Discernment, Fear, and the Cost of Misreading the Inner Voice
Author’s Note:
This reflection documents a real event and the internal lessons that followed. It is shared not to provoke, defend, or persuade — but to preserve truth, accountability, and discernment. Silence allows false narratives to harden. Reflection restores alignment
Ya, know. I have gone in circles and circles in this life always coming back to the same consideration…
“How do I hear the voice of God and how can I tell when he is talking?”
You see reference to “the still small voice”, or “the voice of peace”. We see a scripture in the Bible that says “follow the PEACE of your heart.”
Choosing The Still Small Voice
I can think back on many times I moved without first stopping and listening to that “still small voice”. The truth is, that most times, when we ignore this voice we end up in some kind of situational calamity and a “I told you so!”, from our subconscious who knew ahead of time that we were making a wrong choice.
It seems that often when we look back at past choices we can identify a situation where we were hearing different voices and thinking about a choice and instead of being calm, or saying no or stopping to wait to hear God you move forward anyways. This choice to move vs. be still and wait for divine confirmation was probably based on a fear of missing out on something meant for us.
“With an obedient heart we cannot miss out on what is divinely meant for us.”
If you think back right now of a situation that went “bad”, and remember your thinking process during the decision. Can you identify a voice that told you to “Go Ahead! Do it!” As well as a quiet more wise voice that said: “Stop & Be Still.”
Find your Faith Led Hell Yes or Hell No!
Some of us when making decisions we go through a process:
IDEA → Consideration → Hearing a Yes or No → Then, make choice (choose to listen or not)
I’m not sure about your Decision-Making Process but for me there sometimes is this waiting period between the Choosing and the Idea or thought. During that waiting period; I am praying and seeking guidance for the choice and normally I will wait to CHOOSE anything until I hear and feel in the entirety of my being an absolute faith filled HELL YES> Its this place of Full Faith Hell Yes that we move with God and move with power and protection; along with the promises of the covenant.
I urge you to start thinking about and considering your “Decision Making Process”. For me, sometimes I can get confused in the process if I really really want that THING I am praying about. I can get the LUST for the THING confused with FAITH and instead of calming the emotions and get to a healthy place of detachment regarding the THING WANTED or the decision to be made we MOVE. When not in harmony or alignment we open ourselves up and become vulnerable to undesirable situations coming to us.
A Personal Story:
I recall a time where I was at a local gym working out. and I had been praying for guidance, and I had committed to not dating or pursuing any women, as this was a commitment I had made to God. I knew by faith that God would bring to me, the covenant woman when I prepared myself, both my outer financial, structural Kingdom and my Inner Kingdom.
But this particular day I had gotten too confident in my own “decision making” and forgot how much I needed to rely on the Lord or “Still Small Voice” and intuition. I was sitting on a rubber mat working out in the far corner. I looked up and saw the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. I had seen her a few times before at the gym, but that “Still Small Wise Voice”, had told me “NO,” when I consulted it about speaking to her.
But today was different, I was cocky and on top of the world and thought I could do no wrong; I had gotten egotistical. I did stop for a second and ask my inner self and God if I SHOULD go talk to her. I did hear that still small voice say “NO, Wait. Trust in me, stay focused”.
But, I also heard another voice…
This voice said different things. This voice was backed with a BUNCH of EMOTION. This voice told me and made me feel the emotions of “LOSS”. I felt fear of “Missing out”. I heard the thought that I should go talk to her because if I don’t, she could be the “One”, and I could miss out. I heard the thought that I should go talk to her in FAITH.
In a split second, I gave in, and felt myself lift up off the rubber mat and start walking towards her. My palms were sweaty, I was nervous. I walked up and introduced myself and said hello. What I thought was an innocent introduction and meaningful conversation resulted in a prolonged investigation and significant reputational consequences.
When she disclosed that she was underage, I acknowledged this. I did not initiate or engage in any further the following days. Despite this, a complaint was later filed. After a full investigation, authorities determined I had committed no wrongdoing, and the matter was formally closed. My gym membership was ultimately reinstated.
