Speechless

The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.

John 10:10, NLT

The enemy stole my voice when I was six years old. I took it back when I was 44. If I think about the years lost it makes me angry and it makes me sad, neither of which make any difference in the world. So, I’m choosing to think about the years that God has redeemed. I could have gone to the grave speechless, but my Father loved me far too much to let that happen. He fought for me for 38 years and I as I (finally) learned to walk in trust and obedience, I was able to take it back.

When someone says “God pursued me for 38 years” you immediately begin to imagine – what type of rebellion did she walk in? Was it drugs? Promiscuity? How hard did she fall before God saved her? I didn’t. I lived those 38 years in Christian rebellion. That’s right. I’ve been a Christ-follower since I was six years old. That is when the enemy stole my voice and killed my calling. Destroyed my purpose. Steal. Kill. Destroy. It’s not just for those who haven’t found Him yet. Did you know that?

If he can take your voice then he takes everything – your identity, your purpose, your calling, even your faith, and he leaves you with doubt, fear, anxiety, depression. So how do you know if he’s stolen your voice? Ask yourself if those words describe you. When you know what to look for, it’s pretty easy to tell which believers are walking around mute.

But I said he stole it. Past tense. I took it back and that’s why I’m writing this today. The crazy thing is that I didn’t know my voice was missing. I knew that no one listened when I spoke. I knew that I had to battle to be heard. I knew that my opinion was disregarded, and my ideas taken by others. But I had the reason all wrong. I thought it was because I didn’t matter. Naomi Scott sings a song, Speechless, in the movie Aladdin and when I heard it all the pieces came crashing down like well-laid dominoes. It took that one trigger to realize my battle to be heard was never about flesh and blood. It wasn’t the world keeping me silent, it was the enemy. God had called me and purposed me and without my voice I was completely unable to fulfill His plan for me.

Are you ready? Are you ready to take back what is yours? Are your ready for God to restore the years you believe were lost? It’s not easy. The enemy isn’t going to just hand it back and say, “sorry.” You will have to fight. But remember that greater is He that is in you than he that is in this world (1 John 4:4). Are you ready?