God’s Hope for Your Heart from Acts 19
JESUS HAS TRUE POWER JUST FOR YOU
Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.” Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this. But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?” And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. (Acts 19:13-16)
Why did this story end so badly for these men who were trying to do a good thing? Because they were dealing with power far greater than they realized, and that power didn’t belong to them.
They thought using the name of Jesus was just another incantation like all the rest. They thought they could use it and duplicate the results they saw from the Apostle Paul.
They thought wrong.
The name of Jesus is powerful beyond compare. It is not part of some religious ceremony or ritual. Rather, it is the container for the very nature of Almighty God.
Not only that, but the name and power of Jesus are not available to just anyone, but only those who have trusted Him as Savior by surrendering to Him as Lord and who are filled with the Holy Spirit.
This means that while the seven sons of Sceva were shamed for lack of power, if you’re in Christ, you can stand in Jesus’ name! So as you face opposition and temptation in this life, take heart, and find hope in this truth: Jesus has true power just for you.
-Pastor Phillip
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