THE REAL AND THE MORE REAL

READING: ACTS 16:16-18

Verse 18: “And this she did for many days. But Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And he came out that very hour.”

How are you at recognizing and giving priority to spiritual realities over natural occurrences? In this passage we see that Paul was very astute in his ability to discern spiritual activity and reality. He recognized the spirit in the girl that was causing her to be disruptive. This annoyed Paul, maybe less because of what she was saying and more because of the spirit of divination by which she said it. Whatever the reason, he put a stop to the influence that caused her behavior. This seems similar to when Jesus confronted the attitude that was being expressed by Peter by saying “...Get behind me Satan!...” There are times when it is important to know the difference between what exists in the natural behavior of people and what is transpiring spiritually. We must remember that our fight is not against flesh and blood, and that we must prevail in the spirit. That’s a thought – about God’s Word

RESPONSE 

1. If you entered an innocent looking bookstore that was full of occult literature, would you discern the spiritual environment before seeing the book titles?

2. Are you informed regarding spiritual influences in current international affairs?

3. Do your responses to the questions above call you to action?