Evil Exposed
Acts 16:16 One day as we were going down to the place of prayer, we met a slave girl who had a spirit that enabled her to tell the future. She earned a lot of money for her masters by telling fortunes. 17 She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, and they have come to tell you how to be saved.”
18 This went on day after day until Paul got so exasperated that he turned and said to the demon within her, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And instantly it left her. 19 Her masters’ hopes of wealth were now shattered, so they grabbed Paul and Silas and dragged them before the authorities at the marketplace. 20 “The whole city is in an uproar because of these Jews!” they shouted to the city officials. 21 “They are teaching customs that are illegal for us Romans to practice.”
We have a lot of religions in our country, and in our world, that preach a flawed truth about where the power to live our lives comes from. To adhere to those religions is wrong and will always lead down an evil path. Yet, many try to combine our Christian faith with some wild, ungodly teaching and try to make it good. Some get involved in things like crystals, yoga, palm reading, and many more in hopes of doing something that only God can do. The slave girl who had this evil spirit was going about making money for her handlers and she happened upon a man in Paul who had "real" power. The power of God working in his life. She DID recognize that they were servants of The Most High God but was almost mocking in her exposing them. They were not hiding from anyone, but she was hoping to divert the focus from the message to Paul and his companions, so Paul got tired of the ongoing attack and said the following powerful words I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And the next verse says the demon instantly left her.
The next time you think about witnessing to someone who seems unreachable keep these verses in mind and know that the power of God is more powerful than any evil that comes upon us. When I am beaten down by the enemy God exposes the evil through the Holy Spirit and I just say, out loud, the name of Jesus, and satan has to flee. James 4:7 So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. The three parts of this verse are very important. First, humble yourself before God. I realize that He alone is my rock and salvation Psalm 33:22 Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord, for our hope is in you alone. Second, resist the devil. Don't give in to the temptation, but ask God to give you a way out and He will. 1 Corinthians 10:13 The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure. Thirdly, the end result is satan will flee. God is more powerful and we need to let Him fight our battles and you can rely on Him EVERY TIME!! You may think "EVERY TIME?" To which I confidently say EVERY TIME!!
So ask God to expose evil when you are dealing with something that is nagging at your heart and mind and He will give you discernment to handle that evil and get it behind you. Satan is really good in what he tries to defeat you with, and God is very faithful and powerful to deal with anything satan may throw at you. Deuteronomy 32:4 He is the Rock; his deeds are perfect. Everything he does is just and fair. He is a faithful God who does no wrong; how just and upright he is!
God exposes the evil that we face and also defeats it at every turn. Trust Him and Him alone!
The Pilgrimage Continues
David Warren