1 Samuel 15:24 (NKJV)
“Then Saul said to Samuel, ‘I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice.’”

Our world is full of voices. We can either secure our inheritance or lose it, depending on the voices we listen to. There are many types of voices, but we will look at only three today. As we go through life, let’s try to divide all the voices we hear into one of these three categories.

I have not included our inner voice as one of the voices, but note that this is the most powerful voice because we only take action when external voices are translated and become our inner voice.

Voices are never without agenda. Voices carry a message and have an intent. Whether intentional or not, voices affect listeners. God knows the power of the voice, and so does Satan.

Voices are the primary tool for changing any man in any direction. Every man’s decision is influenced and affected by voices. Here are a few voices to watch out for.

First, is the voice that creates fear.

We don’t know if Saul’s account was true or not, but if it were true, then it meant that even the king had people whose voices he feared. As we know, powerful people have the power to mess you up if they don’t follow their position. Those in leadership know the power of powerful voices, voices they dear not cross.

In the same way, we may be forced to do things we really don’t want to do because we are afraid of the people speaking to us. The voice of fear is not the voice of God. God does not speak in such a way as to make us obey out of fear. If we do things because we are afraid of the person speaking, then we are not walking in God’s way. Satan uses this voice to control people.

The second voice is the familiar voice.

Seduction is crafty because it comes in a form that makes sense. If it did not make sense, it would certainly fail the test. But it makes sense because it is shrouded in the cover of familiarity.

The familiar voice is the most dangerous voice because it penetrates all our defenses without facing resistance.

The people who advised King Saul were close to him and were not strangers. The voices to be most careful about are voices from close friends and family. Why? Because we trust them. With them, there is no fear. We naturally assume they mean us well, and therefore, we are most likely to accept their counsel without much scrutiny. This is dangerous.

Only God’s voice is the authentic voice.

In the midst of many voices, we need to constantly seek the grace to discern which voice is the Lord’s. Failure to discern correctly will lead to disobeying the heavenly voice. There is a heavenly voice. Let all other voices bow to this One voice. Amen.