Have you ever read something and it just stopped you in your tracks? This happened to me last week as I was reading through Acts 19. Mind you I have read through Acts many times before. This time was different. It felt like I was reading the chapter for the very first time. Somehow my eyes became open to see what had been there all along.
The words that Luke wrote in Acts 19:15 (NCV) blew me away. The verse goes like this - But one time an evil spirit said to them, “I know Jesus, and I know Paul, but who are you?
Now let me give you a bit of background.
Paul the Apostle was given power by God to do miracles. A group of seven people and a leading priest tried doing miracles as Paul had done. This group went up to a man possessed with evil spirits and said, “By the same Jesus that Paul talks about, I order you to come out.”
These guys thought they had it made. They thought they could act the part and reap the full benefits. Sadly they were wrong. The evil spirit did not hold anything back. He simply said, “Who the heck are you guys? I am familiar with Paul and Jesus. They have the power through God to cast out demons. As a matter of fact they sent one of my buddies into a bunch of pigs one day. It was crazy. They all leaped off the high cliff to their death. I fear and respect Paul and Jesus. I know them because of their works and how they have lived their lives. I do not know any of you at all.”
Scripture tells us that instead of playing a quick one on the man who was possessed with the evil spirits, he jumped on them and scared them so badly they ran away naked and embarrassed.
What caught my attention is the enemy knew Paul and Jesus. They did not know our group of guys. Is my Christian walk one that scares evil spirits or demons. Do they know who I am just like they knew Paul and Jesus? Do they wake up in the morning and say “Oh no! Mike is going to tell someone else about Jesus Christ again today.” Or do they say “we do not need to worry about him, because he is a Christian in name only.”
I am a huge football fan. When you are preparing to play the opposing team you will always want to know where their star wide receiver is at all times. If you get out of position on a play he can take the ball to the end zone in a heartbeat. You know if a player is getting double teamed he is something special. Therefore, I tell you to take a look at the amount of resistance you are getting in your life. If things seem way too easy, you might be on the wrong path or are not putting in the work you need to excel.
The disciples were beat up, put in jail, and told not to talk about Jesus Christ. Yet, they pushed onward in their ministry knowing the more they spoke more people would try to silence them. They welcomed those who came against them, because they were serving the Lord. Jesus told us that you would be persecuted for serving Him.
Never let the resistance stop you. Instead use it as your motivation. Shout for joy because the King of Kings knows your name and it is found in the Lamb’s Book of Life. Yet, be bold and brave. Take the fight to the Devil. It is my prayer that when your feet hit the floor in the morning the demons say we need to double team this one. They are filled with the Holy Spirit and daily they are winning people to Lord. May we never be like these poor souls in this story whose lives were so bland and uninspiring that even the evil spirit says, “Who are you?”
God sent his Son Jesus to die on the cross for our sins. He gave His all, and He demands the same from us each day.
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