WHAT WOULD THE DEVIL SAY

009 – MAY 2004


IN THE 19TH CHAPTER OF ACTS THERE IS AN ACCOUNT OF SEVEN MEN – VAGABONDS WHO WERE EXPERIMENTING BY ATTEMPTING TO EXORCISE AN EVIL SPIRIT. THEY EXERTED SOME SELF-PROCLAIMED POWER AND THEN TRIED TO USE THE NAME OF JESUS TO APPEAL TO THE EVIL SPIRIT. WE FIND A VERY INTERESTING RESPONSE TO THEIR ATTEMPT TO DABBLE WITH THE SPIRITUAL REALM -
ACTS 19: 15 “AND THE EVIL SPIRIT ANSWERED AND SAID, JESUS I KNOW, AND PAUL I KNOW; BUT WHO ARE YOU?”

AT THE END OF THIS EARTHLY LIFE, WHEN I AM TAKING MY LAST BREATH, I DO NOT WANT TO HAVE REGRETS ABOUT MY SPIRITUAL WALK. I WANT TO BE HOT FOR GOD AND I NEED TO SERVE HIM WITH BOLDNESS AND WITH POWER. MOST OF THE STUFF OF THIS WORLDLY KINGDOM IS TEMPORAL AND I MUST BE INVESTING MY TIME IN PEOPLE - THE THINGS THAT WILL HAVE ETERNAL PAYOFF.
THIS IS A GOOD TIME TO DECIDE THAT YOU WANT YOUR LIFE TO BE FILLED WITH THE POWER AND AUTHORITY THAT COMES, NOT KNOWING ABOUT JESUS, BUT FROM KNOWING HIM.
PH 3:10 “ THAT I MAY KNOW HIM AND THE POWER OF HIS RESURRECTION …”

NOW, THE BIBLE CLEARLY SHOWS THAT GOD HONORS HIS WORD AND THAT THE NAME OF JESUS DOES HAVE A SPIRITUAL POWER AND AUTHORITY ATTACHED TO IT. BUT, IN THIS ACCOUNT IN ACTS, THE EVIL SPIRIT FIRST ASKS “WHO ARE YOU?’ AND THEN –
VS. 16 “AND THE MAN, IN WHOM THE EVIL SPIRIT WAS, LEAPED ON THEM, AND OVERCAME THEM …”
THIS IS SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT!!! DID THIS HAPPEN BECAUSE THE MEN WERE NOT BELIEVERS IN CHRIST? DOES THE DEMONIC REALM HAVE A “WHO’S WHO IN ENEMIES OF SPIRITUAL WARFARE”?. IS IT RISKY BUSINESS TO CONFRONT THE ENEMY WITH POWERFUL WORDS BUT LACK PERSONAL DEPTH AND RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD?
I THINK THAT THE ANSWER IS PROBABLY “YES” TO ALL OF THE ABOVE AND I AM REMINDED OF A SONG, WHAT WOULD THE DEVIL SAY?, BY STEVE CAMP:

“WHAT WOULD THE DEVIL SAY ABOUT YOUR LIFE?
DO THEY KNOW YOU IN HELL LIKE THEY KNOW YOUR CHRIST?
ARE YOU BOILING HOT OR ARE YOU COLD AS ICE?”

“LOOK AT YOU – IN YOUR PEW … SO HAPPY – SO FLABBY
NOT EVEN – PERCEIVING … WHAT’S GOING ON AROUND YOU.”

STRONG LYRICS! … THAT FORCES ME TO ASK SOME QUESTIONS! WHAT WOULD THE DEVIL SAY ABOUT MY LIFE? DO THEY KNOW MY NAME? WHAT IS THE DEPTH TO MY SPIRITUAL LIFE? WHEN I GET DOWN ON MY KNEES TO PRAY, DOES HELL TREMBLE OR DO THEY ALL CHORTLE AND SAY “JESUS WE KNOW, AND PAUL WE KNOW BUT WHO’S THAT?”

THIS EARTHLY LIFE WILL SURELY PASS, LET’S GET ON THE “HOT” LIST.

NOTE: GOOD READING – THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS, BY C.S. LEWIS