Voices, part two

You don’ have to be crazy to hear voices, part two.

Suggestions for remediation.
I really believe we all have voices within that prod us on, that condemn us, that encourage us and so on. I’m most concerned over the negative voices. What do I do with them?

1. Acknowledge the voices.
Noise can be an addiction that quiets to some extent the power of the negative voices.Turn off the noise that camoflages the voices. Allow yourself to listen “in” and journal the results.

2. Seek the source
Was the source of the voice: your father who by word or action conveyed the message, “You’re not quite good enough.” Or the coach who said, “Quit now, you’ll never make the team.” Quitting has been a problem in many arenas since. We have some forgiving to do, don’t we?
For some, the condemning voice is from satan. Remedy: tell him to go to hell where he belongs and refuse to allow that voice to continue inner residency.

3. Bring thoughts into captivity.
The key to “voices remedy” is following the Biblical principle, “Bring your thoughts into captivity.”
When you hear a negative voice, say, “Hold it there Bub. That is stinking thinking. The Bible directs me in Philippians 4:8 - Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”
We have a choice: listen to the voices and their destructivness or follow Philippians 4:8. For example, one of my voices is, “with your Parkinson’s it won’t be long and you’ll be in a wheel chair, not driving, falling over all the time, choking, etc.” Obviously the source is satan. I resist him and focus my thoughts on, “God, you’re in control. My life is yours. You have in mind what is best for me. I’ll do what I can with medication, exercise, etc and leave the results to you.”
Bring thoughts into captivity.

4. Replace destructive thoughts with godly truth.
Negative voices are replaced with positive. And the source of the new voices is Scripture. What does God say about your situation? That’s one of the reasons for consistent Bible study. Setting your mindset on what God says about you. Romans 12:1-2 is a powerful game plan for us. 1 And so, dear brothers and sisters,[a] I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.[b] 2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
One version says, “Be transformed by the renewing of the mind.”
This is done two ways. Feed your mind daily with God’s word. Some call it a quiet time. Renewing the mind and being obedient to what God says sets the stage for “transformed voices.” Then, spontaneously, hit the negative voice with positive and transforming mental food gained from the reading of Scripture. The more consistent you are with the exercise, the quicker the results.