My first memory of hearing problems dates back to high school.  My girlfriends and I attended a concert – I can’t remember now who we were so excited to listen to – but like most teenagers, we shoved our way to the front of the stage at the very beginning of the show.  What I failed to realize, though, was that our placement near the staged positioned us right in front of giant speakers that were intended to broadcast the music from where we were standing, all the way back to the nosebleed section.  Granted, those speakers weren’t the sole source of sound for the arena, but in retrospect, I had no business being that close to speakers of that caliber, for that long of a period.  I remember leaving the arena and in the relative silence of the parking lot, I couldn’t hear my friends very well through the high-pitched ringing in my ears.  We were all in the same boat, though, and we hopped in our car laughing about not being able to hear each other.  (I wasn’t laughing days later when my ears were still ringing, and it was determined that my hearing would never fully recover…)   

I wish I could say that taught me a lesson, but like most teenagers, I was determined to dig myself deeper in a hole – one might say I was too stubborn to put down the shovel.  Further damage to my hearing occurred when a friend and I installed an 18-inch subwoofer in the trunk of my 1985 Chevy Cavalier for the sole purpose of sharing our music with the entire strip of Main Street that we cruised every weekend.  In reality, the purpose of that speaker was to announce our presence to everyone within a three-block radius through the vibration of mirrors, windows and every brain cell in their bodies, because even I must admit that the music quality was atrocious.  Then again, it was the 90’s, so one might argue that the quality of music from that entire decade was atrocious, even without the distorted bass vibrating the neighborhood. 

But I digress.  Music choices aside, I spent my teen years doing massive damage to my ear drums that I’ve regretted for the last two decades.  On a scale from “Mozart-deaf” to “can hear the podcast from the car ahead of me on the highway,” I’m somewhere in the middle, but I’m definitely on the spectrum of “was too stupid to protect her God-given resources.”  I can hear my phone vibrate on the counter even if I’m in a different room, but I can’t hear the timer on the microwave unless I’m standing right in front of it.  My music volume is now louder than most people can tolerate, strictly out of necessity, and movies are best watched with the captions on.  Some voices are easy for me to hear and some are a struggle.  I read lips and social cues about as well as the media reads President Trump’s intentions behind every step he takes, which means I screw up conversations with hilarious regularity.  Sometimes I think I hear a question and I respond, only to find out that the question that I thought I heard wasn’t at all the question that was asked.  Good times. 

But do you know what I can hear with absolute, crystal-clear lucidity?  Can you guess the words that I never fail to miss, no matter how much background noise exists or how softly the words are whispered?  

The voice in my mind that I have never been able to silence.    

You are such a fake. 

No one really likes you.  Those girls over there?  They’re totally laughing at you. 

You’re never going to overcome your depression and anxiety.  You should stop taking your meds.  

You think you have been called by God?  Hahaha, that wasn’t a calling, that was indigestion.  You’re not good enough, not strong enough, not smart enough… 

If you were a better Christian, Christmas wouldn’t be such a hard holiday for you. 

Do you hear what I hear?  Do you have a voice that can’t be silenced, a voice that never fails to scream when you’re at your lowest or whispers doubts even on the mountaintop?  What does your voice tell you?   

Better question yet, what do you tell that voice?  What do you say… to Satan? 

Did I lose you?  Are you squeamish about references to Satan?  Let’s call a spade a spade, Friends.  That voice belongs to Satan, the enemy of our souls, and downplaying his role in our spiritual and emotional well-being is, in my opinion, his stealthiest maneuver of all.  He is the father of lies and deceit, and no truth is found in him.  He has been playing the same game with mankind for thousands of years, and its long past time for us to recognize it and fight back with the Voice of Truth.   

I won’t pretend to be well-versed in wielding weapons against spiritual warfare, but I’ve learned that nothing silences the voice of lies better than reciting the Voice of Truth.    

When you feel that you’re forgotten, He says you are chosen:  “You didn’t choose me, remember; I chose you, and put you in the world to bear fruit, fruit that won’t spoil.” (John 15:16 MSG) 

When you hear that you’re too weak, He says He’s already given you all the strength you need:  “You empower me for victory with your wrap-around presence.  Your power within makes me strong to subdue, and by stooping down in gentleness you strengthened me and made me great!” (Psalms 18:35 TPT) 

If you’ve messed up, again, He says you’re forgiven:  “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.” (Psalms 103:12 AMP) 

When the father of lies spins his web, the Father of Truth has spoken His promises to you: 

“He heals the wounds of every shattered heart.” 

Psalm 147:3 TPT

“The Lord will work out his plans for my life – for your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever.  Don’t abandon me, for you made me.” 

Psalm 138:8 NLT

“You’ve kept track of all my wandering and my weeping.  You’ve stored my many tears in your bottle – not one will be lost.  For they are all recorded in your book of remembrance.” 

Psalm 56:8 TPT

“When you pass through deep waters, I will be with you; your troubles will not overwhelm you.  When you pass through the fire, you will not be burnt; the hard trials that come will not hurt you.” 

Isaiah 43:2 GNB)

Aren’t those promises beautiful?  Speak them aloud, whisper them in the dark, offer them as prayers to the Lover of your Soul.  Steep yourself in songs that breathe truth and remind you of the faithfulness of God.  (Might I recommend Fighting for Me by Riley Clemmons or You Say and Rescue by Lauren Daigle – or really anything Lauren Daigle has created with her highly talented vocal chords!)  Listen to podcasts that speak truth louder than the lies, read books that plant seeds of truth, marinate your mind in the Words of God.   

Above all, recognize the voice of lies and fight back with the Voice of Truth!  You were created by God Almighty.  Shouldn’t the words of the one who created you be the words you choose to listen to above all others?