This blog is from a sermon I've never preached. I was brought it multiple times, and the Lord would never release me. I decided it's probably best for the "Blogverse".

The Void and the Voices

The Voice of the Lord – Impression – Holy Nudge - God’s Expression

1. The Void

• A void is an empty place.
• It is the unfilled place in the soul.
• It is what remains when someone has been cleaned up but not filled up.

Jesus said:

Matt. 12:43-45 (NLT-SE) ¶   “When an evil spirit leaves a person, it goes into the desert, seeking rest but finding none. Then it says, ‘I will return to the person I came from.’ So it returns and finds its former home empty, swept, and in order. Then the spirit finds seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they all enter the person and live there. And so that person is worse off than before. That will be the experience of this evil generation.”

While Jesus was speaking about demon possession, this whole chapter deals with deeper issues, and the last line of verse 25 tells it all… this is Jesus speaking of something deeper than demons haunting generations to come.

This was dealing with Reformation without Relationship and Deliverance without Dominion… neither is lasting.

• You can be CLEANED UP but not FILLED UP.

The evil spirit departed; the house was empty, swept, and garnished.

• It was clean, but it was vacant.
• It had order, but no occupant.
• It had improvement, but no indwelling.

That is the danger of a form of godliness without the Spirit Power.

• You can remove behaviors and still leave the soul empty.
• You can clean up habits and still not be filled with God.
• You can stop certain sins and still not have the Word dwelling richly in you.
• You can have morality without intimacy.
• You can have discipline without deliverance.
• You can have reformation without regeneration.

The void leaves room for voices.

When you leave a VOID in your Spirit…

• Where there is emptiness, chaos speaks.
• Where the Spirit does not rule, other spirits seek entrance.

That is why Ephesians says:

Eph. 5:18 (NKJV) And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,

• The answer is not merely to empty the house.
• The answer is to fill the house with God's presence.

 

2. The Voices

The enemy has always worked through voices.

Before there was murder, idolatry, addiction, rebellion, or apostasy, there was first a voice.

In Heaven, it seduced a 3^rd of the angels to follow. In the garden, the serpent did not begin by placing fruit in Eve’s hand.

He began by placing a question in her mind.

“Yea, hath God said…”- Genesis 3:1

That is the voice of distortion.

It’s not outright deception… FIRST. It does not always deny God. Sometimes it simply questions what God has clearly spoken.

The enemy’s first weapon was not a sword. It was a suggestion.

 

3. “Hath God Said?” — The Voice That Twists Truth & Encourages Compromise.

The voice of compromise often sounds like:

• “Is it really that serious?”
• “Is it that big of a deal?”

This leads to questions like

“Does God really care about that?”

• “Does God really care about how I act, dress, look, etc?”
• “Is church attendance really that important?”
• “Is giving really essential?”
• “Does tongues really matter?
• “Times have changed.”
• “Everybody else is doing it.”
• “This is how I get status and worth.”
• “You can love God and still hold on to this.”
• “You do not have to be so extreme.”

This voice attacks conviction.

The serpent did not begin by saying, “There is no God.”

He began by questioning God’s Word.

That same voice still speaks today.

• It tries to turn truth into preference.
• It tries to turn holiness into legalism.
• It tries to make sanctification optional.
• It tries to turn conviction into intolerance.
• It tries to turn obedience into bondage.
• It tries to turn sin into identity.

Rom. 1:25 (NKJVS) who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

That is the work of deception. It does not merely reject truth; it exchanges truth.

• It takes what God called holy and calls it harmful.
• It takes what God called sin and calls it freedom.
• It takes what God called order and calls it oppression.
• It takes what God called purity and calls it shame.

Demas is a powerful example.

Paul wrote:

2Tim. 4:10 (ESVS) For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica…

Demas did not necessarily leave because he stopped believing everything overnight. He left because another love got louder.

The voice of the age became stronger than the voice of truth.

That is the danger of compromise. It rarely begins with open rebellion. It begins with divided affection.

Demas was near Paul, near ministry, near truth, near the move of God — but proximity is not the same as being anchored. He never fully bought the Truth.

• You can be near the altar and still not be anchored.
• You can hear preaching and still not be anchored.
• You can know the language of the church and still not be anchored.
• You can sit on a church pew and never be anchored.
• Some people are anchored to One God (Acts 2:38), Spiritual Gifts, and High Praise, but NEVER anchor to HOLINESS.

 

4. “If Thou Be the Son of God” — The Voice That Attacks Identity & Deity.

In the wilderness, Satan came to Jesus and said:

Matt. 4:3 (KJVS) And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.

It was a temptation to prove identity apart from obedience.

The Spirit had already spoken at Jesus’ baptism:

“This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” -Matthew 3:17

Then immediately afterward, Satan says, “If thou be the Son of God…”

The enemy loves to put a question mark where God put a period.

