When God separates, it's never about division or oppression, it brings distinction for the purpose of life and beauty. When God separates the water from the dry ground at creation, all kinds of important symbiotic ecosystems are established.
The thoughts in your mind often need to be sorted. Not for the purpose of shame, implying you're bad or you're good, but for the purpose of life and flourishing.
God's kind of separation brings abundance and helpful definition to the world and in this case, to the world that exists in your mind.
Try this: ask God to define for you what God's voice sounds like.
Ask, "Jesus, Give me one or two words to help me understand how you are?"
Record what comes to mind first.
Compare that to this. God sounds like and moves from the left side of the chart. This chart comes from the overarching stories of God and God's people getting to know each other over the course of the past 6,000 years. This is not about pulling one Bible verse out to justify anything we are thinking; we want to look at the full picture, the overarching story when comparing the still, small voice of God to what we know of God from the stories of the past.
We created this hearing God chart to help you separate out what thoughts might be coming from God and what might be coming from elsewhere.
When what comes to mind in 2-way prayer comes from love and life, it's helpful to know. When what comes to mind sounds like the "other" side of the chart - that, too, is helpful to notice because now you will have an awareness of old voices that aren't serving you or the world around you. These often sound like shame, fear, or condemnation, and they can get stuck in our brains through self-judgment, rejection, trauma, and unforgiveness. The reality of God's love for you and the connection God designed you to live from is this: you are not stuck in those "other" voices - God's voice will unlock you from each and every one.
As you check what comes to mind when you listen for God's voice - check the root (where it's coming from) and the fruit (what it produces). Now you can embrace what comes that is loving, lifegiving, kind, and freeing. Have a further conversation with God when you notice voices or mindsets that aren't bringing life, love, and wisdom.
Stay in the conversation. Great job practicing! Check the roots and fruits of your thoughts - that's today's practice; spend one minute on it.