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The Voice isn’t just a popular talent contest that is on television right now.   There is another voice we have all kind of put up with at different junctures of our journey in life. Everyone has “The Voice”. Psychologists have called it the internalized parent, or the inner critic. It is that record that plays in our heads telling us stuff that is not true, but because it is so familiar we believe what it is saying about ourselves. We sometimes perceive The Voice as the enemy of our souls attempting to keep us from moving into the plans God has for us because we believe what “The Voice” is telling us.   It is interesting though, that our voices take on the familiar sound of our mothers, fathers, or authority figures.

  • Remember the old picture of an angel on one shoulder and the devil on the other?
  • As a parent it is a good thing to remember that your words to your children will take on The Voice as they grow older.   The power of life and death are in the tongue. We can choose to speak life into our kids or death, knowing that what we are saying to them will shape their destiny of success or failure if they don’t discover how to shut it up.

“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.”

  • How sadly untrue this statement is! Anyone who’s endured verbal and emotional abuse will likely say otherwise. There is so much power in our words. It’s not dirty looks or gestures that are likely to start wars. As far as I’ve known, wars have started over words; disputes, arguments, etc…

One of the primary jobs of The Voice is to control our impulses but is not trustable most of the time, to say the least.   We want to do good but that persistent voice in our heads tells us it isn’t proper or acceptable, or that only smart people can succeed at that.   Unfortunately, The Voice’s primary function is to suppress behavior that could possibly lead to our success by creating fear of failure. And with fear the enemy of our souls definitely has a party in our heads leading to the quick demise of our creative and trusting spirits.

My own personal “Voice” has the same tones, the same mocking sarcastic way of putting me down as my mother did. I don’t blame my mom, for I have since realized that she was broken too, and to her knowledge was doing what she was taught to do, and she had her own voices.   And then I realized that the record playing in my head was fueled and used by Satan, using my mom’s voice and old familiar record, to keep me at a place of defeat.

Once we recognize this voice as not our friend, we can begin to tell it to shut up, that it has no power over us anymore. We can change!!   Sometimes it helps to write out what the Voice is saying to you and then counteract those negative words with truth from God’s word about you.   Oh, it will keep coming back for a while and yapping in your head, but the more you refuse to pay attention and agree with it the less power it has over you.

The hard part of this is that the Voice feels so much like you because you have been its old familiar friend for your whole life. Releasing yourself from its grip takes time and patience with yourself. You need to acknowledge The Voice for what it is. Ask Jesus to make you aware of when The Voice is speaking. You then begin to expose the lies The Voice is speaking and truth takes over. Call them out for what they are; lies!!

  • Remember the voice of Jesus always brings life and peace, not fear and dread, and He is not the author of confusion.

You will notice that when you start to get rid of The Voice’s accusations against you, where you were feeling defeated and dead inside, hope starts to emerge. Your energy will return and your passion for life. You will be out of the cage and the only voice you will heed is the Voice of your loving God who says that with Him ALL things are possible!!!

  • The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit. Proverbs 18:21

  • This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live. Deuteronomy 30:19

  • Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2