Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists took it upon themselves to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, "We exorcise you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches." Also there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did so. And the evil spirit answered and said, "Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?" Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. Acts 19:11-16 (NKJV)
The Bible tells us that demons tremble at the name of Jesus. I wonder if they have any reaction to our names? We know from the story of the seven sons of Sceva that the demon powers were also readily aware of the Apostle Paul. Furthermore, we know, from other stories in the book of Acts, that Paul had the power to cast out demons, so the demons were a bit leery of the great Apostle to the Gentiles.
Some other people wanted to get in on the current wave of exorcisms and so they commanded the evil spirits by saying, "We exorcise you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches." It seems like a comical thing to say and a crazy thing to do--but, they had observed Paul in action and it seemed like a winning formula of words. The seven sons of Sceva decided to give in a whirl... It all seemed to be going so well until the evil spirit spoke back to them. "Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?" Then the evil spirit--in the body of the man possessed, jumped on them and proceeded to exact a painful revenge.
"Who are you?" In Christ Jesus we are more than a conquerors. Without Christ we are weak and lost. We can do all things through Christ who gives us strength. Without being in the vine we can do nothing. In Christ, we can take on the impossible, because with God all things are possible. Without Christ, even the possible becomes difficult. "Who are you?" When it comes to matters of Spiritual Warfare--I come against the powers of darkness in the name of Jesus whom I believe in and preach of. "Who am I?" A son of God--a follower of Jesus Christ--a soldier of the cross--an enemy of darkness...
Prayer: "Dear heavenly Father, there seems to be quite a battle going on in our world. The influence of darkness is pervasive in the culture today. It has sadly invaded and influenced those that attend church. The church seems to have lost ground and momentum and has not awakened to the fact that it has taken place. Lord, awaken Your people. Shake the church. Return us to our first love. Start with me! Amen"
Some other people wanted to get in on the current wave of exorcisms and so they commanded the evil spirits by saying, "We exorcise you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches." It seems like a comical thing to say and a crazy thing to do--but, they had observed Paul in action and it seemed like a winning formula of words. The seven sons of Sceva decided to give in a whirl... It all seemed to be going so well until the evil spirit spoke back to them. "Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?" Then the evil spirit--in the body of the man possessed, jumped on them and proceeded to exact a painful revenge.
"Who are you?" In Christ Jesus we are more than a conquerors. Without Christ we are weak and lost. We can do all things through Christ who gives us strength. Without being in the vine we can do nothing. In Christ, we can take on the impossible, because with God all things are possible. Without Christ, even the possible becomes difficult. "Who are you?" When it comes to matters of Spiritual Warfare--I come against the powers of darkness in the name of Jesus whom I believe in and preach of. "Who am I?" A son of God--a follower of Jesus Christ--a soldier of the cross--an enemy of darkness...
Prayer: "Dear heavenly Father, there seems to be quite a battle going on in our world. The influence of darkness is pervasive in the culture today. It has sadly invaded and influenced those that attend church. The church seems to have lost ground and momentum and has not awakened to the fact that it has taken place. Lord, awaken Your people. Shake the church. Return us to our first love. Start with me! Amen"
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