“If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods—which you have not known—‘and let us serve them,’ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the Lord your God is testing you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. (Deut 13:1-3). Throughout Scripture, God expresses His frustrations when His people listen to voices other than His. We are led away from God and the church when we follow other voices. His intention to fellowship with us requires that we listen to His voice and follow His instructions. Adam and Eve were naked in the garden, yet not ashamed until they listened to the serpent’s voice. Their response to God’s query of their where about made God ask them which voice they had listened to. Because they had listened to the serpent’s voice, they disobeyed God, separated from Him and lost their position with Him. In our world today, the voice of the serpent comes in diverse forms. The false prophets are our airwaves; the false doctrines are on the internet, and teachers of wrong theologies are all over social media. These are ways the devil schemes to take the believer away from God’s presence. God explicitly instructs His people not to listen to strange voices and prophets that come to lure His people to serve other gods. God’s desire, therefore, is for us to listen to Him as He leads us into the place and position of promise for us. Who’s voice are you listening to?
