Introduction

Welcome, beloved family of faith, to this shared space of worship and wisdom. We gather here, not as strangers passing in the night, but as brothers and sisters bound together in the love of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Together, we stand on the precipice of a new understanding, a fresh perspective, waiting to be illuminated by the divine light of God's Word.

In the words of Charles Spurgeon, "I would not utter what I believed to be a falsehood concerning the Lord, even though the evil one offered me the bait of saving all mankind thereby." Indeed, dear friends, this is something to remember.

Today, we turn our hearts and minds to the book of Acts, specifically Acts 16:16-23:

"Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a female slave who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, 'These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.' She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so annoyed that he turned around and said to the spirit, 'In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!' At that moment the spirit left her. When her owners realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities. They brought them before the magistrates and said, 'These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice.' The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods. After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully."

Discerning Deception in Daily Life

In the hustle and bustle of our daily lives, we often find ourselves surrounded by a myriad of voices. These voices come in different forms - the media, our peers, our own thoughts, and sometimes, even from within our own hearts. It's like standing in the middle of a bustling market, with each vendor vying for our attention, each one claiming to have the best product, the best deal. But how do we know who to listen to? How do we discern the truth from the lies?

A clear example of this: The slave girl, possessed by a spirit, was a voice in the crowd. She was shouting out truths about Paul and Silas, identifying them as servants of the Most High God. Yet, despite the truth in her words, there was deception in her voice. It was not a voice guided by the Holy Spirit, but by a spirit of divination. It was a voice meant to distract, to disrupt, to deceive.

We must be vigilant in identifying the sources of the voices we listen to: Not every voice that speaks the truth is of God. The enemy is crafty and will use truth to disguise his lies. We must be like Paul and Silas, discerning of the spirits, guided by the Holy Spirit in us, and grounded in the Word of God. We must test every spirit, as 1 John 4:1 advises us, not believing every spirit, but testing them to see whether they are from God.

The importance of understanding the intentions behind the voices: The slave girl's owners were using her for their own gain. Their intentions were not to spread the truth of God, but to profit from the deception. In our lives, we must be wary of voices that have hidden agendas, voices that use truth for their own gain. We must ask ourselves, does this voice seek to glorify God or glorify itself? Does it lead us closer to God or further away?

The impact of the voices we listen to: The voice of the slave girl caused a great disturbance. It drew attention away from the message of salvation Paul and Silas were preaching, causing confusion and chaos. Similarly, the voices we listen to can either bring us peace or cause us turmoil. They can either clarify God's truth or muddle it with lies. We must be mindful of the effects these voices have on our spiritual and emotional well-being.

The power we have over these voices: Paul, in the name of Jesus Christ, commanded the spirit to come out of the slave girl. And it did. As believers, we too have this authority. We can silence the voices of deception in our lives. We can choose to listen to the voice of God above all others. But we must be proactive. We must take a stand against these voices, not passively allowing them to influence us.

Dismantling the Devices of the Deceiver

Recognize the deceptive voices for what they are: In the passage, Paul and Silas were not fooled by the slave girl's shouts ... View this full PRO sermon free with PRO