Competing Voices
-An exclusive excerpt from Allen’s new book-
People often reference the voices in their heads when describing the creative process.
I regularly have coaching calls with those who want to explore how to create with God. At the start of a recent Zoom call with Sarah (not her real name), we could hear unknown voices coming from her screen. The longer it went on, the more frustrated she became. “I can’t hear you...and I can’t turn off the voices. I’m so stupid.” Eventually, the voices went away, but I sensed God was telling me to pay attention to how this was illuminating a real issue in the spiritual realm. Near the end of the call, I asked Sarah, “When you’re stuck, what voices or sentences run through your head?”
“When I was a young girl, my dad would mock my creative efforts. ‘You’re so stupid,’ he’d say with a smirk. ‘That’s nothing but a self-indulgent waste of time.’” My heart broke for her. For more than fifty years, the enemy had her believing God the Father saw her creativity the same way her earthly father did. No wonder she was about to give up.
Notice that in this story there were numerous voices involved—hers, mine, and the intrusive initial voice. Then there was God’s voice I heard internally, telling me how to interpret the situation. Sarah had her dad’s voice playing through her head. And the enemy’s voice was keeping it going—in a way that she mistook for God’s voice. Wow. That’s a lot of voices vying for attention as she tried to create.
I helped Sarah understand how to discern whose voice she was hearing—as well as how to break any agreement with her dad’s hurtful words. It was a time of immense healing. There can be for you as well. One of the quickest ways to discern whose voice you’re hearing is to ask what the fruit would be of embracing what you hear. Does it make you want to quit? Distance yourself from God? When we sense the enemy is the source—knowing he is a liar and accuser (John 8:44, Revelation 12:10)—we have our next steps:
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (James 4:7 NIV)
We won’t find our right groove as long as we keep listening to the wrong voices.
(From The Creativity Glitch: How to Stop Being Stuck, Find Your Groove, & Create with God.Copyright © 2026 Allen Arnold.)
This reading was crafted to encourage your pursuit of story and creativity with God. Your donation makes this crowd-funded initiative possible. You can support it via PAYPAL (or by check to Allen Arnold at PO Box 62841, Colorado Springs, CO 80962).
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