Who’s talking?

In sermons we hear over and over that we should listen to the Holy Spirit, have a quiet time, and ask God for answers for our lives. But which voice out of this jumble in my head is Jesus or the Holy Spirit? Who am I listening to – am I not just hearing my own thoughts or even the enemy?

Try it out for yourself right now:
Be still, close your eyes, and ask Jesus what he likes about you.
Take a minute and write down what came to your mind.

If you really heard Jesus through the Holy Spirit within you, the answer is incredibly encouraging. Are you asking yourself: Isn’t this just my ego trying to boost my self-esteem? Most of the time we feel like, surely it can’t be that simple! Is this really Jesus?

On the other hand, we believe every self-doubt, every negative thought about ourselves, about other people and also about the world. In fact, the voice can either come from our own soul (mind, will, emotions), be whispered by the enemy, or it can come from the Holy Spirit who dwells within us.

The origin of the voice becomes quite clear when we look at the effects in our lives that arise from what we hear.

But the Spirit produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility, and self-control… Galatians 5:22-23

This verse says that the Spirit of God produces the good in our lives. Through him we can be close to Jesus, hear and understand how good he is and how he delights in us. The effects are tremendous, the more we allow ourselves to be filled by this voice – and believe it. If it brings about good, that speaks for the fact that it was given to us by the Holy Spirit.

Suppose Jesus tells me that he loves my enthusiasm and my ability to communicate acceptance and value to people. Will that make me arrogant? Or will it rather encourage me to use these strengths all the more? Maybe I’m just now realizing that these are talents of mine and will look for ways to use them.

Isn’t it also a tremendous joy for me to know that Jesus rejoices in me? Maybe Jesus even rejoices in a trait that some people only see the negative side of? My enthusiasm, for example, also means that I am not so consistent and often find something new to be excited about. But Jesus says that he likes that I get excited. That pleases me and makes me feel good.

I have often wondered why we close ourselves off to this positive voice when it is so fulfilling. Are these really just pipe dreams or seeing things through rose-colored glasses, as some say? Why not try it when the result is nothing but good?

If I believe only the negative thoughts from the enemy or my own bad experiences, nothing good will grow from them. Are such thoughts ever good for us? Can something good and wholesome grow out of inferiority, self-doubt and fear? No, definitely not (please do not confuse fear and healthy respect for something).

Jesus does not want us to think badly of ourselves because he says we are wonderfully made. Jesus died for us and rose again so that we might have the Holy Spirit in us and hear his voice. Who are we to reject it? Is it proud or arrogant to accept these good thoughts about ourselves? On the contrary, I think it is actually arrogant to reject them!

Talk to Jesus, pepper him with questions about yourself. But ask him in faith! Don’t ask him if he loves you, but assume that he loves you and ask him to show you what that love looks like. Listen to what comes up in your mind and write it down. Jesus loves to encourage us and build us up, he wants to plant these loving thoughts in our hearts so that good things will emerge.