Love Comes In A Whisper

By Tonya King

As I sit down to write this week’s blog, the wind is whipping at 40 mph outside my window.  It is howling so loud and it sounds so mean.  It has started me thinking… “does my illness yell so loud that I am unable to hear the whisper of God”? 

There are times when my illness is all I can hear.  The negative thoughts, the depressions, the constant screaming in my ear that I will never feel better and that this, right now, is all there is.  I try not to, but I listen.  I internalize. I believe. The lies of the enemy are blasting.  But wait, is that a whisper?  It is faint, but I can almost make out what it is saying.  “You are loved… You are beautiful… You are mine”. It is the whisper of my first love, my Jesus.  He is whispering above all the noise that I am His. I have value, I am NOT my illness. 

It is so easy to fall into the trap of the enemy.  He uses our illnesses to try to block the still whisper of our Lord.  If we listen to his lies, then there is a good chance that we will believe his lies and drown out the whisper of God. When we do this, our enemy wins.  Don’t think for one second that Satan will not pull out all the stops to try to isolate us and render us ineffective for the Kingdom of God.  He is a liar and has always been a liar, and he lies to us every day.  Just think back to all the lies he has told you in the last 24 hours. I know, for certain, that he has lied to me countless times in that period of time… and I believed him.  It’s sad, really. 

But what will happen if I begin to put greater emphasis on the words that Jesus is speaking to me.  Satan will no longer have a hold on me. I will become victorious because Jesus was victorious. I need to try, sometimes to strain, to hear the words of Jesus.  I need to be held by the power of His love.  I do so much harm to myself when I choose to “feel” like a victim.  I am not a victim and I will not lay down and let the enemy take all that I have fought so hard to attain.  Listening to him, through the symptoms of my illness, gives him way too much power.  He was defeated at the cross.  Jesus did not give all for me to glibly give it away by listening to the lies Satan is telling me. Neither did He give all for you to do the same.

We must take our thoughts captive.  If allowed to run rampant, they will cause so much damage.  We must listen to the whisper of Jesus for when we listen, His whispers will drown out the loudest yells from Satan. We can be assured of victory, but it is a choice.  Our illnesses will always vie for our attention, and at times, they require attention. But, in the day in and day out of our lives, we must think about what we are thinking about and process these thoughts in full view of the Cross.  We must allow the whisper of Jesus to out shout the enemy.  Then we will be victorious. Then we will believe we have worth.  Then we will feel loved.  Then Satan will be overcome.

Tonya King is a Writer, Speaker and Mental Health Coach. She is the founder of Faithful in the Midst ministries which is a ministry devoted to the healing and wholeness of mental illnesses through faith in Jesus Christ. 

In 2003, Tonya was diagnosed with Bipolar disorder and has been advocating to include faith in Christ as part of treatment and wellness plans.  She has been walking with the Lord most of her life but has drawn very close since her diagnosis and truly lives her faith. 

Tonya lives in Perry, Ohio, USA with her husband of 31 years, Kevin. She has four children, two girls and two boys.  She is available for speaking and coaching engagements.

Read more about Tonya

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