The Six Voices that Want our Attention…and What to DO About It:

Taking Our Thoughts (and Our Lives) Captive to Run After Jesus

Every day, many voices compete for our attention and affection. This matters because we will start to LOOK LIKE who we LISTEN to. Ahead, we will explore the 6 voices that most influence us as people, examine what they’re saying, and position ourselves toward growth in hearing God speak.

The Six Voices in Our Lives

1. God’s Voice

At the very beginning, God drew near to lovingly shape us and breathe life into our being. From that moment, we have been pursued by a Love who speaks. God spoke to Adam and Eve. God spoke to Cain and Abel. To Noah. To Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. God spoke to Moses and the children of Israel. To Joshua. God spoke to judges and kings, prophets and servants, countrymen and foreigners, men and women, young and old. Jesus’ name is “the Word,” the message from God to his children. Rest assured, the most natural sensation you can hear is the voice of your Father. Learning to posture your soul to “be still and know He is God” is an art that we will grow in all the days of our lives. But for now, receive that God is speaking all around you today.

• God speaks love and delight (Romans 8:16, 1 John 3:1).

• God speaks to give wisdom and revelation (Jeremiah 33:3, John 10:27-28).

• God speaks to restore and transform us (Exodus 15:26, Hebrews 4:12, 2 Timothy 3:16-17).

• God speaks to call us into his unique purpose for our lives (Jeremiah 29:11-13).

• God speaks to capture our hearts in wonder and glory (Deuteronomy 5:24, 2 Corinthians 3:18).

• God speaks as a friend to share the secrets of his heart (John 15:15).

• God speaks as a Father to disciple us, through both comfort and correction (Hebrews 12:5-11).

Key Truth: God always and only speaks life (Ps. 42:1-2).

Question: How can I posture my life this week to better hear God?

2. Our Souls (Mind, Will, and Emotions)

One of the greatest gifts God gave us was the ability to think, feel, and reason. This is a huge part of what it means to be made in the image of God. Our feelings access storehouses of joy, excitement, affection, anticipation, gratitude, and hope. Yet, the distortion of these same gifts led the human race to our own demise. Praise God, we’ve received a new mind and a new heart in Christ (Ezekiel 36:26, 2 Corinthians 5:17)! But we still live in a world that tries to drag our emotions into self-reliance, rejection, and deception. We need to renew our thoughts to reflect what Jesus is saying. 

• Our emotions can be beautiful or destructive (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, Romans 8:6-7).

• Our feelings can deceive us (Jeremiah 17:9, Psalm 73:26).

• Our desires can seem right but lead to destruction (Proverbs 16:25, James 1:14-15).

Key Truth: “Our feelings are a tremendous gift but a terrible god.”

Question: Are there any places I am trusting what I feel more than what God says?

3. Human Teachers

From the beginning, God intended us to operate inter-dependently: “It is not good for man to be alone.” He delights when his children walk together, equipping one another to live the way of love more completely. But sin distorts the picture, leading us to regard our teachers as either idols or idiots. Many teachers walk in humility and open our eyes to new truths. But there are also false teachers who lead many astray. 

• We are called to grow from the counsel and maturity of others (Proverbs 19:20, Hebrews 10:24-25).

• Leaders, mentors, and parents can impart wisdom (Ephesians 4:11-16), but false teachers deceive and bring great harm to many (Matthew 7:15).

• Human teachers help us grow, but can’t replace our need for THE Teacher (Matthew 23:8-11, Hebrews 12:9-10).

Key Truth: The voice of a teacher either leads us closer to obedience to God or farther away. There is no middle ground.

Question: Who is one human teacher God has used to shape my life? (Thank them.)

