S2. E30. "Who told you that?" Discerning your own voice from God's
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[00:00:00] You know what's the enemy? If it's subtle, condemning and deceptive, this is the voice that says, God's done with you. You'll never change. If it was really him, this would be easier. This voice produces shame, fear, self-doubt. It's accusing. It's isolating. It's manipulative. Genesis three, one. Did God really say that's what the enemy said to Adam and Eve in the garden?
Did God really say, gets you to question spirit of confusion? God is a God of order and he does not leave you confused. We know it's God when it's peaceful, it's conviction without condemnation. God's voice is a voice of truth. .
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Hello y'all. Welcome back to your Daily Bread podcast. The biggest question that I get is how do I discern between my voice, and God's voice when I hear those voices in my head? How do I know that it's God or is it me , or is it the enemy? We are gonna be taking a look at one of. The anchor scriptures of this show and my ministry, the first scripture that the Lord revealed to me that really shows that breaking away from diet culture is biblical.
We're gonna be looking at that again, but now through this lens of how do we discern between our own voice and [00:02:00] God's voice, we're gonna be looking at Colossians two verses 20 to 23. Father, God, thank you so much for. Ah, just the gift of your word, Lord, that it is so clear that it is true, that it is a double edged sword, that as we read it, it reads us back in that every word in the Bible is God breathed.
Lord, I pray that as we go into this discussion today and this episode today that you. Bring clarity, Lord, and that this brings confirmation to your people and every single listener Lord, and that they have a greater understanding of your voice. Lord, your word says that your sheep know your voice and they follow you, Lord.
So thank you for being the good Shepherd and for speaking to us. And Lord, we just come to you with a posture of surrender saying, speak Lord, for your servants are listening. Lord, I pray that everything that is said in this episode is [00:03:00] what you want to say through me, not what I want to say, Lord, but your Holy Spirit does what only he can do.
In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. So Colossians two 20 to 23. I'm reading from the NIV. It says, since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why? As though you still belong to the world, do you submit to its rules? Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch. These rules with which have to do with things that are all destined to perish with use are based on merely human commands and teachings.
Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom with their self-imposed worship. Their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence. So, like I said at the beginning of this episode, this was the first scripture that the Lord revealed to me [00:04:00] that really anchors my ministry, that breaking away from diet culture is biblical, and the restriction, the guilt, the shame, the negative binge and restrictive cycles.
Everything involved with diet culture is not of God. It's not God's way of doing things and that's not how he's calling us to steward our bodies. So what this verse is saying is like, Hey, because you're a believer now, you have died with Christ,
, died to ourselves. We are now a new creation in Christ. We are made new. We are born again in Christ. So we're living for the Lord. We're Christians. And because you're Christians, why are you submitting to the world's rules? We are called to be in the world, not of the world. Why are you still following the rules of the world?
You need to do things distinctly different now. You need to operate differently, be set apart, be wholly, and not be conducting yourselves as you once did. [00:05:00] And then in quotes, it says, do not handle, do not taste, do not touch. Referring to the Jewish tradition , with their food rules, it says, these rules which have to do with things that are all , destined to perish with these, Jesus came not to abolish the law, but to fulfill the law.
And so we are not bound by the same food rules as with the Jewish tradition. Okay. And when we relate the scripture and apply it to today, when we think about the food rules that we follow, you know, don't eat after 7:00 PM Oh, don't eat fruit. 'cause fruit is too much sugar.
Don't eat fat because you're gonna get fat. All of these things like who said that? If we look in Genesis, the Lord gave us every seed bearing plant and fruit to eat. Fruit is not too much sugar the Lord gave that to us in abundance and there's so many vitamins and minerals, so much fiber in fruit.
That's not too much sugar. Fat is essential. It's one of our macronutrients, so it's a [00:06:00] main. Essential food group that we need. And eating fat isn't going to make you fat, eating too much of anything, being in a caloric surplus that can lead to weight gain over time, of course.
But,, that doesn't mean that the fat macro is bad and actually people that can consume too little fat. End up with hormonal issues and skin issues, metabolism issues. The fat macro is the building blocks for our hormones. So a lot of period health and our hormonal health can be off if we're not having enough fats.
