The Voices in My Head

Robert W. Odom Ph. D.

I remember, as a young boy, that people would joke about others who would hear voices. As I have grown up, I have realized that I hear voices. You know what I mean. If you are like me, you struggle with internal conversations. For me, it goes something like this. First, I encounter something uneasy or complicated. This could be a conversation with someone. It could be a confrontation. It could be a mistake made.  When I encounter these things, I almost always have an internal dialogue. The conversation goes something like this. Bob, you blew it. You messed up. Bob, you are no good. You are a failure. There is no hope for change. You cannot do this. Then, I try to figure out what they meant by what they said, which always seems to go to the negative.

If we are honest, we all have voices. We all have voices that talk us into doing things, and those same voices can also talk us out of doing things. For example, will I be anxious, or will I be patient? Will I respond with anger, or will I be open to communication? Will I concentrate on the truth, or will I believe the lies? These voices are a part of our mental capacity to resolve issues. Therefore, as we process the voices in our head, we must understand that it is not the voices that are a problem; it is what we do with the voices that matter.

One of my favorite passages in the New Testament is the one that says that we should take every thought captive (2 Corinthians 10:5). I love this because I understand how vital our thoughts are in healing. When thoughts come, we must consider the thought and why we are having such thoughts. It is here that we must take our thoughts captive. In taking them captive, we must examine them to understand the truth of the thought.

Another passage adds value to this discussion. It is found in Philippians 4:8. It says, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

So when these thoughts come, we apply the truth. We apply the truth when our thoughts tell us we are a failure. Am I a failure, or did I fail in this one area of my life? So many things are true, but are they worthy of our thoughts? Do these thoughts encourage us to do what is honorable, just, and pure, or do they push us to do evil and get even?

The problem too often is that we can become myopic in our view of things so that we believe the negative voices in our heads. When the voice in my head tells me that I am no good, the honorable thing to do is review what I have done. Look at what needs to change so that I turn the situation into a positive and so I can learn from what has been stated. There is some element of truth with most criticisms, so I need to discern what is truth and what is distortion.

When I am anxious, I can flee or face the situation. I can run, or I can deal with my anxiety. My negative talk tells me to get out of there. For example, my negative thoughts push me to run rather than face my problems. The honorable thing is to face my problems rather than run. We do this by analyzing our thought processes. In this way, we take them captive and bring them in obedience to Christ’s way of living.

So let me ask you:

1. What are the voices you are listening to?

• What voices do you need to take captive?

• Where must you choose to do what is honorable, just, and pure? What would this look like for you?

• Where are you running rather than facing your problems?  

• Perhaps you need a friend, a counselor, or someone to help you discern what is true and what needs to change. In so doing, they have you interpret the voices you hear.

© Robert W. Odom 2023