• The Spirit of God identified Him as the incarnate Son.
• Satan said, “If you are the Son…”

That is the voice of doubt.

Since 2020, I’ve heard the voice of the Beast whisper…”Is God Real?”, Does God really Exist?”, “If God Existed…Why?” Why aren’t your prayers being answered?”

That voice says:

• “If God loved you, why are you in the wilderness?”
• “If God called you, why are you struggling?”
• “If God is with you, why do you feel alone?”
• “If God is good, why did this happen?”

 

5. The Phantom God Voice

We must be cautious of a certain inner voice. It isn't the devil with horns and a pitchfork, nor is it always the external world's shouting. Sometimes it’s an inner voice cloaked in church attire, quoting Bible verses, speaking in apostolic language, and sounding convincing—yet it's still driven by the flesh.

 We call it God because we know how to frame it in religious terms. We label it discernment because it offends us. We deem it wisdom out of fear. We see it as conviction because we're stubborn. We claim it as liberty to avoid accountability.

However, if this voice consistently guides us into poor choices, pride, rebellion, bitterness, or compromise, we must ask: Is this truly God, or have I been listening to the Phantom God voice?

The Phantom God voice is what happens when my flesh learns to speak like my faith.

The Phantom God voice is the “Great Enabler”.

Phantom Def: Something that appears to be real but lacks physical existence.

• It is not the voice of God.
• It is not the voice of truth.
• It is not the Spirit leading.

It is what happens when my religious knowledge, my apostolic language, my spiritual experience, and my fleshly desire mix together — and I call the mixture “God.”

• • It is when I know enough Bible to justify myself, but not enough to surrender.
  • It is when I know how to say, “The Lord told me,” but I am still walking in pride, bitterness, lust, rebellion, offense, or self-will.
  • It is when I am convinced of my position, but I keep making the same destructive choices.
  • It enables dumb choices while promising rescue.
  • It is the flesh wearing a religious garment.
  • It is not the voice of God — it is a phantom voice.
  • A voice that sounds spiritual.
  • A voice that uses spiritual language.
  • A voice that borrows the vocabulary of the church.
  • But underneath it is still the will of the flesh.

1. The Phantom God voice is born when the flesh learns how to speak fluent religion.

That is why we cannot trust a voice just because it sounds spiritual.

• We cannot trust a thought just because it has Scripture attached.

We cannot trust a decision simply because we have found a religious explanation for it.

• The question is not simply “Can I defend this?”
• The question is, “Does this align with the nature, Word, fruit, and Spirit of God?”

Because the flesh can quote Scripture. The Devil can quote Scripture.

Satan quoted Scripture to Jesus in the wilderness.

“If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written…” Matthew 4:6

Even the devil knows how to say, “It is written,” when he wants to twist the Word for the wrong purpose.

Therefore, every “God told me” claim should be evaluated using the Word of God, the Spirit of God, the Men of God, and the Fruit it yields.

2. The heart can deceive us.   

Jer. 17:9-10 (NKJV) “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; Who can know it? I, the LORD, search the heart,  I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings.”

That's why I can't let my feelings be the ultimate judge.

• My heart can want something so badly that it creates a voice to approve it.
• My heart will get me in the same messes and then justify it by God’s promise of blessing.
• My heart can be offended and call it discernment.
• My heart can be proud and call it conviction.
• My heart can be impatient and call it faith.
• My heart can be rebellious and call it liberty.
• My heart can be wounded and call it wisdom.

That is the Phantom God voice.

3. There is a way that seems right.

Prov. 14:12 (NKJV) There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.

The danger is not always that it seems wrong. Sometimes it seems right.

• It makes sense.
• It feels justified.
• It sounds reasonable.
• It fits my argument.
• It supports my position.
• But something can seem right and still lead to death.

That is why seeming right is not enough.

I must submit to the Voice of Truth.

It amazes me how many people have told me that God said… and it is always to justify their bad behavior, horrible decisions, or habits.

You CANNOT keep putting yourself in the same BAD places and then expect to hear God say… It’s all good… I’ll get you out.

Why is God revealing rescue to you rather than repentance?

Some people don’t need to repent of their sins; they need to repent of their “self”.

• Self will keep getting you financially bound, and then discern the Phantom God voice that promises rescue.
• Self will get you involved in the same drama and trauma and then discern the Phantom voice of God that says, “It’s everyone else’s fault.”
• Self will make the same bad health choices and then discern the Phantom voice of God that promises healing.
• Self will continue in vices and addictions while saying, “Jesus promised deliverance” … that’s the Phantom voice of God.

Rarely do I ask God to get me out of dumb, habitual things I do myself; that’s dangerous because I’ll start discerning the Flesh as the Spirit.

