"No!  You will not die," the serpent said to the woman.  In fact, God knows that when you eat it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God..." (Genesis 3:4-5)

In our activity, we saw how difficult it can be to listen to one person's voice, when there are a large number of other voices trying to steer us a different way.  We had people take turns being blindfolded, each with the mission to get to the other side of the room, where a voice was trying to guide them.  For each, there were a number of other voices that tried to get them to go a different way.  

Some ran into the obstacles.  Some crawled around and spent a great deal of effort, only to end up where they started.  One even walked completely out of the room.  Most described the experience as difficult for a number of reasons.  It was hard to hear the right voice among other voices.  It was scary to wonder what obstacles one would walk into. 

The thing is, life can be as confusing sometimes.  We need to hear God's voice, in order to give us the direction we need to face the obstacles.  Yet there are a number of other voices steering us in several different direction.  Media.  Celebrities.  Peers.  Technology.  Abusive relatives.  These and other voices tell us what we have to look like, act like, and talk like, in order to succeed.  Some of them seem trustworthy, but eventually lead us into regrettable decisions.  Some of them make us feel worthless, ashamed, or lonely.  What they all have in common is that, if they come from the world, they crowd out God's voice and steer us away from Him.

In the story of Genesis 3, we hear of people who listened to the wrong voice.  They had been told clearly by God that eating of a certain tree would bring consequences.  They understood this.  But then the voice of the serpent entered, and made the fruit seem desirable to them.  The voice made them think that they would be missing out on something if they did things God's way.  And it made them feel like God was the one depriving them of good things.

Voices we hear today can do the same thing--make us think we are missing out, or that God has kept us from something good.  However, if we can find a way to hear God's voice, we can see through the lies and find out what God's best is for us. 

So the challenge this week is to get into situations where God's voice can be heard.  Spend time in silent prayer.  Read His word.  Surround yourself with other believers.  His voice can seem so still and soft, but He does speak to those who will listen.