ACTS 19:15 NIV

Don’t try this on your own (1)

ello Saints and Happy New Year! We give thanks to Almighty God for bringing us into a brand new year, and we shall honor Him with thanksgivings of Godly and Righteous Living. Amen. As we prepare to embark on a ‘new’ journey of serving the Lord and working in His vineyard, we will, for the next five [5] days, study SPIRIT-empowered living.

any of you are familiar with those TV shows where people do extreme audacious and dangerous things – things you might be tempted to think you could do? But there’s always a disclaimer ‘don’t try this at home,’ or ‘don’t try this on your own.’ With that in mind, let’s read:

"God did extraordinary miracles through Paul…handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them. Some Jew who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon –possessed. They would say, ‘In the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.’ Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this: the evil spirit answered them, ‘Jesus I know and Paul I know…but who are you?’ Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and …gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding” (Acts 19:11-16 NIV).

Paul was so empowered by God that he made ministry look easy. So these guys thought, "I can do that too." No you can’t – unless God equips you, you’ll fall flat on your face!

The seven sons of Sceva were attracted by the wrong things. They wanted the power Paul had but they didn’t want to pay the price Paul paid. God doesn’t empower us to do our own thing. He empowers us to do His thing; which is the only thing that matters. Spirit-empowered living cannot be imitated, duplicated, bough, borrowed, or faked – and without it we’re no match for the enemy! .....to be cont’d