You can’t pray Self away, you can’t fast Self away, you can’t church Self away; the ONLY way to overcome Self (flesh) is submission to the Spirit.

 

4. The flesh wars against the Spirit

Gal. 5:17 (AMP) For the desires of the flesh are opposed to the [Holy] Spirit, and the [desires of the] Spirit are opposed to the flesh (godless human nature); for these are antagonistic to each other [continually withstanding and in conflict with each other], so that you are not free but are prevented from doing what you desire to do.

• The flesh and the Spirit do not lead to the same place.
• They may both speak loudly, but they do not speak the same truth.
• The flesh will always try to preserve itself.
• The Spirit will always lead me to surrender myself.’
   

The flesh says, “Protect your pride.”

• The Spirit says, “Humble yourself.”

The flesh says, “You deserve this.”

• The Spirit says, “Deny yourself.”

The flesh says, “They hurt you, so you can hold it.”

• The Spirit says, “Forgive, as Christ forgave you.”

The flesh says, “This is just who I am.”

• The Spirit says, “Be transformed.”

Again, total submission to the Spirit is the ONLY cure for the Flesh.

NOTE: Genuine submission to the Spirit is most evident when no one is watching. Your private actions reflect your true level of submission, as public appearances can be simulated. However, in private, your true character shows, because we are aware of ourselves, and the Spirit knows everything.

5. Saul called rebellion worship

Saul is one of the clearest examples of the Phantom God voice.

God commanded Saul to completely destroy Amalek, but Saul spared what he was instructed to destroy. When Samuel confronted him, Saul attempted to cover his disobedience with religious language.

1Sam. 15:15 (NKJV) ¶ And Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites; for the people spared the best of the sheep and the oxen, to sacrifice to the LORD your God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.”

But Samuel answered:

1Sam. 15:22 (NKJV) ¶ So Samuel said:  “Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,  As in obeying the voice of the LORD?  Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,  And to heed than the fat of rams.

Saul said, “I saved this for worship.” God said, “No, you saved what I told you to kill, for your own glory”.

That is the Phantom God voice.

• It takes disobedience and dresses it up like devotion.
• It takes self-will and calls it sacrifice.
• It takes rebellion and gives it a religious vocabulary.
• But God is not impressed by religious explanations for carnal decisions.

 

6. Some speak visions from their own heart

Jer. 23:16 (NKJV) ¶ Thus says the LORD of hosts: “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you. They make you worthless; They speak a vision of their own heart, Not from the mouth of the LORD.

This is sobering.

You can speak something that sounds prophetic but comes from the heart rather than from the mouth of God.

• Not every strong impression is the Holy Ghost.
• Not every dream is divine direction.
• Not every open door is God’s approval.
• Not every closed door is God’s rejection.
• Not every burden is the burden of the Lord.

Sometimes it is my own heart speaking back to me.

• Preachers, we’d better be careful when we seek God.
• Laity, you better be extra careful…God is not going to tell you more than the Pastoral ministry.

You might want to be careful and stop operating in locations where your submission can’t cover costs.

7. Try the spirits

1John 4:1 (NKJV) Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

God does not ask us to believe every voice.

He commands us to test them.

• Does this voice agree with Scripture?
• Does this voice produce the fruit of the Spirit or the works of the flesh?
• Does this voice make me more humble or more self-justified?
• Does this voice lead me to obedience, or does it help me excuse disobedience?
• Does this voice submit to godly counsel?
• Does this voice get me out of my situation, or enable me within it?
• Does this voice sound like Jesus, or does it only sound like me trying to get what I want?

• A voice must be tested by whether it leads me closer to Jesus or closer to my own flesh.

Be Careful what voices you align with.

I’ve been given words that I tested both by God and by the man of God, only to realize that they were not accepted.

Not every voice that uses Scripture is submitted to Scripture.

 

6. One Voice To Rule.

Numerous voices exist, but just one Voice should dominate.

Because it is the VOICE of PURE TRUTH!!

Jesus said:

John 18:37 (NKJV) ¶ Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are You a king then?” Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”

The Holy Ghost is called the Spirit of Truth:

John 16:13 (NKJVS) However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.

God is a God of truth:

Deut. 32:4 (NKJV) He is the Rock, His work is perfect;  For all His ways are justice, A God of truth and without injustice; Righteous and upright is He.

Jesus is the Truth:

John 14:6 “I am the way, the truth, and the life…”

The Word is truth:

John 17:17 (NKJV): Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.

So the Voice of Truth is not disconnected from the God of Truth, the Spirit of Truth, the Son who is Truth, and the Word that is Truth.

God will never speak contrary to His Word. The Spirit will never lead contrary to Scripture. The Voice of Truth will never affirm a lie.

 

7. THE WAY TO WIN - Total Surrender to The Voice of Truth.

If there is only One Voice that should rule, then there can only be one proper response:

Total surrender.

