 Peter 1:6) He gave us Ten Commandments (not suggestions) as instructions for how to be holy.
Love God, have no allegiance to anyone but Him. Don’t make idols. Don’t use God’s name in vain. Keep the Sabbath holy. Honor your father and mother. Don’t murder. Don’t commit adultery. Don’t steal. Don’t lie. Don’t covet what your neighbor has. (paraphrased from Exodus 20)
I have failed at all of them; if you’re honest, you have too. Jesus said in Matthew 5:28 that lusting after another person who is not your spouse is considered adultery and 1 John 3:15 says that hating someone is kin to murder.
We can’t be holy on our own. We can’t discern between the voice of truth and lies without God’s Spirit revealing it to us. We need Jesus and His Word to show us how to live and be like Him.
“The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12
The Bible is a life manual that teaches us the purpose of our being. It gives us wisdom and knowledge to discern between the voice of truth and the voice of lies.
A big theme in the Bible is that God’s people are to be different from the world. We are made to be in this world as ambassadors for Christ, (2 Corinthians 5:20) but not to become like the world.
Romans 12:2 says, “Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.”
Other verses that speak of being different or separate from the world are 1 John 2:15 and John 15:19.
I see way too much of the world in the church and our homes. I want to be different. I want to abide by God’s Word. I want to be holy in all my conduct. I love God and want to honor Him.
How about you? Are you going the way of God or the world? Which voice are you listening to? The voice of truth or the voice of lies?
1 Thessalonians 5:21-22, instructs us to “test all things. Hold fast to what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.”
2 Thessalonians 2:3 says, Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way. This is repeated in Luke 21:8, and James 1:16.
Ephesians 4:14 says we should not be “tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.”
Acts 17:11 tells us to “examine the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.”
I am opposed to the unholy voices that noise our world and the wickedness they impose on us. I won’t sit at the gate of Sodom and Gomorra like Lot did and just look the other way.
The Bible says to expose the evil works of darkness (Ephesians 5:11) and I’m not afraid to do that. I’m not going to condone sinful behavior just to get along.
As I said, I have broken all of God’s commands but I have repented and been born again to a new nature that desires and seeks to be like Jesus. Of course, I still fail, repent, and make amends by God’s grace and I will keep looking to Jesus and listening to His voice.
Who’s voice do you hear? Which one do you follow?
I hear the still, small voice of Jesus because He is my Good Shepherd. I know that He is the way and the truth and the life. No matter how loud the voices of the enemy and the world scream and demand allegiance, I will not bow to them.
My allegiance is to Christ alone. I will keep proclaiming His good news with every breath and all my being till He returns or calls me home. And while I wait, His still small voice comforts me and guides me, and reminds me that He is in control. I don't fear the enemy or any powers on Earth. I know how it all ends. Jesus wins, which means I do too because I’m His.
Are you?
Do you hear the Shepherd’s voice? Do you know Him? Are you His beloved?
Mara Petro
Living for Jesus
Writing and speaking for life
