Topic: Do the demons fear you?

Acts 19:15, “And the evil spirit answered and said to them, ‘I recognize Jesus, and I know about Paul, but who are you?’”

The name of Jesus was well known to the Devil and to the other demons. After all, they had been in battle with Jesus on numerous occasions.

- The Devil had done his best to kill Jesus when he was a child (Matthew 2:13-18).

- The Devil had done his best to manipulate Jesus in the Wilderness (Luke 4:1-13)

- The Devil had done his best to get others to kill Jesus right at the start of Jesus’ public ministry by enticing them to throw Him off a high cliff (Luke 4:28-30).

- The Devil had prompted Judas to betray Jesus leading to Jesus’ crucifixion (John 13:27-30).

The Devil and the demons also knew about the Apostle Paul. Paul was becoming known. He was becoming known in Macedonia. This included areas like Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, Corinth and Ephesus. He had been busy preaching and healing people. He had been busy helping people understand the truth that Jesus was the Way, the Truth and the Life. He had been busy baptizing people and helping them understand what it meant to be infilled with the Holy Spirit. Acts 19:19-20, a multitude of people were coming to Jesus and rejecting their former ways of practicing sorcery.

Taking all that into account you could see that these demons knew who the Apostle Paul was. They knew that he was the real deal. You didn’t want to go into battle against the Apostle Paul. He was a true believer. He was a prayer warrior. He was a spiritual force to be reckoned with. He was a conduit of the Holy Spirit and through Him the Holy Spirit was able to bring healing, wholeness, and freedom. Please understand, Paul didn’t defeat Satan in his own strength or power. Luke makes sure that we understand that in verse 11, “God was preforming extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul …”

The difference between these seven sons of Sceva and Paul was their relationship with Jesus and who they were wanting to give honor to when a miracle happened. The seven sons didn’t really want a relationship with Jesus. They just wanted the power of His name. They just wanted to use Jesus’ name as one would us a name in a spell or a charm. They wanted the power but not the person. They wanted the ability but didn’t want to surrender their heart, life and mission to the LORD.

What do the demons think about us as individuals and as a collective group?

- Do they know about us?

- Do they fear us?

- Do we matter to them?

- Are we a threat to their mission and plan?

Something to think about!

See you Sunday,

Dr. Scott Kallem