Always A Step Ahead
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Playing chess as a kid
Acts 16:16
16 Now it happened, as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling.
This girl was possessed by a spirit. Divination is the process of revealing godly secrets or telling the future. The men that owned her were prostituting her oppression. They were making money from her suffering and her oppression.
It's too easy to look around today and see the same thing.
We are held hostage by:
Addiction: drugs, alcohol, porn, shopping, vanity, money, power, status, stuff.
We are held hostage by:
Influence: depression, anxiety, anger, self image.
All of these things possess you and oppress you, keeping you from living the life Jesus died for you to have access to. And the enemy will always be there to profit from it. These things will keep you from fulfilling your call and your purpose. The devil doesn't have to get you to follow him, he just needs to get you to stop following Jesus.
17 This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, “These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.”
Why would an unclean spirit proclaim God's servants and the way to salvation?
41 And demons also came out of many, crying out and saying, “You are the Christ, the Son of God!”
And He, rebuking them, did not allow them to speak, for they knew that He was the Christ.
1 But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction.
Why would an unclean spirit proclaim God's servants and the way to salvation?
These spirits were trying to gain some credibility and convince people that they were aligned with God and what God was doing.
If we think that they represent or proclaim Jesus, then we will give them an ear. The devil manipulates the things of God in an attempt to pull people away from God. (the serpent in the garden) he will twist God's words, manipulate your understanding of His truths, question His commandments and distort our view of who God is and in turn, who we are. Before we know it, we are walking around doing things that we think are Godly, but in reality are far from Him.
What things in our lives attempt to align themselves with Jesus? What things does the enemy use to try to look like Him and mimic Him and may seem to point to Him but are really only trying to destroy what God has established and gain influence for himself?
music, pulpit, stage, bible knowledge, influence, accomplishments
Then the things that God has established and ordained also become distorted and nothing like what God intended them to be.
marriage, family, sexuality, gender roles, truth
satan draws close quietly and attempts to distort and destroy from the inside.
The attacks of the enemy are not a one time thing.
18 And this she did for many days.
But Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And he came out that very hour.
They are ongoing. They will begin small and seem nonthreatening so that we will ignore them and allow them to continue. They seem easily overcome and at times as if they are helping us.
They come in the name of justice, equality, progress, fairness, love, tolerance. And the enemy makes these things sound so good, and we feel as if we are doing good by aligning ourselves with these things. And as we support or sometimes ignore them because we don't feel they are relevant, and give them space in our lives to exist, they will grow in their boldness and in the influence they have on us and the people around us.
What sin has creeped it's way into our life? Very innocent at first, but now has a powerful grip and influence on our lives. I'm sure we can go around the room this morning and make a list. What better way to get you to let your guard down than to appear insignificant.
affairs, addictions, lives are broken
Sin always introduces itself as something innocent. There may be some of you here today playing around with that innocence. Allowing that voice, thought, urge, to follow you around just like this girl did to Paul and Silas, whispering in your ear, saying all the right things. Justifying your thoughts, waiting for you to give in.
It will not go away because you ignored it. Sin requires a response! How will you respond to it?
Paul finally responded responded to the spirit by casting it out of the girl in the name of Jesus Christ.
Paul finally responded responded to the spirit by casting it out of the girl in the name of Jesus Christ.
Paul finally responded responded to the spirit by casting it out of the girl in the name of Jesus Christ.
He recognized what they were, what they wanted, and how they would try to get what they wanted. Because He knew those things, He also knew how to overcome them.
When Jesus cast out spirits, He no longer let them speak. He knew the lies they would spew and the words they would twist. They had taken enough and said enough that Jesus would silence them and order them to leave. He recognized what they were, what they wanted, and how they would try to get what they wanted. Because He knew those things, He also knew how to overcome them.
It is possible for you and I to also recognize lies and deception. It's possible for us to be prepared and equipped to overcome as well.
It’s a chess game.
By being in the Word, reading your bible, learning more about who God is, His character, His promises, His power and His example through Jesus. By spending time in prayer allowing God to speak to us and reveal things to us. By seeking to be the example of Jesus in every way, every day to everyone.
Jesus set the example for our lives in so many ways. He not only came to provide salvation, but to also show us how to have the abundant life today. He didn't just say, believe in me so that you can go to heaven when you die. He said, follow me now and I will give you rest, hope, love, purpose, future today!
He set the example and showed us how to live.
He is the Creator of all things, therefor He has authority over all things, including satan, spirits, earth, wind, waters, and He has authority over you, but He waits for you to want Him, to choose Him, not just to be a part of your life, but to be Lord over all of it.
Jesus does not just want a piece of you. He doesn't want to sit in the passenger seat, He doesn't want to be you navigator or your co-pilot. He doesn't want part-time custody or limited visiting hours. He doesn't want you only when you have time or only when you are in trouble. Jesus wants all of you or He want none of you. Being a Christ follower means we have to surrender our lives, completely, to Him and only Him.
When we do this, we begin to live with a different perspective on life. We see people as Jesus sees them. And when we see each other as Jesus sees us, we begin to change everything we do!
Paul finally got so annoyed and distressed over what this spirit was doing that he cast it out in the name of Jesus.
