#5 God's Guidance: Quieting the Critical Voice Within

When I first became a Christian, I quickly discovered the importance of the Shepherd. It was spoken about often in church and we had it drummed into us that shepherds love their sheep. I learnt that in biblical times a shepherd had an intimate relationship with their sheep. They knew them by name, tended to them carefully, and protected them. I love this idea and understand the concept of a caring shepherd looking after a small flock. It brings me warmth and comfort. You only have to look at Psalm 23 or the parable of the lost sheep in Luke 15:1-7 to start to realise how special it is to have the Lord as your shepherd and to hear his voice calling out your name.

"The greatest discovery you'll ever make is that God's opinion of you is the only one that truly matters." Max Lucado

Navigating Inner Dialogue

But as I get older, I’m starting to realise that, along with the shepherd, there’s another very powerful voice in my life that also works with sheep. While the one voice is protective, wise, loving and life giving, the other is very different. The other voice that I’ve become aware of is the voice of the butcher.

Yes, he has a lot to do with sheep too, but he hurts, controls and takes life. (Apologies here to all kind and caring butchers out there.) There’s no relationship, no concern and no protection with this butcher. I’m starting to realise that I’ve given the butcher way too much freedom in my life and rather than turn the volume down on him, I seem to have spent too much time listening to him, thinking he was the shepherd. I’ve confused the two voices at times and allowed myself to hear that I’m not good enough, that I should have done better, that I’m not as important as someone else etc.

"Your value is not determined by the voices that criticize you, but by the love that created you." Unknown

Silencing the Inner Critic

It’s a subtle voice, but it has had a profound impact on me. It’s damaged my sense of worth and identity and without knowing it, I’ve bought into a narrative that’s at odds with what the gentle loving shepherd has to say. It takes some discipline to stop and discern what I’m thinking or feeling sometimes, and to work out which voice it is that’s talking at that point. What I do know is that the closer we get to the shepherd, the more we know about him, and the more time we spend listening to his voice, the easier it will be to recognise it and discern when it’s not him and it's the voice of the inner critic. That’s why we read the Bible, spend time learning about him and praying and communicating with him.

"In the silence between your thoughts, you'll hear the whispers of God assuring you of your worth." Anonymous

The Transformative Power of Psalm 23

When you listen to the Shepherd's voice and silence the inner critic, you’ll notice something really special. You’ll never feel any judgement, or condemnation, or criticism with the shepherd. Yes, he’ll correct and challenge you, but it will come out of love and a deep, intimate relationship that wants what is best for his sheep.

So, whenever you start to feel shame, or guilt or condemnation, you can be sure it’s not the voice of the shepherd. I’d suggest you do what I’m still learning to do.  Stop listening to that unhelpful and critical voice—take a deep breath and tune back into the shepherd’s voice. It might take a while to change the habit of years, but it’ll be worth it. Maybe start with Psalm 23 right now. “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want……”

"You are loved not because you are good, but because God is good." Richard Rohr

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From Reflection to Action: (These are just suggestions – maybe choose 1 or 2 to try)

1. Read through Luke 15:1-7: Sit with the image of the shepherd you read in the passage. Ask God to reveal himself as the shepherd in your life more and more in the days ahead.

2. Spend time with the Shepherd: Start to spend time with the shepherd every day so you become familiar with his voice and are able to quickly and easily discern when another voice starts to have power in your life.

3. Meet Cecil the Lost Sheep: For something a bit different why not got to https://www.lostsheep.com.au/stories/cecil-the-lost-sheep/ and check out the story of Cecil the lost sheep. I love the image of the shepherd in this story.

4. Tune into Encouraging Podcasts: Boost your resilience with these stories from the Resilient Souls podcast.

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Bible verses about  being one of the Shepherd’s sheep:

1. John 10:27 (NLT): "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me."

2. Psalm 23:1 (NIV): "The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing."

3. Zephaniah 3:17 (NIV): "The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love, he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing."

4. Psalm 28:7 (NIV): "The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him."

5. Psalm 139:14 (NIV): "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well."

6. Romans 8:37-39 (NLT): "No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love."

7. Ephesians 2:10 (NIV): "For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

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