4. Peers (Friends and Contemporaries)

“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity” (Proverbs 17:17). Thank God for friends. They are our “chosen family” and some of life’s most precious gifts. They also carry a weight of enormous influence we rarely realize. How your closest friends walk with God reflects a lot about the course you’re charting. The Kingdom of Israel saw its brightest days in great thanks to how Jonathan stood by David, his friend, when no one else would. Sadly, Israel’s downfall also happened at the hands of ‘friends.’ David’s grandson, Rehoboam, lost the nation to civil war when he elevated the folly of his buddies over the wisdom that surrounded him. Our friendships matter.

• Friends can strengthen and sharpen us (Ephesians 4:29, Proverbs 27:17, 1 Thessalonians 5:11).

• Friends can also lead us into foolishness and heartbreak (2 Chronicles 10:8, Matthew 15:14).

Key Truth: We will become like our closest friends (1 Corinthians 15:33).

Question: What friends are shaping my life? How are they making me more like Jesus?

5. Culture (The World)

Until now, all of the voices speaking to us are either entirely life-giving (God) or a mixed bag, depending on the situation (our souls, teachers, and friends). It is here we make a hard left turn. When the Bible speaks of “the world,” it refers to systems of culture under the authority of the prince of darkness and opposed to God. We are told that “friendship with the world is enmity with God” (James 4:4). Unfortunately, this voice often runs as a majority force in media, news, and leadership — in both liberal and conservative circles. While it sometimes presents itself as anti-Jesus, more often, it is like the kettle and the frog: slowly turning up the heat so that those it endangers don’t realize they need to move until it costs them. 

• The world preaches self-reliance and pleasure-seeking: “live for yourself” and “do whatever feels right” (1 John 2:15-17).

• It promotes pride and distrust of authority (Ephesians 2:2-3, Colossians 2:8).

Key Truth: Culture longs to make a hero out of your feelings and a villain out of God in subtle yet persistent ways. The more space you give it to speak, the further it moves you.

Question: Are there any places I am listening to a bad cultural narrative? 

6. Satan (The Enemy)

Just as God pursues us in love so that we would find life, the enemy of our souls pursues us in hatred to lead to death. “The thief comes to steal, to kill, and to destroy” (John 10:10). Satan loves to incite narratives of blame and shame, accusation, fear, rejection, pride, and offense. Often, he is subtle, looking for bad agreements that give him space to expand his influence. He especially loves to try to mimic and distort God’s voice. Satan loves to parade in religious robes.

• Satan blames and shames (Revelation 12:10, Romans 8:1).

• He stirs fear and offense (1 John 4:18, 2 Corinthians 2:10-11).

• His ultimate goal is to lead us away from intimacy and trust with God (2 Corinthians 11:3).

Key Truth: Satan distorts truth and urges you to agree with him.

Question: Are there any places I am living in blame (of others) or shame (over myself)?

Who Are We Listening To?

Recent studies show that only 25% of Christians report that they engage in regular Bible study, and while 70% report praying, the average time spent in conversational prayer is less than 10 minutes per day. In contrast, the average amount spent accessing entertainment and social media across all ages totals out to a whopping 6 hours and 20 minutes daily. This isn’t to shame anyone but to get a grasp of the voices we allow to take up real estate in our minds. 

How has this affected us? Between 2007 and 2017 (the rise of the smartphone and social media), depression among high school students increased by 60%, anxiety disorders doubled, self-harm among adolescent girls more than doubled, and loneliness became a widespread epidemic. These patterns correlate directly with increased exposure to social media and cultural voices, coupled with a decrease in stillness, reflection, and rest.

What Can We Do?

First and foremost, don’t panic. You were created for intimacy with your Father. He delights in you, and his Spirit within you is sufficient. Second, just like every other aspect of your health, your spiritual health is an arena that God wants to bring into deeper health over TIME. It is enough to breathe deeply and take the next step toward regular intimacy with Jesus. I encourage you to take a moment to reflect on these 6 voices and ask God which one he wants to lead you in. Then, ask, “What is one small change I can make this week to hear God better?” Lean in. His voice is getting louder.