The Voices Around You

You ever wake up from a dream and think, Wait… what was that about?

That was me last night. I was somewhere between deep sleep and la la land when a vision showed up. It took me to the night of an event I had planned for months… one we poured time, energy, and heart into.

Everything was ready. Everything was in place. And then, out of nowhere, it started falling apart.

What caught my attention wasn’t the chaos itself, but who caused it. A familiar group of people… people who had nothing to do with the preparation, began influencing the ones who were actually involved. All the training, all the focus, all the excitement… gone. Not because we weren’t prepared, but because they listened to the wrong voices. And just like that, the event unraveled.

When I woke up, I asked God what it meant. The answer came so clearly: “Sometimes people allow the wrong voice to speak death into the place where I’m trying to bring life.”

I sat with that for a while. And the more I thought about it, the more I realized… it wasn’t just a dream. It was a reflection. Because I’ve lived that out in real life too.

When I was choosing a major in college, I asked everybody what they thought I should study... friends, family, people who barely knew me. I gathered every opinion except the one I needed most: my own.  I had been so used to hearing other people tell me who I was, what I was good at, and what I should do, that I didn’t actually know myself outside of their opinions.

So, like many of us do, I followed a path that wasn’t mine. Not because I didn’t have options, but because I didn’t trust my own voice. I assumed everyone else knew better… until the day I realized they didn’t.

And when I finally recognized my own voice, everything changed. I stopped asking for permission to be who God already created me to be. Why? Because what God places in you doesn’t need public approval. It only needs agreement… from you.

And here’s the part we forget: The same voice that created the heavens also spoke purpose into you.

You may not feel brilliant every day, but brilliance isn’t a feeling… it’s what God declared over you. Psalm 139:14 reminds us that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. That means there is nothing random, accidental, or average about you.

But here’s the danger: If you don’t know who you are, almost anyone can tell you who you’re not.

That’s why Proverbs 4:23 says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” Guarding your heart includes guarding your ears, because the wrong voice can plant the wrong seed. Some people mean well but bring fear. Others speak from insecurity. And some are simply not assigned to your journey, so their opinions are like using the wrong map for the right destination.

Not every voice is meant to guide you. Some voices are sent to distract you.

Even Jesus had people trying to speak the wrong things into His purpose. And in John 10:5, He says, “My sheep… will never follow a stranger; they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” The power wasn’t just in following the Shepherd, it was in recognizing what did not sound like Him.

That’s the part many of us miss. We’re so used to familiar voices that we don’t realize some of them are strangers to our purpose.

I’m not saying ignore everyone. Wisdom can come through people. Guidance can too. But pay attention to the fruit. Pay attention to the tone. Pay attention to what their words leave in your spirit. Are they speaking life? Or draining it? Are they pushing you toward God’s plan? Or pulling you away from it?

The answer will tell you everything.

Here’s what I’ve learned: God never calls you through confusion. He doesn’t guide through chaos. He doesn’t speak to destroy you. His voice settles you, guides you, and gives you strength… even when the truth is hard.

So if the voices around you leave you doubting yourself, shrinking your dreams, or questioning what God already confirmed… those voices aren’t yours to follow.

And you don’t have to believe lies when the truth is already living in you. You just have to walk in it.

Because God’s plan for your life is too important to hand over to anyone who wasn’t assigned to help shape it. And the voice He gave you is too powerful to let anyone else control it.

So the real question becomes: Whose voice will you follow next?

Before you move on with your day, ask yourself: “Which voice have I been letting lead me?”

This week, choose to silence anything that pulls you away from who God says you are. Lean into His voice, trust the truth He speaks over you, and take one bold step toward the path He designed specifically for you.

Pray with me

Father God, Help me hear Your voice above every other. Give me wisdom to release what’s not from YOU and courage to walk in the truth You’ve spoken over my life. Lead me, guide me, and keep my heart aligned with You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.