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Monday: The Roar of the Enemy



Psalm 55:2-3 & 5, “Attend to me, and answer me; I am restless in my complaint and I moan, because of the noise of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked. For they drop trouble upon me, and in anger they bear a grudge against me… Fear and trembling come upon me, and horror overwhelms me.”


One time I was in youth group and Pastor Seth was talking about hearing the Holy Spirit over the noise of the world, the flesh, and the devil. He had one of the teens leave the room and he gave us specific instructions on what to do when the teen came back in. He told one person in the room to whisper and he told everyone else to talk really loudly! He then went out and told the teen that when he goes back into the room to follow the whisper. When the teen came into the room, we all started talking really loud and even though the teen tried really hard, he couldn’t hear the other teen whispering to him. Have you ever been there? Have you ever tried to hear encouragement but were only able to hear discouragement?


I can remember a time my son Mac went to a basketball game. They were playing their school rivals. You could hear the roar of the crowd in the parking lot long before we even walked into the gym! It was bananas. Mac said it was one of the hardest games he ever played because he couldn’t hear his teammates, they had to trust that each person knew what they needed to do and would be where they needed to be. At half time, Mac’s team was down by 25 points but they didn’t give up. They were able to claw their way back and win the game. It’s one of my favorite memories of him playing basketball. He didn’t quit. His team didn’t quit. Listen, it can be easy to focus on the wrong voice when we tune-in to the loudest voice, when we choose to accept the loudest voice as the voice of truth. The loudest voice isn’t always the wisest voice. Pay attention!


Proverbs 13:20, “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.” 


Sometimes we listen to the closest voice, which is why it is really important to be careful who you surround yourself with. Psalm 1:1, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers.” Pastor Seth always says, “Show me your friends and I’ll show you your future.” In 1 Kings 12 we meet a king named Rehoboam. The title of this chapter is called, “Rehoboam’s Folly.” (Oof, that title is quite telling…). Here we read about a king who ignores the counsel of wise men in favor of foolish counsel. Basically, he told the Boomers (the older men on the counsel) to buzz off and believed his peers knew better (yes, I said “boomer,” and I also find this “cringe”), verse 8 says, “But he abandoned the counsel that the old men gave him and took counsel with the young men who had grown up with him and stood before him.” Rehoboam let his friends influence him negatively. His friends didn’t make him a better leader, they fed his ego and pride and encouraged him to treat his people with condescension and disdain (vs. 9-10 & 13-14). 


Do not ignore the counsel of our elders, these precious brothers and sisters in Christ have much wisdom and experience to share with younger generations and it is foolish to discard that wisdom in favor of advice from peers who do not have that experience. As a side note: Do not get offended so easily. Seriously. If an elder shares a piece of wisdom or advice with you, YOU get to choose whether you take and apply that wisdom and advice to your life. Do not despise someone for reaching out and encouraging you to grow your faith. Be thankful someone cares enough to challenge you to develop a closer faith walk to your Savior. 


Finally, it's important to recognize your enemy, to know your enemy, so that you are able to withstand the attacks of your enemy. Who is your enemy? Those who seek your destruction, who delight in your failures, who plan your downfall. As a Christian, you will have people who seek to destroy you. This is when it is absolutely vital that you know God’s voice. That you can pick His voice out in the crowd. That you walk so closely to Him, that you know without a shadow of a doubt that no matter what comes your way, God is in control and will make a way of escape or a path to victory for you. (Check out Isaiah 43:19 and 1 Corinthians 15:57-58). Make sure you are able to discern between the roar of the enemy, and the voice of God. 


1 Peter 5:8, “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”


Read: 1 Kings 12:1-24


Consider: Can you think of any other examples in the Bible of when someone listened to wrong counsel or when the enemy was louder than the ally?


Do: What are some ways that you can learn to listen to the right voices?


Prayer: Write out a prayer and ask God to help you silence the roar of the enemy.


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