I recently came across that familiar painting of a little dog listening to his master’s recorded voice on a gramophone that became the logo for RCA Victor. The caption read, “His master’s voice” The dog’s name was Nipper and he was born in 1884 (a little before my time) but I remember that logo from when I was a boy with my first vinyl record player. In addition to bringing back old memories, it reminded me how important it is for us to recognize and listen for our Master’s voice. That is especially true because of the many competing voices we hear every day.
When a character is faced with a moral decision in a cartoon, a little devil appears on one shoulder and a little angel on the other shoulder each whispering competing messages in the ear. That visual is so effective because we all feel the constant tug of war between good and evil or right and wrong. The key is to listen to the correct voice.
As believers we have God’s Spirit inside of us (Romans 8:11) and we learn to follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit to keep us on the right path in spite of the enemy’s constant chatter of lies and distractions. How can we always recognize the right voice? A friend on Face Book recently posted this brief comparison: “Satan knows our name but calls us by our sin. God knows our sin but calls us by our name.” God loves us more than we can ever comprehend and His every word will have a loving tone. Even when He warns us – like pulling a child’s hand back from a flame – He does so with love and not condemnation.
Satan is a liar. His lies led Adam and Eve into sin and he still uses lies to entrap us. It is easier to recognize the negative, discouraging messages of the enemy, but his lies can be more difficult to discern. That is why reading and hearing God’s word is so important. In my daily devotions I have started to read all scripture aloud so that I hear the words as well as see them. The more we know the truths of God’s word and let them sink in, the easier it will be for us to recognize and refute the lies of the enemy. Jesus set the example for us when he was tempted by Satan and answered every lie with scriptural truth. (Matthew 4:1-11 and Luke 4:1-14)
The psalmist gives us great advice: “For he is our God. We are the people he watches over, the flock under his care. If only you would listen to his voice today.” (Psalm 95:7)