Even so, the personal cost — emotional, social, and reputational — was heavy. It forced me to confront a painful truth: God did speak to me. I simply chose the wrong voice. I followed fear that was masquerading as faith.
When Does God Talk to You?
How does God guide and talk to you?
We all have our own way of communicating with God, but this is also something that is nurtured and built over time. Sure, we all wish God would show up in a burning bush and talk straight to us, but none of us are Moses. A friend suggested that God talks to you moment to moment through LIFE ITSELF UNFOLDING. When you are sitting down to eat breakfast and look up to see a buddy sitting across the restaurant and end up having a meaningful and healing conversation. That’s God talking. When you ask for a YES and hear NOTHING. That’s God talking, silence is his answer. God is all around us, and in everything and is everything. I can think back on many times in life, where I asked God for a YES or a NO> I then felt a quiet peace and NOTHING from God. When I moved anyways pain occurred, rather than being still and resting in the peace.
“The life unfolding around you at this moment is God talking to you. You are the one who tunes in.”
Here are some of the phrases this voice of fear will tell us:
You’re gonna miss out! (YOLO)
It’s now or never!
What’s the worst that can happen?
She might marry someone else if not!
Well, you didn’t hear God so go ahead!
Be a MAN!
Go after what you want!
Fear Based Choices:
When we feel we have NOT heard from God, it’s that moment we realize we have ALREADY heard from God. God moves in peace, calm assurance, faith and love. God will never urge you to move through fear. Only the lower version of yourself or the “Devil” can urge you through fear. But fear-based choices lead to fear-based pain and regret. The slogan “YOLO – You Only Live Once”, fuels Hollywood, social media and the youth of our age. Prompting them to “Just Do It!”, and this is not the Holy and pure “Fear of the Lord”.
This is the difference between being motivated by pain, loss or fear to move. Or to be motivated by the love for the vision in your heart for who you are becoming and what you are creating and building. People are psychologically moved by fear of pain or for achieving pleasure.
Fear of the Lord:
We are talking about making choices through Faith but yet we say, “moved by the Fear of the Lord.” To me, the Fear of the Lord is fear of disconnection from his guidance and presence. I think being AFRAID of NOT listening to that Still Small Ever Wise voice is healthy. I fear not walking under that guidance every day. But I walk confidently towards my vision and towards what God does put in my heart.
For you, I suggest contemplating those moments in your past when you were in mid-decision and moved on urgency and fear or lust rather than the Still Small Wise Voice.
“The Wise man stays silent while the fool carries on.”
Grace and Forgiveness
Let’s first start with Grace and forgiveness and agree that there are NO WRONG CHOICES> when you label a past decision as a BAD CHOICE or MISTAKE you are making yourself guilty again both in reality and subconsciously for something God has already forgiven you for. Labeling is the process of judging something as good or bad and ourselves. When we judge our past choices as “BAD”, we are in essence labeling ourselves as BAD. So, in the voice of love, and compassion and forgiveness lets forgive ourselves for who we have been and embrace who it is we are growing to be.
You are not on a final ending journey. You are on an eternal journey and the greatness that you can become is eternally limitless and after this particular human life, you will go on to another plane of existence learning and learning even in that different place.
A New Perspective
A helpful and healing perspective is the idea that “All things work to your good and for the glory of God”. The perspective is that all things can be your teacher if you agree that you are always learning. I assure you that today you are a little more prepared to overcome your obstacles than you were yesterday, or even a minute ago for that matter.
When you embrace the grace giving idea that all things you choose, and experience are meant to make you stronger, more humble, more gracious because you have been given grace. Then you can begin seeing the patterns emerge through your life when God was working on making you more mature through situations that unfolded in your life.
The famous saying applies here:
“When the student is ready, the teacher will appear”.
You are the student when you decide to start learning and looking at EVERYTHING as an opportunity to learn and forgive yourself instead of judging yourself. God speaks to us in every waking moment through Life itself. Because God is LIFE.
Closing Scripture:
“If you would have listened to my commandments. Your peace would have been like the flowing river and your righteousness as the waves of the sea.”
From: 1 Nephi 20:18
In all things, may you come closer to that Still Small Wise Voice.
Written by Joshua G. Crampton
MultiGen Mindset Institute