Standing Against the Devil - Part 4

(This is the fourth and final installment of a series.) The seven sons of Sceva in Acts chapter 19 dealt with Linda Blair head-twisters for a living. They were exorcists performing exorcisms. But they weren’t in the business for very long. You see, their Ghostbusting days were cut short when they attempted to name over a certain evil spirit the Name above every name. They said, “Come out in the name of that same Jesus that Paul preaches about” (Acts 19:13; CEV). And did you know what the demon said back? “I recognize Jesus, and I know about Paul, but who are you?” (Acts 19:15; NAS). And then the man in whom the demon dwelled turned on those seven sons of Sceva and tore them up so bad they ran out of the house scraped and bruised. In only their birthday suits did they flee. ******* And it’s interesting how the evil spirit recognized Jesus, first of all. It’s a statement acknowledging authority. Like when someone is recognized as the President of the United States or the Prime Minister of England. The evil spirit recognized Jesus. (He’s the King of kings and Lord of lords, after all!) And then secondly, it’s interesting how the evil spirit knew about Paul. You know about somebody because you’ve been told about them. Right? You want to know what the evil spirit had been told about Paul? I’ll tell you what the evil spirit had been told about Paul. God said, “You see Paul over there. Don’t mess with him or you’re messing with Me.” That’s what the evil spirit had been told about Paul. And then finally, it’s interesting how when it came to the seven sons of Sceva, they weren’t even a blip on the evil spirit’s radar screen. So why was that, anyway? After all, they were exorcists performing exorcisms. It was their job. So why didn’t the evil spirit know about or recognize them? It’s because you’re a quote “nobody” to the devil apart from Christ. Did you see that? You’re a quote “nobody.” You have no name. You have no authority. You’re powerless. You can’t tell Satan what to do. ******* And it's just a bottom line fact, if you ever expect to stand against the devil, you need to admit your sins, ask God to forgive you and then surrender your life to Jesus to love and serve Him. If you ever expect to stand against the devil, it’s simply what you need to do. So what are you waiting for? Receive Christ. Then Satan can't mess with you either.