Your thoughts are not your own. They are a compiled product of society, culture, your parents/family/friends, God, Satan, and yourself. The question is which vocal influence are you listening to?
Before the creation of humans, angels were created by God. Some angels had specific anointings like Michael’s for warfare and Gabriel’s for being a messenger. One angel Lucifer was anointed for worship and knew the word of God very well. He would walk up and down the fiery coals receiving revelation of the word and then would rise up to proclaim that revelation to the world. One day Lucifer realized man would be created and have a higher place of honor in the order of creation than the angels. (Ezekiel) This is when a rebellious decision was made to no longer serve and worship God but rather try to be like God. In his efforts to do so, Lucifer fell and became Satan taking one-third of the angels with him to roam the earth in the form of spirits known as demons. Satan and his demons seek to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10) in any way that they can including influencing your life in ways you may not even be aware.
Fast forward to when mankind was created. Adam and Eve were given dominion over the earth and told they could have and do anything they wanted except eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Yet what happens? In Genesis 3, Eve is told by a serpent that she will not die upon eating the fruit but rather have her eyes opened to the mind of God. She listens to the temptation and convinces Adam to go along with her decision. Mankind sins and they realize they are not wearing clothes, grab some fig leaves, and hide. God first asks “Where are you?” but more importantly upon realizing what has happened asks “Who told you?” because He knows the knowledge did not come from Him or them. This question continues throughout history.
The thoughts, feelings, and emotions Adam and Eve were experiencing were not entirely original to them. They came from somewhere and were input into their minds by the serpent aka the influence of Satan/spirits. Yet when God asks “Who told you?” both of them begin to blame the other or take some degree of personal responsibility. They don’t think about the serpent outside of the blame game. Simply because the serpent said they could eat of the tree didn’t negate God saying they could not. Why did Adam and Eve give into the temptation instead of standing up for what they knew to be true? What if they had looked at the root of the issue- the input of those thoughts? You see God knew what was going on and He didn’t hold them accountable to having the thoughts, feelings, emotions but rather for acting on them. The consequences of the fall of man came from the action of disobedience.
When mankind disobeyed God, it gave the evil spirits (from the fall of the angels) right of access to influence their soul (mind, will, emotions) and ever since that first sin, mankind has been looking everywhere else but the input level in trying to come righteous before God. Some of the sacrifices from the Old Testament scriptures were enacted to counter the spirits’ ability to influence. However it wasn’t until Jesus’ death on the cross where we gained atonement for our sins. Victory was achieved that day as prophecy was fulfilled. Satan does not win in the end HALLELUJAH! Yet we still fight against principalities rather than flesh and blood (Eph 6:12) until the day Jesus returns to put Satan in his proper place.
Therefore, if we can see past the influence of the evil spirits then we can better identify the input level of “Who told us?” and get to the root causes keeping us from living in/out of the abundance Jesus has for us.
I know easier said than done right? especially when things have been so ingrained into our soul that it seems like the thoughts, feelings, and emotions are original to us.
When I stop to think upon the issues facing me each day, there is generally a spiritual component exhibiting itself through physical and emotional cues. I am learning how to recognize those cues to see what deeper areas of growth exist. A recent example is when I am not receiving love from community in the way I feel loved, it doesn’t mean I am not loved by them. Even when it seems like no love exists at all, I am still lovable and loved because God says I am. It begs the question of who told me I am not loved?
Also I often hear others make self-deprecating critical comments in regards to body image, appearance, self-worth, etc. and it also begs the question of who told you that you were any of the things you are saying about yourself? Where did those thoughts come from? What situations or circumstances have been communicating lies about yourself?
This is where we need discernment of which voice are we listening to? Satan is known as the deceiver and tends to twist the truth of God making it extremely important for us to know God’s character in identifying His voice above all the other competing voices. By the way, His voice is based on scriptural truth and love. 🙂
So what voices are you listening to? Are your behaviors, decisions, actions, etc. based off of truth or what you think society wants to see? Do you try to fit into cultural expectations? or stand counter cultural because you know whose you are regardless of what culture defines? Those thoughts on repeat in your mind: where do they come from? Who told you?
We can demolish every deceptive fantasy that opposes God and break through every arrogant attitude that is raised up in defiance of the true knowledge of God. We capture, like a prisoner of war, every thought and insist that it bow in obedience to the Anointed One. (2 Cor 10:5, TPT)
