In Korea, voice phishing is a serious problem, and I’ve gotten reports that there are many of the same stories in the States as well.
There was a seventy-year-old lady. One day, she got a call from a man, and he said, “Grandma, it’s me.” She thought that he was her grandson so she answered, “Are you Kevin?” And he, pretending like he was Kevin, said, “Yes, grandma. This is Kevin. How are you? I had an accident so I’m in the emergency room. I need some money. Could you please send me some?” And like most grandmas, she sent money, but most of these are false voices.
Why does it happen to seniors? It’s maybe because they do not remember their grandsons’ voices correctly. As a matter of fact, grandchildren don’t talk to their grandparents very often even by phone call. They see each other only once or twice a year. In this situation, when a grandma gets a call from a man, she might be confused and think that he is her real grandson not because she remembers her grandson’s voice, but because she was glad to get a phone call from her grandson.
These kind of happenings are common among Christians. There are many voices that come into our heart and ears, and sometimes it is God’s true voice and sometimes it is the voice of Satan or even our own inner voice, so it is not easy to discern. That’s how Satan steals our heart and we fall for his trap. Satan pretends to come to us like God and whispers.
I can remember a story about a good shepherd. Surprisingly, sheep remember their shepherd’s voice and follow him. They do not follow a stranger’s voice. How do they know the difference? It’s because sheep hear their shepherd’s voice day by day, morning by morning, so they can discern which is the true voice.
One way that grandmas can be sure not be caught by a false grandson is to hear the real voices of their grandchildren often and to be close with them. If they do, they can discern their real voices. It is the same with Christians. When we become close with God and accustomed to Him, we can definitely discern the false voice, the “false message from evil.” People who can detect fake currency bills officially train themselves again and again by touching the real bills so that when they can recognize a real one perfectly, they can know whether another is fake or not.
In the Old Testament, the voice of God was a real voice directly from God, and sometimes He used prophets. In the New testament, the voice of Jesus was also God’s direct voice. But now, what’s God’s voice? It is the whole Bible. The sixty-six books of the whole Bible is the voice of God to us.
In Psalm 119:130, “The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.” I was very surprised to read this because this description is so beautiful. Imagine it! When you open your Bible, as soon as you open it, the light comes out like a laser in a movie. And also you can understand every meaning of the Bible. Doesn’t it look like a movie? As I think that this is the power of God’s Word, I feel that the Bible shines on me very brightly when I open it.
I want to remember that the best way to discern God’s voice is to open, read, listen, and meditate on the Word of God.
