The Inner Critic

I have an inner-critic. As a Christian, I very much believe that God has blessed me with His Holy Spirit, which serves to guide me through life. Question: To what extent do I allow that guidance to affect my decision making? There has been a lot on my mind recently regarding my growth as a human, as a man, and as a Christian and this is what I discovered:

There are voices in my head. No, not the crazy type of voices, but the ones that creep in with self-doubt, fear, lack of discipline, as well as hope, joy, and love. We all have them. It's the beauty of being human that we're not puppets and that God has blessed us with logic, with discernment, and in some cases salvation. So I find myself being pulled in two directions within my own heart and mind. One seeks to draw me closer to God and the other is pretty deceptive. I've named him my inner-critic. He knows a lot about the Bible, he spits out Christian jargon to me and justifies many things that have no business being justified. This isn't the devil I'm talking about either. It's me. I have enough inclinations towards screw-ups that I don't need any help. A favorite preacher of mine one said that Christian living is all about "finding the things that stir your affection for Christ and saturating your life with them." Maybe that's the true test: Which voice pulls me towards God? And which seeks to distract me from Him? Progressive Sanctification, gotta love it.