SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 4/21/2018
11:15 AM
My Worship Time Focus: PT-2 The
Enslaved Woman
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Acts
16:16-18
Message of the
verses: “16 It happened that as we were going to the place
of prayer, a slave-girl having a spirit of divination met us, who was bringing
her masters much profit by fortune-telling. 17 Following after Paul and us, she
kept crying out, saying, "These men are bond-servants of the Most High
God, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation." 18 She continued
doing this for many days. But Paul was greatly annoyed, and turned and said to
the spirit, "I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!"
And it came out at that very moment.”
John MacArthur speaks about what this woman was saying in
verse seventeen: “This was a subtle and
dangerous attack, a bold attempt to infiltrate a deadly tare among the wheat,
because what the demon-possessed girl was saying was absolutely true. The demon even used biblical
terminology. The term ‘Most High God’
was an Old Testament designation of the God of Israel (Ps. 78:35; Dan.
5:18). She also spoke of ‘the way of
salvation.’” We know that Satan is the
father of lies as Jesus said in the 8th chapter of John, but he will
even use the truth when it benefits himself.
Some of Satan’s most effective and diabolical work is done in the name
of Jesus Christ, as he will often use a little truth in order to ensnare people
in a false religious system. Perhaps
many of the people who were following the missionaries as they were preaching
and teaching thought that this woman was one of them, but we know that she was
not because of the narrative written by Luke.
If this were the case then she would have been in a position to do harm
to the cause of Christ.
When Jesus was on earth He never wanted publicity from
Satan as seen in Mark 1:34 “And He healed many who were ill with various
diseases, and cast out many demons; and He was not permitting the demons to
speak, because they knew who He was.”
Luke 4:41 “Demons also were coming out of many, shouting, "You are
the Son of God!" But rebuking them, He would not allow them to speak,
because they knew Him to be the Christ.”
Paul did not want publicity from Satan either and so as this woman kept
on saying what she was saying about Paul and his team, Paul finally had enough of
it as he became “greatly annoyed.” I
suppose that one of the reasons that he ended this woman’s talking as she was,
was because he probably felt sorry for her, for after all she was a
demon-possessed woman. Paul under the
authority of being an apostle of Jesus Christ cast the demon from this woman, and
the demon left that very moment. There
was nothing gradual about it as once Paul says, “I command you in the name of
Jesus Christ to come out of her,” that is when it happened, he left her, he had
no choice.
Some think that they have authority to do this kind of
thing today, but what believers need to do is to keep their spiritual armor on
as seen in Ephesians 6:10 and following.
MacArthur concludes his commentary on these two women by
writing: “These two women typify all of
humanity. Everyone is either liberated
by Jesus Christ or enslaved by Satan.
The only path to freedom is that followed by Lydia—of seeking God,
listening to the gospel, and having a heart opened to respond by the Lord. Those who do so will not be disappointed, for
the Lord Himself promises in Jeremiah 29:13, ‘You will seek Me and find Me,
when you search for Me with all your heart.”
Spiritual meaning
for my life today: Remember to
always begin the day by putting on my spiritual armor.
My Steps of Faith for Today:
Trust the Lord to bring about what He
wants us to do as far as care for my wife’s father.
Answer to yesterday’s Bible
question: “Joshua” (Joshua 4:5).
Today’s Bible
question: “Where did the woman live who
built a chamber for Elisha?”
Answer in our next SD.
4/21/2018 11:40 AM
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