Partial surrender still leaves room for competing voices.

Luke 9:23-24 (NKJV) ¶ Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.

That is total Surrender. To Follow.

If I only give up the parts of myself that are convenient, the emptiness remains accessible. Surrendering my doctrine but not my desires means I can know the truth but still follow fleshly urges. Letting go of my worship without surrendering my will allows me to lift my hands yet resist His voice.

The flesh always wants a vote.
The world always wants a voice.
The enemy always wants an opening.

But surrender says:

• His Word outranks my feelings.
• His Spirit outranks my flesh.
• His truth outranks my opinion.
• His correction outranks my comfort.
• His voice outranks every other voice.

This is where the battle is won.

Not when I hear His voice alone, but when I humble myself enough to obey it.

The Voice of the Shepherd must be recognized and understood…you should KNOW the voice of the Great Shepherd, our Father, the Manifested God in Christ.

John 10:25-26 (AMP) Jesus answered them, I have told you so, yet you do not believe Me [you do not trust Me and rely on Me]. The very works that I do by the power of My Father and in My Father’s name bear witness concerning Me [they are My credentials and evidence in support of Me]. But you do not believe and trust and rely on Me because you do not belong to My fold [you are no sheep of Mine].

Those who cannot discern His voice from other voices are not His sheep. They are not in His sheepfold; they are living in the Void, filled with other voices.

John 10:27-30 (AMP) The sheep that are My own hear and are listening to My voice; and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never lose it or perish throughout the ages. [To all eternity they shall never by any means be destroyed.] And no one is able to snatch them out of My hand. My Father, Who has given them to Me, is greater and mightier than all [else]; and no one is able to snatch [them] out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are One.

• The mark of sheep is not merely that they heard.
• The mark of sheep is that they follow.

So the question is not just, “Can I recognize His voice?”
The question is, “Will I surrender when His voice crosses my will?”

Total surrender means His voice gets the final word.

Why would I seek any voice other than that of the Shepherd? Whether in correction or praise, that voice truly cares for my best interests!

8. THE WAY TO STAY - Know What You Believe and Know Whom You Believe.

There are two anchors here.

1. KNOW IN WHAT YOU BELIEVE.

We cannot be casual with doctrine. We have to know what we believe.

Jude 3 (NKJV) ¶ Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.

1Cor. 2:2 (NKJV) For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

Prov. 23:23 (NKJV) Buy the truth, and do not sell it; also wisdom and instruction and understanding.

You need doctrine, truth, Scripture, and conviction. You need a foundation that does not move when culture shifts.

That is why we must be anchored not just in what is popular, not just in what is accepted, and not just in what is culturally convenient, but in what God has spoken.

Anchored to the Word of God.

In the desert, Jesus did not respond to Satan emotionally. He responded to him with Scripture.

Matthew 4:4, 7, 10 - “It is written…”

That is the model.

You do not defeat deceptive voices with opinions. You defeat them with what is written…WHAT YOU HAVE BELIEVED!!

James 4:7 (AMP) So be subject to God. Resist the devil [stand firm against him], and he will flee from you.

SECONDLY:

2. KNOW IN WHOM YOU BELIEVE.

2Tim. 1:12 (NKJV) For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.

Christianity is not merely the belief in principles. It is trust in a Person.

We do not believe in truth as an idea alone.

We believe in Jesus, who said:

John 14:6 (NKJVS) ¶ Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

People Miss It Here: The Way (Is A Person), The Truth (Is A Person), The Life (Is A Person)

All the fullness of the Godhead – The Way, The Truth, The Life.

• The Way (Literally: The Road) – More than a Belief System – It’s Jesus.
• The Truth (Eternal Truth Manifest) – More than Words on a Page – It’s Jesus.
• The Life (Literal: The Source of Life) – More than just how we live – It’s Jesus. (Abundant Life – The Life Giver)

I must know what I believe because deception is real. But I must know whom I believe because a relationship is what keeps me anchored and filled.

The Way, The Truth, and The Life is not merely a doctrine to defend or a denomination to join. Truth is a Voice to follow. Truth is a Father. Truth is a Savior. Truth is a Redeemer.

My strong attachment to doctrine is not because I adhere to a particular belief system, but because I am rooted in Jesus.

The ONENESS of God is more than simply a revelation of Deity; it reveals the Aspects and Character of God. In this context, you cannot separate the 'What' from the 'Who.'

I know in what I believe because I know in Who I believe; I know in Who I believe because I know in what I believe.

Jesus represents both the What and the Who; although they serve different FUNCTIONS, they share the same FORM and FOUNDATION.

It is essential to REMAIN within the SHEEPFOLD and remain HUMBLE to the SHEPHERD's voice, regardless of fleshly desires.