No, I’m not writing about a singing competition. I’m talking about the power of voice. My previous blog posts have explained the attachment cycle which begins with the first expression of God’s image on earth, the voice. The power of voice to create change is initially demonstrated at the foundation of the world. God spoke and the darkness became light. His words gave authority for the waters to move and the seas to form. His words initiated the exposure of new land and began the growth of new life.
When God said, “Let us form man in our image” (Gen. 1:26) it is not a coincidence the first act of a newborn human is to release his voice and initiate the foundation of man’s purpose: relationship.
The very nature of voice is a comprehensive expression of connection. In my blog, MIND BODY SPIRIT I explained how the composition of man mirrors the unity of a triune God. Father, Son, and Spirit are distinct yet integrated as one. Humans exhibit unity through the integration of mind, body, spirit. The mind includes thoughts and emotions. The body facilitates external expression and connection. And the spirit is the intangible part of man. The body is the way our internal world connects with the external. The thoughts, feelings, and soul of man connect with the external world through the vocal cords.
God established all the components of the attachment cycle before sin entered the world. Parents, infants, vocal cords, needs, care and provision were all present before the fall of man. Before the rupture in relationship occurred, God proactively prepared the repair. He designed the voice of man to be the embodiment of the soul, initiating redemptive change. Reconnecting the infant with the parent. Reconnecting the child of God to the Father. Reintegrating the mind, body, and spirit into unity and peace. These glimpses of eternity restore our hope for the future and peace in the present.
EXAMPLES OF VOICE
Let’s consider three examples of the power of voice to create change. Start looking for demonstrations of voice, and the resulting impact, in your own time in the Bible. There are far too many to cover in this post. With the focus on redemption, I have chosen the following essentials applications of voice.
Confession
James 5:17 | "Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”
When we confess our wrongs to someone, we are purging our system of the toxic effects. Through confession, we are releasing the pain, facing the shame, and experiencing connection through the power of unconditional love. Healing comes through confessing with the voice.
1 John 1:9 | “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
As a play therapist, kids help me get down to the basics of things. Adults use big words that help us tolerate the concepts by creating distance between the heart of the matter and the thoughts on the subject. Kids say “yucky things” to describe all the feelings we are not designed to hold. Fear, shame, sadness...all emotions resulting from the fall of man. We experience the cleansing of “yucky things” through voicing and releasing them to the merciful Judge who declares us “not guilty” by the redemption of Jesus Christ. This verdict is not dependent on the voice, but the experience of cleansing is activated by the voicing of redemption.
Acceptance
Romans 10:9 | “ …if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”
In this sentence, the word confess means to agree out loud that Jesus is Lord. Three times Peter opened his mouth and used his voice to deny Jesus (Luke 22). This is the opposite of confessing the Lord Jesus.
Romans 10:10 | “For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”
The integration of mind, body, spirit occurs through the voicing of thoughts and beliefs. Is the belief real without voicing acceptance? Yes. But the power of integration is found when the mind and body act in submission to the spirit.
Forgiveness
Ephesians 4:32 | “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”
The power of the voice is found in the release. We experience release of the “yucky things” when we confess and receive forgiveness from God. We also release the “yucky things” done TO us when we voice our decision to forgive. Forgiveness is not saying, “It doesn’t matter”, or “It is forgotten”. Forgiveness confesses that something is “NOT okay”, agrees with God that Jesus died for all the “not okay things in our world”, and chooses to voice our decision to cleans ourselves and release those things to Him.
Voice + Time = Change
The voice possesses power to create change. Sometimes this change is immediate, but often, the process of change moves as slow as a large ship crossing a vast ocean.
James 3:4-5 | “Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts…”
When we voice our confession, the cleansing is activated and, given time, the change will manifest as freedom. Salvation occurs at the moment of acceptance, but the process of sanctification extends over a lifetime. Voicing our decision to forgive sets the rudder in the direction of release while the arrival of freedom might take time.
The inside out process of change occurs when the body and mind submit to the spirit in the act of voicing our beliefs. With a spoken word, the tangible world submits to the Creator. Our tangible expression of voice holds the same power to transform the internal and external world of self. It is a primary means of connection and a demonstration of the image of God. The power of voice is unmatched.
Elizabeth Pennington | COUNSELING DIRECTOR, M.A., LPC, RPT | EMDR CERTIFIED | TBRI EDUCATOR
