SemperFiDawg
Political Forum Arbiter of Truth (And Lies Too)
I think God has put himself in each of us and speaks to each of us. That voice that I always heard ever since I was a child that said, "Don't do that.", the one I never listened to:that voice was always explained to me as 'my conscience'. I don't believe that any more. First of all if it was 'my' conscience why did it always tell to: a) do something I didn't want to do or b) don't do something I wanted to do. I have an undeniable history of being completely selfish, and looking back if that voice was 'mine' or any part 'me' you would think it would have at least once satiated my selfish wishes. If there is one thing I can say for certain, it has never once done that.
And there's other reasons I think that voice is God's. It always tells me what is best for me and it always has. Every single major mistake in my life, and every horrible consequence was a direct result of NOT obeying that voice. The closer I got to disobeying the louder it got. As a young man I remember feeling shame after following through with a selfish act against this voice, well before the consequences arrived. Why is that and how do you explain the shame if it isn't a direct act against God's will. If it isn't God, there is literally no one to feel ashamed in front of.
I'm a stubborn, thick skulled, and dense man, but a funny thing happened a few years back. For the first time in my life, I started listening to this voice and following it's instructions, and my life literally changed almost overnight. God showed up in my life personally. The more I listened to the voice, AND OBEYED, the more I heard it. Secondly, the more I OBEYED, the more miracles I begin to see. Now don't get me wrong, this God voice still hasn't told me to do one thing that I reallllllly wanted to do, but another odd thing has happened. The "Don't do that"s are diminishing and the "Do this"es are slowly increasing. I'm still a selfish person:selfish enough to do something I don't care to do, to enjoy the blessings that I KNOW will come from it and I DO care to enjoy.
I know this probably goes against a lot of peoples theology........and that's fine. It went against mine too, at the time. I had to admit my understanding was wrong in some key areas, but it turned our spectacular. The only thing I lost were some of my theological misunderstandings which were not a loss at all, but a gain. What I gained was a personal relationship with The Living God: the one who had always been there speaking to me, but I never had the sense to understand who was speaking and how important it was for me to listen. For me growing up, it was one thing to ignore 'my conscience', and at times I now wonder if it would have made a difference (if I would have listened and obeyed better) had I understood that it wasn't "my conscience" telling me not to do that but instead GOD HIMSELF yelling in my ear? Would I have listened had that been the case? I honestly don't know and I don't dwell on it. No use crying over spilt milk when I have the milk cow now so to speak, but I do tell my sons that that voice they hear speaking to them isn't simply 'their conscience' but God himself: that it's God's voice and to heed it. I hope that makes a difference for them: being acutely aware that God is always there, always speaking, ever present to give them good guidance. I want them to have that and to experience the blessings that come with it: the blessings that come from having a personal relationship and constant communion with God.
And there's other reasons I think that voice is God's. It always tells me what is best for me and it always has. Every single major mistake in my life, and every horrible consequence was a direct result of NOT obeying that voice. The closer I got to disobeying the louder it got. As a young man I remember feeling shame after following through with a selfish act against this voice, well before the consequences arrived. Why is that and how do you explain the shame if it isn't a direct act against God's will. If it isn't God, there is literally no one to feel ashamed in front of.
I'm a stubborn, thick skulled, and dense man, but a funny thing happened a few years back. For the first time in my life, I started listening to this voice and following it's instructions, and my life literally changed almost overnight. God showed up in my life personally. The more I listened to the voice, AND OBEYED, the more I heard it. Secondly, the more I OBEYED, the more miracles I begin to see. Now don't get me wrong, this God voice still hasn't told me to do one thing that I reallllllly wanted to do, but another odd thing has happened. The "Don't do that"s are diminishing and the "Do this"es are slowly increasing. I'm still a selfish person:selfish enough to do something I don't care to do, to enjoy the blessings that I KNOW will come from it and I DO care to enjoy.
I know this probably goes against a lot of peoples theology........and that's fine. It went against mine too, at the time. I had to admit my understanding was wrong in some key areas, but it turned our spectacular. The only thing I lost were some of my theological misunderstandings which were not a loss at all, but a gain. What I gained was a personal relationship with The Living God: the one who had always been there speaking to me, but I never had the sense to understand who was speaking and how important it was for me to listen. For me growing up, it was one thing to ignore 'my conscience', and at times I now wonder if it would have made a difference (if I would have listened and obeyed better) had I understood that it wasn't "my conscience" telling me not to do that but instead GOD HIMSELF yelling in my ear? Would I have listened had that been the case? I honestly don't know and I don't dwell on it. No use crying over spilt milk when I have the milk cow now so to speak, but I do tell my sons that that voice they hear speaking to them isn't simply 'their conscience' but God himself: that it's God's voice and to heed it. I hope that makes a difference for them: being acutely aware that God is always there, always speaking, ever present to give them good guidance. I want them to have that and to experience the blessings that come with it: the blessings that come from having a personal relationship and constant communion with God.
Last edited:
