Our Voice Has A Choice

January 2022

Proverbs 18:21, “The tongue can bring death or life...”

Our voice has a choice. What is our voice choosing? Are we choosing death or life; bondage or freedom?

John 8:36, “So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.”

Freedom is having a choice.

Freedom is to have a voice.

A voice is a choice.

Having a voice is to have a choice.

A voice is not just words.

A voice is a choice from within.

Everything we do has a voice.

What we write is our voice.

What we wear is our voice.

What we watch is our voice.

What we listen to is our voice.

Where we work is our voice.

How we work is our voice.

What we eat is our voice.

How we spend time is our voice.

Who we spend our time with is our voice.

How we spend our money is our voice.

What we portray on social media is our voice.

What we meditate on and think about is our voice.

Psalm 19:14, “May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.”

Our voice is the true intent of our heart talking out of our choices and actions.

Out of the heart the mouth speaks.

What is in our heart will come out.

Unlike food that goes in the mouth and out the body, what is inside our hearts is what comes out of us through our words, choices, and actions.

Matthew 15:18, “But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart...”

Since our voices have choices:

May our choices be made out of following God’s voice.

May our voice not be ours, but His heart cry coming out of us.

May His ways become our desires.

May His choices be our choices.

May we yield to His ways.

May His voice be our voice.

May our mouths speak His truth.

May our hearts be purified.

May we have clean hands and a pure heart.

To have clean hands is to have a pure heart. Jesus explains this concept in Matthew 15 as the Pharisees and scribes came to Him upset that His disciples were not washing their hands before eating. Jesus tried to explain that traditions of man's worldly ways were not the same as God’s ways. Because they chose not to listen to Him, Jesus called them hypocrites and took this time to teach His disciples, saying in Matthew 15:8, “These people honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.” He was explaining the difference between talking the talk and walking the walk.

In Matthew 15:10-11 Jesus said, “Hear and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.” He was showing them the importance of our words and the correlation between what we say and what is truly in our hearts. Then, in Matthew 15:13-20, Jesus said, “‘Every plant that My heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up. Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.’ But Peter said to Him, ‘Explain the parable to us.’ And He said, ‘Are you also still without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person.’”

Jesus was trying to explain that not washing their hands before eating was the least of their worries if their hearts weren’t clean. Having a clean heart is more important than washing hands because what is in our heart is far more filthy than any dirt or germs on the hands. A dirty heart is more deadly than germy hands. Although we should wash our hands, it is more important to do heart checks and thoroughly clean out the impurities in the depth of our true intent. What is in our hearts we can hear out of our mouth.

Jesus taught all throughout His life how to live a pure and Kingdom life. He taught how to listen and obey the voice of God and how to not only have clean hands but a pure heart. Psalm 24:3-5 says “Who may climb the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in His holy place? Only those whose hands and hearts are pure, who do not worship idols and never tell lies. They will receive the Lord’s blessing and have a right relationship with God their savior.” It is very clear that the only way to have a right relationship with God and stand in His holy place is not just by having clean hands free from germs, but by abstaining from a life of worldly ways. This scripture doesn’t just stop with having clean hands, but couples it with having a pure heart—showing the importance of both. It also goes on to say that we must not worship idols (put things in our life above God) and we must live a truthful lifestyle (transparent in all we do––no lies, nothing hidden or secret). If we will follow His ways, then we can stand in His presence—the holy place.

To follow Jesus and His ways, is to live pure in voice, choice, motive, intent and with a clean heart. Those with a pure heart automatically seek to worship Him in spirit and in truth and remain faithful in all they do. John 4:24 says, “Those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” To live a pure life isn’t hard for those who truly desire to know and follow Him. It isn’t work, it’s willingness out of pure love and devotion. It is a lifestyle of loving Him. Pure hearts remain faithful to the One they love.

Jesus said in John 8:31-32, “You are truly My disciples if you remain faithful to My teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” But in these passages in John, the descendants of Abraham argued with Jesus. They argued that they weren’t slaves in need of freedom, but sons of Abraham. Jesus tried to show them that they were children of God, but they didn’t grasp the concept.