. So there's just a lot that fat does and there's no rule that says that we have to stop eating at 7:00 PM So it's like, you know, we have to always be asking ourselves. When we have a food rule, where did this come from? Who said that? And if things are of the world, they will be destined to perish with use, meaning they're not focused on eternity and having an eternal mindset.
Kingdom mindset. They're based on merely human commands in teaching. So they're not from God, but humans came up with it. They have an [00:07:00] appearance of wisdom, so that seems wise. Like, oh, like I don't wanna be fat, so I'm just not gonna eat fat. It's like, on the surface, that could seem wise. And even if you know a little bit about nutrition, you're like, oh, fat per serving has more calories than the same size serving of carbs or proteins.
Like it's four calories per gram. For carbs and protein, but it's nine calories per gram for fat. But you still need to eat fat, right? So even if you know a little bit about nutrition and, and all that, I don't mean to get into the weeds with that, but it could seem wise like, oh, fat's more calories per serving, so I'm going to not eat it.
It's like, no, you still want to eat it. You just wanna be cognizant of the types of fats that you're having and what portion size. In combination with what else? And, be spirit led and all of that. You don't need to completely remove it. There are false humility and there harsh treatment of the body.
Like, you know, you're doing things of the world following worldly food rules if it leads to harsh treatment of the body, not leading to the fruits of the spirit. And you'll know that [00:08:00] you're not doing things in a sustainable way, doing things the way that the Lord would want you to do things with your healthy lifestyle if you are falling into.
Indulgence, if you are in the context of food, see here it essential indulgence. When we think about this in the context of food, if you're binging, if you're overeating, if you are lacking control, self-control is the fruit of the spirit. Self-control is not gonna be something that you're gonna have to strive for.
So if you keep feeling out of control with nutrition, you're probably gripping too tight and restricting, because restrictions always lead to binges and more indulgence. But when you're walking with God, you will have self-control, and that'll be a natural byproduct of walking with the spirit, not something that you're gonna have to strive for.
So anytime we have a food rule that comes up, I want you to ask yourself, who told me that? Where did I pick that up? Was that a TikTok? Was that something that my parents said growing up? Was it something I learned in school? Was that [00:09:00] something I read? Is it of God? Did I listen to that on a podcast?
Anything, we wanna filter that through the Holy Spirit. Do not take , my word for it, anything that I say on this show. Y'all, I am encouraging you. Please take this to the Lord. That's why this show is called Your Daily Bread. It, and it's meant to give you a scripture for the week that you take into your quiet time with the Lord.
Let him minister to you through it. What does the Lord have to say to you about this specific scripture? How does it apply? How does it apply to your situation? So this is not meant for you to take my word as gospel. I need you to actually get in the gospel, right? I need you to filter everything through the Holy Spirit and not just what I'm saying, but everything you have to filter through the spirit.
Who told me that? Why do I believe that? Where did that come from? Is this God's voice? Is this my voice? Is this the enemy? And so the scripture [00:10:00] gives us some indications that things are not of God. So number one, if it is leading to harsh treatment of the body, then what you're doing to steward your body, whatever you heard, is probably not of God.
Something not of God. Probably got in there. Right? And here's the thing, it can be a little confusing 'cause you're like, well, I'm eating vegetables. But if you're like, not eating enough, right, you're not getting enough protein, if you're not getting enough fat. And things that like, you know, you could see like where it seems, why it's like, oh no, I'm eating more plant-based.
But if you're eating at too much of a caloric deficit or you know, have a fear around foods like you're not eating certain foods, not because it's a spirit led decision, but. It's because you have a fear around eating that food, something not of God snuck in there and that's not treating the body well.
You're not actually nourishing your body. You're eating nutrient dense foods, but that doesn't mean that you're adequately and properly nourishing your body, and that's actually leading to harsh treatment of the body. You can say, oh, exercise is really good. I'm [00:11:00] exercising, but are you doing too much exercise?
