I am finally getting a few minutes to record what our guest speaker, Chuck Porta, shared last night. I have never thought of this before, so to me it was such an interesting concept!!! What would you think if I asked you, “ARE YOU A VOICE OR AN ECHO?” Thought provoking isn’t it?

Chuck pointed out that there were THREE great examples of echos in the bible.

1. Saul. If you look through the scriptures, God NEVER SPOKE to Saul (as in King Saul). An echo must stay near a “VOICE” to hear from God. Saul’s “voice” was Samuel. Voices hear from God. An echo hears from a voice. Saul was so desperate after Samuel (his voice) died, he consulted a WITCH. See what happened:

1 Samuel 28:1-20

Saul and the Witch of Endor

¹ In those days the Philistines gathered their forces to fight against Israel. Achish said to David, “You must understand that you and your men will accompany me in the army.”

² David said, “Then you will see for yourself what your servant can do.”
Achish replied, “Very well, I will make you my bodyguard for life.”

³ Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in his own town of Ramah. Saul had expelled the mediums and spiritists from the land.

⁴ The Philistines assembled and came and set up camp at Shunem, while Saul gathered all the Israelites and set up camp at Gilboa. ⁵ When Saul saw the Philistine army, he was afraid; terror filled his heart. ⁶ He inquired of the LORD, but the LORD did not answer him by dreams or Urim or prophets. ⁷ Saul then said to his attendants, “Find me a woman who is a medium, so I may go and inquire of her.”
“There is one in Endor,” they said.

⁸ So Saul disguised himself, putting on other clothes, and at night he and two men went to the woman. “Consult a spirit for me,” he said, “and bring up for me the one I name.”

⁹ But the woman said to him, “Surely you know what Saul has done. He has cut off the mediums and spiritists from the land. Why have you set a trap for my life to bring about my death?”

¹⁰ Saul swore to her by the LORD, “As surely as the LORD lives, you will not be punished for this.”

¹¹ Then the woman asked, “Whom shall I bring up for you?”
“Bring up Samuel,” he said.

¹² When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out at the top of her voice and said to Saul, “Why have you deceived me? You are Saul!”

¹³ The king said to her, “Don’t be afraid. What do you see?”
The woman said, “I see a spirit ^a]”>[a] coming up out of the ground.”

¹⁴ “What does he look like?” he asked.
“An old man wearing a robe is coming up,” she said.
Then Saul knew it was Samuel, and he bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground.

¹⁵ Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?”
“I am in great distress,” Saul said. “The Philistines are fighting against me, and God has turned away from me. He no longer answers me, either by prophets or by dreams. So I have called on you to tell me what to do.”

¹⁶ Samuel said, “Why do you consult me, now that the LORD has turned away from you and become your enemy? ¹⁷ The LORD has done what he predicted through me. The LORD has torn the kingdom out of your hands and given it to one of your neighbors—to David. ¹⁸ Because you did not obey the LORD or carry out his fierce wrath against the Amalekites, the LORD has done this to you today. ¹⁹ The LORD will hand over both Israel and you to the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The LORD will also hand over the army of Israel to the Philistines.”

²⁰ Immediately Saul fell full length on the ground, filled with fear because of Samuel’s words. His strength was gone, for he had eaten nothing all that day and night.

Saul’s sin in contacting a witch/medium landed him a death sentence. Samuel told him that he AND his sons would be with him the NEXT DAY!

2. Lot. Lot never heard a word from God. Who was his voice? ABRAM (Abraham). The scriptures state that “Abram went forth as the Lord spoke to him” (Gen. 12:4), but Lot just went with him. In Genesis 13, Abram and Lot separate. Lot lost his VOICE. He begins to spiral downhill and marries an unbeliever. What happens in vs. 12? Lot gets CAPTURED! Abram has to come to the rescue and set him free. Then comes Genesis 19 when Lot persuades the two angels (strangers) to come spend the night in his house. Sodom is so wicked that Lot’s house was surrounded by all of the men demanding to have SEX with the two angels! Lot even offered his virgin daughters to the angry crowd (great father eh?). We all know what happened to Sodom. We also know Lot’s wife turned into salt — and to make matters worse, he slept with both of his daughters, giving them two evil sons.

ECHOS BUCKLE UNDER PRESSURE!

3. Aaron. Aaron was a high priest, but God never spoke to Aaron. Who was the VOICE for Aaron? MOSES. What happened when Aaron was separated from his voice?

Exodus 32:1-6
1 When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.”
2 Aaron answered them, “Take off the gold earrings that your wives, your sons and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me.” 3 So all the people took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron. 4 He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool. Then they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.”

5 When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of the calf and announced, “Tomorrow there will be a festival to the LORD.” 6 So the next day the people rose early and sacrificed burnt offerings and presented fellowship offerings. Afterward they sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.

God is always speaking to Voices. He wants friendship with us. God has called us to be His friend, Voice, and Bride.

John 15:15

I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.

Chuck made this statement, “The deeper your hidden life in Christ, the deeper the revelation.” Chew on that one.

There was so much more, but I must spend time with my husband. I hope this was thought provoking for you too!

Blessings!