Jesus then said in John 8:36-37, “So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free. Yes, I realize that you are descendants of Abraham. And yet some of you are trying to kill Me because there’s no room in your hearts for My message.” Because they had no room in their hearts for what He had to tell them, they were trying to kill Him. They did not listen to the voice of the Lord, but instead followed the ways of the world so much so they wanted Him dead.

Jesus then told them in John 8:42-43, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, because I have come to you from God… Why can’t you understand what I am saying? It’s because you can’t even hear Me!” Jesus then explains why they can’t hear His voice—the Truth. He says in John 8:44-45, “For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does… He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies. So when I tell the truth, you just naturally don’t believe Me!” Because they loved the things of the world, they could not hear or see the Truth. They could not hear the true voice of God and therefore did not grasp that they were sons and daughters of God.

Jesus goes on to explain in John 8:47 that, “Anyone who belongs to God listens gladly to the words of God. But you don’t listen because you don’t belong to God.” If we belong to God then that means that we gladly listen to His words and obey His voice. He said in John 8:51, “I tell you the truth, anyone who obeys My teaching will never die!” Unfortunately, the people didn’t listen to what Jesus was trying to tell them. He finally laid it out loud and clear with a massive truth bomb when He said in John 8:54-55, “You say, ‘He is our God, but you don’t even know Him. I know Him. If I said otherwise, I would be as great a liar as you! But I do know Him and obey Him.” Jesus was showing the people that to truly know God they must listen and obey His voice. He was showing them, and us, that our voice and choices should ultimately be His voice, His ways, His will flowing out of our obedience.

Jesus only did what He saw His father do. His actions, voice, and choices were God’s ways, will, and voice flowing out of His obedience. Jesus also spoke only what He heard His Father speak as it says in John 8:38, “I speak of what I have seen with My Father...” And in John 12:49 it says that Jesus spoke not in His own authority, but God’s, “The Father who sent Me has commanded Me what to say and how to say it.” The descendants of Abraham in the chapter of John still didn’t listen to the voice of God through Jesus and continued to argue that Abraham and their earthly ways were better than the One True King. But, Jesus answered in John 8:58-59, “‘I tell you the truth, before Abraham was even born, I Am!’ At that point they picked up stones to throw at Him. But Jesus was hidden from them.” They were so set in their ways that they could not see or hear the Truth standing right in front of them. They wanted to use their voice for their own choices and did not yield their ways to God in purity of heart—so much so that they picked up stones to throw at Jesus, God’s Son. But, Jesus was hidden and made invisible so they could not harm Him. Even then, they did not listen. The sign and wonder of Jesus disappearing right before their eyes still did not cause them to stop and question their hearts' intent. What was in their hearts came out of their mouths and actions. Therefore, it is better to eat with dirty hands than talk out of a dirty heart.

Although we probably would say that we wouldn’t dare try to stone Jesus to death or even think of picking up a single stone, what is truly hidden in our hearts that we can’t see? If we will stop and listen to what is coming out of our own mouths, we will surely see what is hidden in our hearts. Are we actually picking up stones to throw because we don’t want to listen? How many times have we chosen not to obey His voice, His ways, His will? How many times have we turned from the Truth right before us? How many times have we wanted our ways over His ways and our desires over His? How many times do we seek our earthly teachings and knowledge over the voice of God? How many times have we thought that we could use our voices however we please? Sadly, I know I have done this plenty of times.

But I, like many of you, truly desire to obey His voice, believe His truth, and walk in His ways. Although we are far from perfect, may we seek to bring Him glory through our voices and our choices—beginning with a heart check. As we seek to know Him more daily, may we be a reflection of Him in how we act, what we say, and what we do with our time.

In everything we say or do, may it be pleasing to Him. Just like Jesus, may our words be the Fathers heart flowing out of us and back to Him—His voice becoming our voice. Although our voices have a choice, may we choose life over death.

Lord, we give our hearts to You. Check our hearts and reveal all hidden motives and intents that we can not see. Clean us and give us a new heart aligned and designed with Your desires and will. Purify us so all others see in us, is You! May our voices be Yours. May our choices be Yours. May our hearts, words, motives, intents, and actions be pleasing and holy unto You. Although we have a voice, we make a choice today to give it back to You. Amen