Where now it's way too much and now it's leading to harsh treatment of the body and you won't even allow yourself a rest day. You know the voice is not of God in your head, if it's not biblical, God's voice will always align with his word.
God never says anything that contradicts his word, which is why it's so important to not just trust what Bible teachers, podcasters, coaches, friends that are super spiritual and super Christian, spiritual directors, pastors, priests.
It's important to not take their word for it, but get into the word. Yourself so that you know God's word and you have his word written on your heart. That's a command for all of us, not just for the pastors and the teachers of the word. That's for everyone. It makes me sad. But I do watch all of those documentaries about church cults and where churches go wrong I watch 'em so that I can learn like where the pitfalls are, where did people start to [00:12:00] go astray, because they don't always start off that way, but what are the red flags in a church where like, ooh, it's not quite a good, and what are the main things that I see in all of those like cult documentaries where like they just, start veering off in the wrong direction, not God's direction is.
When the leader is not encouraging people to get in God's word, but says, God has given me a word, I will teach you, or I have read the Bible, I will teach you. I will tell you y'all, you gotta have an individual relationship with the Lord. Now your pastor, your priest may be leading the flock, but you have to have an individual relationship with God.
And Jesus died for you. Jesus made a way to never be separated from you individually, ever again. So anyway, I just find that that's a central theme. I don't know why I really felt called to talk about that just now, but um, that is a central theme that I see in a lot of those cult documentaries where churches end [00:13:00] up going wrong is that people are not getting in the word themselves.
They're more easily deceived. The other thing that it says here is that you know that things aren't from God. If there's like that false humility, I've heard it described thinking of yourself less, not thinking less of yourself. So I would think false humility would be that you are thinking less of yourself.
So it's kind of like you're either martyring yourself or like putting yourself down. Versus actually being humble and thinking of yourself less thinking of others more. And I also think too, like I go back to the Pharisees, and actually in this part, in Colossians, he's talking about Pharisees and legalism and things of that nature.
Pharisees , back in that day, they seemed like, oh, like, you know, we're for the people and we're serving the people. We're, you know, we wanna help people get closer to God. But then they like sit at the head of the table and you, y'all know that part in the gospels where Jesus [00:14:00] says like, you need to humble yourself.
And when you walk into a party, don't sit in the guests of honor seat the main seat. Sit in the humble seat and you will be exalted, you will be brought up, you will be lifted up and brought to a seat of honor. Don't automatically sit in the seat of honor because you will be dethroned. Right. You'll be taken out of that.
, So I think that the Pharisees back in the day, and there's people still today that, you know, operate in this way where they're like, you know, oh, I'm doing such good things like for the people, but then they still have this. Air about them and this pride about them and putting themselves in, in a place of honor, and they kind of walk around like, oh, I'm more mature than everyone else.
I know more things like I'm, and I'm, and I'm helping people. So it's just like false humility, , I also think too, this can come out where people are like, oh, I'm sacrificing these things. For the Lord, right? Like, I'm working out so much for the Lord. I'm fasting so much for [00:15:00] the Lord. I'm giving up sugar for the Lord.
And it's like, well, did the Lord actually tell you to cut all carbs out? Did the Lord tell you to actually go keto like the Lord values? And we've talked about this in other episodes too. The Lord values and is pleased by your obedience, not your sacrifice. So I also think that false humility, like you think that, oh, I'm humbling myself, I'm sacrificing, but you might not actually be obedient to what the Lord is actually calling you to do when it comes to stewarding your body.
So there's a difference there. I also think that there's a false humility when people are like groaning while fasting or like the Pharisees, we, they're described in the Bible is they're praying so much, but they're praying out loud in the public square. So it's like, oh, we're so, we're like holier than thou we're praying all the time, but.
You're not actually being humble because you want to be seen praying. And Jesus says like, don't let even your left hand know what your right hand is doing. You can do things anonymously. You can do things in the privacy of your own home. [00:16:00] Not everyone needs to know all of your good deeds because you're not doing that for me and you're doing it for God.
