How to recognize the voice of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit’s Voice

Scripture:  

“There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” — Romans 8:1

Every believer hears two voices:

  • One calls you by name; the other calls you by your shame. 
  • One draws you close; the other pushes you away. 
  • One exposes sin to heal you; the other exposes sin to destroy you.
  • One says, “Shame on you, the other says,  “Shame off you and Grace on you
white dove flying/Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit’s conviction is a gift. It is the gentle nudge of a Father who refuses to let you settle for less than the best. His voice is clear, specific, and full of hope. Even when He points out sin, He does so with the promise of forgiveness and the power to change. His voice is clear and specific, never vague or condemning, and always filled with hope. Even when He exposes siN forgiveness is available, and transformation is possible. 

But We Have To Work

The Holy Spirit doesn’t do the hard work for us, however, but points it out, and then expects us to implement the necessary change. Don’t be mistaken into thinking that the Holy Spirit doesn’t speak truth to you. The Spirit convicts us of sin. That’s one of his jobs: the conviction of sin. But this truth is delivered with love.

While Satan is, of course, the perpetrator of all evil, he has to use us to accomplish his plans. But we can’t say “The devil made me do it.” Satan can’t make us do anything any more than anyone else can. WE are always the initiator of our actions. 

The Enemy’s Voice

The enemy’s voice is different. It is vague, heavy, and suffocating. It whispers that you are your failure,  that you’ll never change, that you can’t change. 

Satan is the accuser: the Father is the rescuer. 

Here’s an example:

We say something we shouldn’t, or we do something we shouldn’t. We don’t confess it. And because it does, Satan immediately condemns us for those things. When we feel condemned, we seldom change for the better because we don’t feel we can. While Satan is condemning us, though, the Holy Spirit is also speaking to us, trying to quiet Satan’s voice. Thus, we feel confused. Whose voice are we hearing? 

Satan’s voice is very loud. Therefore, it becomes essential to recognize the Spirit’s voice which generally feels softer. So if you sense that voice is yelling, it’s probably Satan’s. And in order to do that, we have to know the roles of the Spirit and what the Bible teaches us about the Spirit. This is the only way to differentiate the voices (the messages) you are hearing. There is no shortcut. 

Today, pause and listen.

photo of woman wearing white headphones//Holy Spirit

Which voice is shaping your thoughts?

Which voice is guiding your emotions?

Which voice is influencing your decisions?

Remember, the Spirit will always lead you to Jesus, toward repentance, toward peace, toward restoration. Condemnation will always lead you away from Him.

Prayer:  

“Holy Spirit, help me recognize Your voice above all others. Silence every lie of condemnation, and lead me into the freedom and peace that come from walking with You. Amen.”

God bless and have a great day.