When are you going to get fed up enough with the sin in your life that you finally call on the name of Jesus to cast it out?
When we get to that point, something amazing happens.
The spirit came out of the girl that very hour. For however long she had been possessed by this spirit, she was now free.
That is why Jesus came, to set us free from the chains of sin. Whatever you are struggling with in your life, Jesus can set you free from it.
He didn't promise that we would never struggle again, but He promised that we would have what we needed to get through the struggle.
Look at what happens next.
19 But when her masters saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to the authorities.
The girl's owners got pretty upset that their wallets just took a hit, so they took the two men to the authorities and demanded justice. It’s funny how people really don’t care about what happens until it effects their lifestyle.
The girl's owners got pretty upset that their wallets just took a hit, so they took the two men to the authorities and demanded justice.
20 And they brought them to the magistrates, and said, “These men, being Jews, exceedingly trouble our city; 21 and they teach customs which are not lawful for us, being Romans, to receive or observe.” 22 Then the multitude rose up together against them; and the magistrates tore off their clothes and commanded them to be beaten with rods. 23 And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely. 24 Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.
These men did not bring an accurate account of what had just happened. Instead of telling the truth (these men cast a demon out of a girl), they threw false accusations and racist comments towards them in an attempt to get others on their side.
How far will you go to get your way? What price is too steep when it comes to getting what you want?
We see it all too often today. People willing to destroy the lives of others if it means getting what they want.
Their tactics worked. Paul and Silas were not only arrested, but beaten and chained up. Why? What had they done wrong? Did they deserve this?
Being a Christian doesn't mean we will not struggle. In most cases, it means we will struggle even more. Jesus said that the world will hate us because it first hated Him.
When the enemy's first attempt at quietly undermining Jesus in our lives does not work, he then turns to full on persecution. Many times we will struggle through the first only to be defeated by the second. But as we said before, Jesus didn't promise that we would never struggle again, but He promised that we would have what we needed to get through the struggle, which is why we need to be ready.
25 But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.
Paul and Silas continued to praise and glorify God even in this situation. Being beaten, locked up, and chained up, they would not shut up about their Lord and Savior.
These types of things are not punishments from God. They are opportunities for us to show even more how much we love and hope and trust in Jesus Christ for all that we need. When our lives are truly in Christ, then our spirits and our hope will always outshine our circumstances.
It is in these times that our testimony is at it's most powerful because it is in these times that those who do not know Jesus are watching us most eagerly.
People were watching Paul as the girl followed them around, they were being watched as they were falsely accused, and the prisoners were watching them as they were thrown in prison and shackled in chains.
Just as they were being watched, so are we. In marriages, families, work places, friends, traffic, restaurants. We are being watched as we are tested, as we struggle, when we hurt. We are being watched as we succeed. What example are you setting?
The Point
Every time the devil made a move on Paul and Silas, they knew how to respond. Every time it looked like they were defeated, they came back unscathed and undeterred. Every time they looked to be silenced, they continued in their mission.
In order to defeat the enemy, we’ve got to know what the enemy is going to do before he does it. We have to know what he is going to try, what he is going to say, what the attack is going to look like, and we have to be prepared with, not only the defense, but the counter attack.
We were given, not only the rule book, but every move that the enemy would make against us!
By being in the Word, reading your bible, learning more about who God is, His character, His promises, His power and His example through Jesus. By spending time in prayer allowing God to speak to us and reveal things to us. By seeking to be the example of Jesus in every way, every day to everyone.
Jesus set the example for our lives in so many ways. He not only came to provide salvation, but to also show us how to have the abundant life today. He didn't just say, believe in me so that you can go to heaven when you die. He said, follow me now and I will give you rest, hope, love, purpose, future today!
He set the example and showed us how to live.
Jesus shows us how to do exactly that. If you want to be one step ahead of the devil, you must:
He is the Creator of all things, therefor He has authority over all things, including satan, spirits, earth, wind, waters, and He has authority over you and the demons you face, but He waits for you to want Him, to choose Him, not just to be a part of your life, but to be Lord over all of it.
Jesus does not just want a piece of you. He doesn't want to sit in the passenger seat, He doesn't want to be you navigator or your co-pilot. He doesn't want part-time custody or limited visiting hours. He doesn't want you only when you have time or only when you are in trouble. Jesus wants all of you or He want none of you. Being a Christ follower means we have to surrender our lives, completely, to Him and only Him.
When we do this, we begin to live with a different perspective on life. We not only begin to see ourselves as Jesus sees us, but we begin to see people as Jesus sees them. And when we see each other as Jesus sees us, we begin to change everything we do!
But we not only see each other as Jesus sees us, we see the devil as Jesus sees him also; a desperate and defeated adversary who’s days are numbered.
If you want to be one step ahead of the devil, you must:
first, surrender your life to Jesus (invitation)
second, grow closer to Him by knowing Him more, reading bible, prayer, speaking to Him and allowing Him to speak to you, surrounding yourself with other likeminded people (invitation)
third, apply His examples to your life, living it out daily (invitation)
The more we learn about our Savior, and the more we apply to our lives from His life, the better prepared we will be for the attacks that come our way which will keep us Always A Step Ahead.
Prayer