Very. Colossians 3 23, we have an audience of one and we do things for the Lord, not for man. So false humility. So if you're doing things to look, look puffed up or. If you're working out and always feel like you have to share a booty pick on Instagram or a flexing pick on Instagram to show everyone, Hey, I worked out today.
, Is that actually what the Lord's calling you to do or is that false humility So if what you're doing and how you're stewarding your body and your goals and the food rules that you have, keep you focused on. Worldly things and worldly measures of success and not what God sees as success, then something of the world snuck in there and something is not of God.
And I don't know exactly what that is for your situation, but that's why you need to really take this episode, take this scripture, and filter it through the Holy Spirit and see what what's coming up for you. Where have you been? Deceived the Lord searched me. Psalm 1 39, so that you can get back on the path [00:17:00] of the life everlasting.
I also saw this post on TikTok. Recently, the creator is Marian Roseman, and they did a post that was so well worded, so I'm gonna read from it, I can link it in the show notes. But the difference between God's voice and your thoughts, and I've heard it said so many different ways, and we had a really good discussion about this at my recent client retreat.
And praise God, the spirit just totally led I was not planning for that question in the middle of my lesson. But it was so good and so fruitful, and I just praise God that the spirit led us that way because it was such a fruitful discussion. So to see this post come up and just worded so well, so clear, so succinctly, I was like, I got, I gotta share this 'cause it goes exactly with, with the scripture.
So, , the post is how do you know the difference between God's voice and your thoughts? There are three voices in your head, your flesh, the enemy, and God. Okay, so you know, it's your flesh. When it's urgent, it's impulsive, [00:18:00] and it keeps you comfortable,
god is always going to call you higher, and the things of God sometimes make us uncomfortable, very often make us uncomfortable. This voice, you know, it's your flesh. It says things like, you deserve this. It's not that deep. God will understand. Your flesh wants comfort, not obedient. Matthew 26 41. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.
You know what's the enemy? If it's subtle, condemning and deceptive, this is the voice that says, God's done with you. You'll never change. If it was really him, this would be easier. This voice produces shame, fear, self-doubt. It's accusing. It's isolating. It's manipulative. Genesis three, one. Did God really say that's what the enemy said to Adam and Eve in the garden?
Did God really say, gets you to question spirit of confusion? [00:19:00] God is a God of order and he does not leave you confused. We know it's God when it's peaceful, it's conviction without condemnation. It's consistent God's voice is a voice of truth.
His voice aligns with scripture. It brings peace, not comfort. Now, the Holy Spirit is our comforter.
And with that, sometimes God will call you into situations that leave you feeling uncomfortable. 'cause growth happens, sanctification happens in the discomfort, but you will still have a peace about it because it's from God and he's calling you higher and you're called to be obedient. It might be uncomfortable.
You might have a difficult conversation. You might be faced with something that triggers you. But you'll have a piece about it, and there's clarity in the chaos. God's voice, if it's really from him, it draws you closer to him. [00:20:00] And this creator said you have to train your spirit to discern his voice.
So you need to build a relationship with him to know his voice. And to be able to recognize him. And I think about children that are learning their parents' voice. They spend time with them, they build a relationship with them. They know their parents' voice. So I've really found that that post was super helpful.
And there's other, things too that, can be helpful with discerning God's voice. I think we're always growing in that. Is that God's voice? Is that my voice? And, and hopefully the Lord is renewing your mind so that your thoughts are his. Thoughts. We know that his, ways are higher than our ways.
His thoughts are higher than our thoughts, but hopefully the more scripture that you learn, your thoughts are God's word, you're defaulting to how God would see things. The more that you learn about his nature, the more time you spend with him. And there's one scripture in one Corinthians that says, you have the mind of Christ.
Like we have the ability to access God's mind. And in [00:21:00] his wisdom, so I pray that is helpful. , And if you are looking to heal your relationship with food, head to the show notes 'cause you will see the different ways to work with me.
You can sign up for a free call. You can sign up for a biblical nutrition audit. I also have, one-on-one coaching options as well if you wanna work together. So sign up for that free 20 minute call. If you're inquiring about one-on-one coaching, sign up for that free call.
See y'all next week.
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