Author: Elisabeth Elliot
Source: A Lamp For My Feet
Scripture: Acts 4:29-29
Enable Thy Servants
Many of our prayers are for a quick and easy solution. God is more glorified in his people when they exhibit his grace under pressure. When Peter and John had been discharged by the rulers, elders, and doctors of the Jewish law with orders not to speak again in the name of Jesus, the Christians prayed about it--"They raised their voices as one man and called upon God." Their prayer was not, "Make these people stop persecuting Thy servant," but, remembering the word of prophecy concerning how the Messiah was to be treated, they asked God only to notice what was happening to his servants and to enable them to speak with boldness (Acts 4:29 NEB).
We, too, may bring any difficult situation to our heavenly Father, laying it before his eyes, and asking not for instant escape but for "enablement"--for strength to sustain the burden and do what we ought to do without the fear of man.
Author: Woodrow Kroll
Source: Lessons on Living From Joshua
Scripture: Exodus 32:17-18
Deceived by the Noise
Exodus 32:17-18
And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said to Moses, "There is a noise of war in the camp." But [Moses] said: "It is not the voice of those who shout in victory, nor is it the voice of those who cry out in defeat, but the voice of those who sing that I hear."
Deceived by the Noise
Lost in the jungle, a man sought desperately to find his way to safety. His strength was ebbing fast. Suddenly he heard what he thought was a bell tolling in the distance. Surely civilization must be near by. Valiantly he struggled on, but never seemed to draw closer to the sound. Finally he fell to the ground exhausted, never to rise again. The uncanny call of the South American bellbird, which sounds like a reverberating "toll," had struck again. Instead of offering the weary traveler promised safety, it lured him to his death.
Joshua made a similar mistake. When he heard the sounds of shouting, his military mind immediately assumed he was hearing the sounds of battle. But Moses, experienced in the ways of human nature, realized it was something even more sinister. What Joshua mistook for the sounds of potential physical danger, Moses recognized as the sure sounds of serious moral danger. Instead of war, it was the noise of debauchery and immorality.
Satan is a skilled noisemaker, and he loves to disguise the reality of sin with deceitful noise. He cloaks his wicked ways with words that sound lofty and noble. He hides his lies and deceit beneath raucous laughter, emotional appeals or apparent sincerity. The consequences, however, are spiritual disaster or even death.
Don't be fooled by the noise. Always take what you hear back to the Word of God. If it's not consistent with the Bible, take no heed to it no matter how good it sounds.
Check out the words you hear by the Word you trust.