I grew up in a culture where Sunday morning was all about the pastor “stepping on your toes.” All about him pointing out your mistakes. So I learned to hear God through that same lense. I read His word, I heard His voice waiting for Him to tell me all the things I had done wrong so I could ask for forgiveness, repent and come back tomorrow for the next round of “Melissa, the screw-up”.
But I’m so glad, I have learned that is not how God speaks to us. The voice in our heads that’s telling us all of the things we have done wrong, that is reminding us of past sins and failures; the voice that is accusing us of not being good enough, not being holy enough; the voice that tells us we are selfish, inadequate, prideful, lazy, hard to get along with, not a team player, IS NOT THE VOICE OF OUR HEAVENLY FATHER! It is not the conviction of the Holy Spirit. The voice who accuses us is the voice of the accuser, Satan.
So how does God corrects us? How does God disciplines us, His children? How does God realign us when we are out of alignment with His word or His purpose for our lives?
God speaks to who we are in Him, not who we were. God will remind us through that still voice in our head, through His word, or through others that we are children of the light, that we are righteous, that we are His, empowering us to shed sin patterns.
Let’s say you actually have a problem with selfishness. God doesn’t speak to the selfishness because that is your old nature. He will remind you of His generosity, His heart for the least of these and then remind you that you were created in His image. He will remind you that you, too are generous and compassionate. He may even put people in your path to help you look outward rather than inward.
God realigns us not by calling us out but by calling us up!
It is important that we learn to discern the voices in our heads. The voice of the enemy will ALWAYS leave us feeling guilty, condemned, disqualified, less than. But our Father’s voice empowers, emboldens, and encourages. Our Father’s voice never leads us inward, it always leads us to the majesty and awesomeness of God.
There are be two voices in your head? Who will you believe today?
“See, the Word of God is alive! It is at work and is sharper than any double-edged sword — it cuts right through to where soul meets spirit and joints meet marrow, and it is quick to judge the inner reflections and attitudes of the heart.”
Messianic Jews (Heb) 4:12 CJB
http://bible.com/1275/heb.4.12.cjb