The Voice of the Shepherd

1/18/2026

John 10:27

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”

Our world screams at us through distractions – the clamor of social media, the whisper of self-doubt, the ego’s insistent demands, and yet God calls us to a higher listening. Today, I want to explore how to silence the noise of the world and hear Spirit’s gentle voice.

The world and our ego bombard us with fear-driven messages: achieve more, compare endlessly, secure yourself first. Ego amplifies this into prideful self-reliance or paralyzing anxiety, echoing the serpent’s question in Eden: “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?" This was a deliberate exaggeration to sow doubt about God’s command and goodness.

This crafty query twisted into an absurd restriction God’s actual word in Genesis 2:16-17, which permitted all trees except one.  It exemplifies the ego’s tactics, questioning divine truth to encourage self-reliance, much like today’s worldly inner voices whispering, “God can't mean that for you, Patrick.”

Yet Jesus contrasts this in John 10:4-5: “When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” Dallas Albert Willard was an American philosopher also known for his writings on Christian spirituality. He wrote, “Recognizing God’s voice is something that we must learn to do through our own personal experience and experimentation.” If we do not learn this skill, we can mistake ego’s urgent insistence for divine leading.

The Bible helps us differentiate the ego from Spirit in three ways. First, through stillness. Psalm 46:10 tells us to, “Be still, and know that I am God.” Release the noise of the world and God’s still small voice will surface.  In 1 Kings 19:12 we are told, “After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.”  Silence and stillness are key.

Second, Scripture is a filter through which we can sift and test our inner thoughts, voices, and prompts, separating what aligns with God’s truth from ego-driven distortions or worldly yammering. When an inner voice arises, like the serpent’s doubt in Genesis, hold it up to Scripture: Does it match God’s character, commands, promises, and word? Psalm 119:105 calls God’s word “a lamp to my feet and a light to my path,” illuminating truth amid chaos. Hebrews 4:12 describes it this way: “For the word of God is living and active, … discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

A third way the Bible helps us separate our ego thoughts from Spirit is through their projected outcome. Do our thoughts lead us to the fruits of Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience (or forbearance), kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control – or to the works of the flesh – sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. Ego impulses produce division, anxiety, self-focus, and shrink life into isolation. Spirit moves us to connect in love, build bridges, and it expands life toward God’s kingdom, producing gentleness, faithfulness, and even-mindedness amid trials.    

If we are having an inner discussion, or contemplating a sticky issue, there may be many voices in our heads. The voice of the ego will be fearful, urgent, condemning, self-focused.  “I can’t fail. It needs to be done my way.”  The voice of Spirit will be peaceful, gentle, affirming, others-focused, and seeks resolution. Corinthians 14:33 says, “God is not a God of confusion but of peace.” 

The ego motivates us toward self-preservation, having our way, controlling and changing others, and comparing ourselves to others. Spirit leads us toward love, growth, changing ourselves, and surrender to God. The outcome of our ego-based thoughts is division, anxiety, fleshly desires, while Spirit guides us toward unity, joy, peace, and self-control. Our ego attempts to contradict or obscure God’s word, yet Spirit confirms God’s laws written on our hearts and Christ’s position in our life.

To serve as an example, I will use a common classic ego-driven claim rooted in fear and comparison, easily refuted by biblical truth, personal identity in Christ, and practical evidence from our lives. “I am not enough.” Everyday many people face the universal ego trap of “I am not enough.” Here are five refutations and truthful affirmations to use when this thought arises.

Number 1. We have inherent human worth. We exist as a unique creation with intrinsic value, not earned through performance. Genesis 1:27 affirms every person bears God’s image, making us inherently “enough” regardless of output or approval. Our ego ignores this baseline dignity shared by all humankind. Use this phrase when we experience this thought. “I bear God’s image and possess inherent, unearned dignity.”

Number 2.  Our life displays relational evidence. Loved ones choose us daily, proving our sufficiency in connection. Parents, friends, or partners invest time and affection not out of pity, but because our presence adds irreplaceable value. Relationships thrive on mutual “enoughness,” not perfection. Use this affirmation to ward off any thought of not being enough: “My loved ones choose me daily, proving my irreplaceable value in connection.”

Number 3. We have proven resilience. We have survived setbacks, adapted, and kept going, demonstrating the built-in capacity to persevere. From learning to walk as a toddler to navigating adult challenges, our track record refutes inadequacy. Psychology calls this “post-traumatic growth,” where ordinary humans exceed ego-predicted limits. A phrase to remember: “My survival through trials shows inherent strength far beyond my doubts.”

Number 4. There is universal sufficiency in the indwelling Christ. Faith declares no one lacks what matters most: In 2 Corinthians 12:9 Christ says, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” He promises that grace fills every gap, empowering weakness into strength. For humankind, this creates equal treatment, billionaires and baristas alike find completeness not in self, but in divine provision. Philippians 4:13 tells us: “I can do all things through him who strengthens me,” referring to Christ. Through Christ we are enough. This phrase can help: “Christ’s grace fills every gap, making me complete in Him.”

Refutation 5. God has built into us future potential. "Enough" is not a fixed state but a growing reality. Proverbs 24:16 notes, “The godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again. But one disaster is enough to overthrow the wicked.” The number seven is symbolic for peaceful completion or perfection. Our ability to learn and grow means that what is “enough” tomorrow depends on the progress we make today, rather than our ego’s static perspective.

The Ego argues that a single incident, taken out of context, is who we are. Our errors and weakness define us, says the ego. But that is wrong. We are transcending, growing, learning, changing who we were and ever moving toward what God wants us to be. God is not done with us yet. No single moment describes us. The phrase to cling to is: “I rise from falls with growing capacity, as God redeems my path.” God actively recovers, restores, and redirects the turns, failures, and detours in our life's journey, turning what seems lost or broken into purpose.

“I am not enough” usually carries a whole cluster of meanings under the surface. Along with “not adequate, capable, worthy, or resourced,” our ego often tries to convince us:

•      I don’t belong: a sense of being an outsider, fundamentally different or less than others, socially or spiritually.

•      I am unlovable: the belief that if people really knew me, they would reject or abandon me.

•      I am a disappointment: chronic fear of letting others down—God, family, community—no matter what is done.

•      I am unsafe unless I prove myself: feeling constantly on trial, as though identity depends on performance or perfection.

•      I don’t have the right to take up space: minimizing needs, opinions, or desires because others are seen as more deserving.

•      My flaws cancel my value: interpreting weakness or sin as erasing all good, rather than being part of a growing, redeemed story.

In spiritual terms, it often also shades into “God is tired of me” or “grace covers others, but not this,” which is why speaking truth back to our image-bearing worth, our irreplaceable connection, our proven resilience, our identity in Christ and his grace, and our perseverance in growing along our path is so critical.  This is the Shepherd’s voice when we speak:

1.  “I bear God’s image and possess inherent, unearned dignity.”

2.  “My loved ones choose me daily, proving my irreplaceable value in connection.”

3.  “My survival through trials shows inherent strength far beyond my doubts.”

4.  “Christ’s grace fills every gap, making me complete in Him.”

5.  “I rise from falls with growing capacity, as God redeems my path.”

Revelation 3:20 tells us, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.” It is my prayer that today, we commit to daily stillness, Scripture meditation, and fruit-testing. As Romans 10:17 declares, “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” I pray that we silence the ego, mute the world, and tune to the Shepherd. Our life of abundance and clarity awaits when we follow His voice alone.