One of the key ideas in the book Untethered Soul is that all our problems start with that annoying voice inside our head. The voice that constantly tells us we’re not good enough, smart enough, strong enough or rich enough. It tells us that people are disparaging us and that we’re going to die destitute and lonely. Or it makes us think that someone in our life is only contributing 49% while we’re contributing 51% which, of course, makes us a victim.
Assuming this voice is at the root of all our troubles, why don’t we just turn it off? Of course, it’s not that easy or we would just do it. To help us think through the answer to the question, we’ll start with our verse for the day:
“If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all – how will he not also, along with him, give us all things?” – Romans 8:31-32
Since God is for us, isn’t it comforting to know that nothing, not even the voice inside our head, can be against us? The author of Untethered Soul doesn’t directly call that voice the devil, but maybe that’s who it is. It’s not us talking because we’re the one hearing the voice. So, once we know that the voice is not us speaking, then we can ask two very simple questions:
- If we had a friend who said all the things to us that the voice says to us, would we remain friends with them? and
- Since the answer to #1 is a firm “no”, why do we attribute any more meaning to what the voice says than we would a terrible friend who said the same things?
The short answer to solve this problem is that we need to observe the voice instead of interacting with it. We can watch it just like we would watch a TV show, but we don’t have to be part of the TV show. When we simply observe and let each thought pass by, then we can reduce the voice’s influence. And only then can we truly be the person God created us to be and not a person controlled by the voice.
And that, to me, is the single biggest reason to make it a priority to stop the voice. God created each of us for a very specific purpose and He wants us to be THE person He created us to be. Only then can we experience all the love and joy He has in store for us and share that love and joy with others as He intends.
Questions:
- Do you agree with the idea that the voice in our heads is at the heart of all our problems?
- What would you call a person who said the same things to you that the voice says? (Psychopath, troublemaker, etc.) And would you remain friends with them?
- What are some examples from your life or others you know where the voice has gotten you or others off track and caused damage?
- Do you agree that only when we minimize the voice can we become the people God created us to be?
- How can we tell the difference between the bad voice and the Holy Spirit since the Spirit can talk to us at times too?
Men's Small Group Blog 