Whose Voice Are You Listening To?

Whose Voice Are You Listening To?

Host Lee Whitman introduces a message from Pastor Jared Smith, who shares with refreshing clarity that "for the rest of your life, you will hear two voices, but only one of them is speaking the truth." One is the voice of Father God saying, "You are my beloved son or daughter"; the other demands, "If you are a son, prove it." Jared unpacks how this constant pressure to prove yourself can drive all sorts of unhealthy behaviour, from prideful arguments to people-pleasing and self-destructive choices.

He links this to the deep human need for affirmation, explaining that many of our struggles, including addiction and identity issues, grow louder when we’ve never really heard, or believed, a father’s "I’m proud of you." Drawing from passages like John 1:12 and Romans 8:15–17, he describes what it means to live as "Abba’s child"—seeing salvation not as a tick-box for heaven, but as the beginning of a life where you inherit a new identity, authority, and privilege as God’s son or daughter.

How do people find strength in their journey to freedom from addiction? This instalment of *Hope, Healing & Freedom* turns that question towards one vital issue: whose voice are you trusting every day? "The power of affirmation," he says, "imparts right relationship, right emotions, right understanding, right identity, right privilege." There’s practical help too.

Jared stresses the simple rhythm of daily Bible reading and prayer, urging that God’s voice become "the first voice you hear in the morning", bringing alignment to every other voice throughout the day. Lee then connects this to Restoring The Foundations’ work in breaking lies about identity, so people can finally hear God’s affirming voice above shame and accusation.

If you’ve spent years trying to prove your worth—to others, to yourself, or even to God—this episode offers a gentle but challenging question: what might change if you really believed, "You are Abba’s child"?