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Let us summon the strength and discipline to tune out of the spiritual and cultural white noise that daily assaults us from every direction, and listen to God’s voice in the silence of our hearts, reading His Word and abiding by His ways.

“What? I can’t hear you!”

“If you turned it down, maybe you would!”

“What?”

Such are the words flying around the homes of Australia today — we are assaulted by so many noises and voices vying for our attention. Convincingly, they infiltrate the airwaves via TV sets, computers, social media, newspapers.

Are all voices worthy of our ear? Is every noise constructive? No. Intrusive as they are, or even some seemingly benign, they influence us. Positively or negatively.

White Noise

According to Wikipedia, white noise is commonly used in the production of electronic music, usually either directly, or as an input for a filter to create other types of noise signals. It’s used extensively in audio synthesis, typically to recreate percussive instruments such as cymbals or snare drums which have high noise content in their frequency domain. A simple example of white noise is a non-existent radio station, i.e. static.

In tinnitus treatment, it is used for sound-masking. White noise machines are sold as sleep aids to mask tinnitus. Alternatively, the use of an FM radio tuned to unused frequencies is a simpler, more cost-effective source of white noise.

There is evidence that white noise exposure therapies may induce maladaptive changes in the brain that degrade neurological health and compromise cognition.

Work Environment

The effect of white noise on cognitive functions is mixed. Recently, a study found that white noise background stimulation improves cognitive function among secondary students with ADHD, while decreasing the performance of non-ADHD students. Other research indicates it is effective in improving the mood and performance of workers by masking background office noise, but decreases cognitive performance in complex card-sorting tasks.

Similarly, an experiment was carried out on 66 healthy participants to observe the benefits of using white noise in a learning environment. The experiment involved participants identifying different images while having different sounds in the background. Overall, the experiments showed that white noise does in fact have benefits in relation to learning. The experiments showed that white noise slightly improved the participants’ learning abilities and their recognition memory.

If you suffer from insomnia or have little children, you have probably heard about white noise. Just like the old “watch the watch” scenario, it lulls us, almost hypnotically, to phase out noises that are unsettling, and gives our brain a rest.

Much of our population seems to be willing participants in white noise therapy. They don’t discern what’s happening around us. When we get to the stage of not being able to cope, the human being goes into a ‘fight or flight’ mentality.

Many Australians are subjecting themselves to white noise in the spiritual sense. Pulling the sheet up over our heads, however, will not save our society. The paths on which we tread are leading to the destruction of many things we hold dear. Are we acceding to the whims of governments and bureaucracies bent on socialism at any cost?

Are we weary? Bone-weary, I would say.

Thrash Metal Music

This stuff will hit you fair in the face. It comes at you with ferocity. Love it or loathe it, you know what it is. It’s not masked, hidden, or disguised. It might as well be saying, “Get the hell out of my way, I’m coming!”

If one listens, that’s the message you will get from the Greens, the socialists, the left-leaning Labor globalists, the trendy left wing of the Liberal party, the progressives Nationals and the ‘wokeists’. “Get out of our way!”

Everything is beautiful in its own way.

That’s a line from a lovely old song, but not everything is beautiful in its own way. As a matter of fact, a lot of it is just plain putrid. However, it will be pushed as the new normal, the new beautiful; and if you happen to disagree with this premise, the firing squad of social opinion is waiting. I will expect the same people who normally have something to say about everything I write will do so again, thus revealing the side they’re on.

Take these two subjects. The march is on:

‘In the state of Tasmania, oppressive laws are being proposed that would ban you from talking to your child about a biblical view of sexuality and gender.

In the ACT, a draft bill proposes big changes to the Discrimination Act. If passed these changes will have a significant impact for churches. Essentially, the bill weakens all protections for religious organizations. It will allow courts to intervene in the ordination process and determine who can take communion!

It could also force Christian organizations to use their property against their religious conscience. This is yet another attempt to undermine religious freedom it’s a significant overstep by the state into the life of the church.’

— Martyn Iles, Australian Christian Lobby

The Small Still Voice

Sadly, this particular sound is being searched for less and less on the airwaves of our minds, our spirits. When I first came to Christ back in the ’80s, an old friend, indeed a mother in Christ, said to me, “Leonie, I think you’ve gotten in 10 minutes to midnight.” Quite a few years ago now, yet not forgotten.

My grounding was under a good minister who preached the word without apology, and who taught from the word — a trait that sadly seems to be dying out across many a denomination and church pulpit today.

How watered down does the Gospel need to get to become totally ineffective?

Just how compromised do these supposed shepherds of the flock become before everything is tainted with the filth of ‘wokeism’ and towing the governmental hand-out line?

‘Broad is the way, the path that leads to destruction, and many are travelling on it.
Narrow is the way that leads to life, and few find it.’

If we are bold enough to look at the truth of the persecution of Christians across the world, would we be completely naive to believe it could not happen here? Let’s face facts: those who boldly oppose Faith, Family and Freedom must salivate at the thought of how well it’s going for them!

The voice of the Holy Spirit still speaks today, for those who would listen.

“So, the Jews surrounded Him and began saying to Him,
“How long are you going to keep us in suspense?
If you really are the Christ, the Messiah, the anointed, tell us so plainly and openly.”

Jesus answered them, “I have told you so, yet you do not believe. The works that I do in My father’s name testify concerning Me [they are My credentials and the evidence declaring Who I am]. But you do not believe Me [so you do not trust and follow Me] because you are not My sheep.

My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they will never, ever [by any means] perish; and no one will ever snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater and mightier than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.”
~ John 10:24-30 (AMP)

The Word of God still speaks, if we read it. The Holy Spirit still speaks if we tune out the white noise that would lull us into a stupor of complacency. Turn off the thrash metal determined to assault us at every “briefing”, nightly news, ABC broadcaster (pretending to be a journalist). Believing that everything is beautiful, acceptable and the new normal will lead both you and your family into misery, should you be lulled by the siren song of supposed love you are hearing.

The Enemy Within

Are we brave enough to address the noise coming from our pulpits?

A couple of weeks ago, I attended a service where the pastor shared a story. He spoke of his time in polling booths and campaigns. When the opportunity arose to speak to other pastors in his travels, he was aghast to hear some saying words to the effect: “You don’t still read your Bible, do you? We have the Holy Spirit now, we don’t need the Bible. We listen to the Holy Spirit.” This article makes clear where this deception comes from.

I was gobsmacked! Is it any wonder our country, our churches, and our denominations are in such wreckage?

From Genesis to the final page of Revelation, the same God is revealed. Jesus was the fulfilment of everything written. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God.” He quoted scripture all the time. He went to the temple and read from the scrolls. What was good enough for Jesus, should be good enough for us! He IS the Word!

So much noise competes for our attention. Use selective hearing.

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Photo by Tirachard Kumtanom.