YOUR SCRIBAL JOURNEY
Part II: Clearing The Way
RECOVERING THE STOLEN VOICE
Some prophetic writers struggle with releasing their authentic voice in strength and power in relationships, in projects, in presentations, etc. While there are some people who have never had to struggle in this area (and you might be one of them), there are many people who have and more who will.
DEFINING THE "VOICE"
Your VOICE, as we discuss it here, is that innate ability to fearlessly express yourself in truth and power with confidence, assurance and strength. It is understanding that you have an important contribution to make in this world through your stories, thoughts, opinions, knowledge and expertise. Your ability to exert your voice is tied to the development of one's identity and self-worth.
Without it, a person's life - in many critical areas - is stagnated by fear, intimidation and an inability to see their own value.
DEFINING THE "STOLEN VOICE"
A STOLEN VOICE is a voice snatched away by traumatic circumstances or situations. While many people can identify the moment they lost their voice, others cannot. Sometimes it's not one major traumatic thing, but a "theft" -- even a subtle one - that has taken place over the course of time for a plethora of reasons. As a rising teacher in the CTT program, you will be faced with this obstacle often.
In addition, a lack of voice could also indicate that the authentic voice of a person has not been fully developed or that it has not matured. THIS may not be a stolen voice issue. Rather, it is an issue of growth. In situations like this, people may be "finding themselves" so-to-speak. So... this particular group of people simply need to be encouraged, given opportunity... and strengthened at every turn.
When the voice has been stolen due to trauma, people may hide in a corner full of fear, stuck in cycles of comparison or harbor an inability to see value in what they have to say or offer to any conversation -- whether written or spoken, visible or invisible. There are also people who are over-zealous, haughty in their delivery, boisterous and loud, undeveloped in their mastery, cloaked in false humility, and drenched in an assumed authority WITHIN THEIR VOICE. People in this area also suffer from the STOLEN VOICE. Even more so, they have a FALSE VOICE... and can often parrot others but never their own ideas or thoughts. They can also be in an identity crisis as well. The over-compensation of a false voice could still be the result of a STOLEN VOICE.
I have personally walked between the two extremes. There was a time when I could not move forward with my voice because I simply believed I had nothing of value to offer, especially in a world that was constantly rejecting my passion for scribal ministry. I sat under leaders who repeatedly tried to re-direct my focus to mainstream ministry initiatives and away from scribes and the arts. It caused me to close-up, reconsider my calling, and second, guess who I was becoming. I began attempting to preach and teach like other people versus what was in my own heart. I quoted popular pastors before quoting my own revelations because I believed NO ONE would listen to what I had to say.
And when I stood before people I saw as "greater than me" or "giants in the faith," I would LOSE MY ABILITY to have an original thought. I simply became a young minister who mastered abdicating my authority before others. My responses to people in authority was a direct result of multiple life trauma's "of being shut down when I had something to say."
For the prophetic scribe... THAT is a dangerous place to be. Why? Because our purpose is driven by the revealing of our voice whether creative or instructional. Scribes suffering from this often release their genius in secret or they stop exercising the gifts associated with their scribal ministry.
To begin the work, I literally had to disconnect from all relationships and environments that hindered my voice so that I could begin my healing journey and develop my AUTHENTIC VOICE. The authentic voice is that place of truth of the SOUL and SPIRIT. It speaks truth to your condition and the hope of Christ's purpose for THE VOICE.
This is a deep topic. Even in my sharing, I've only touched the surface of it.
TIP: Take a few minutes to listen to this empowering teaching and prayer below, Who Stole Your Voice.
Please note, however, that some of my theology on healing has changed since this teaching. We will clarify some of those areas later in this course when we reach the Spiritual Warfare section. For now, however, the core of this message remains true.