And when Peter saw it he addressed the people: “Men of Israel, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we have made him walk?” Acts 3:12
Picture this: There’s a policeman out in the middle of a street. A big 18-wheeler is coming by, and that 167-pound policeman holds up his hand and says, “Stop in the name of the law!” Now that big truck could very easily run him down, but it stops for one reason: because that police officer carries the authority of the law.
Peter and John knew they carried a higher power and authority when they healed this man in Acts chapter 3. They realized that the power that enabled this crippled beggar to get up and walk was not their own, but this power had the full authority of Jesus Christ.
As believers in Christ, you and I have authority and power in His name as well. Yes, your problems may be bigger than you are. And it’s true that Satan is certainly more powerful than you are. But in the name of Jesus, God has given you and me all authority over the works of the enemy. He’s given us power when we exercise it in the name of Jesus.
So whatever challenge you’re facing today, remember that in Christ, you have all the power and authority you need to overcome if you only trust in that power and move forward in the confidence that your victory has been won!
WHATEVER CHALLENGE YOU’RE FACING TODAY, REMEMBER THAT YOU HAVE CHRIST’S POWER AND AUTHORITY TO OVERCOME!
“And in the synagogue there was a man, which had a spirit of an unclean devil, and cried out with a loud voice, Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art; the Holy One of God. And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when the devil had thrown him in the midst, he came out of him, and hurt him not.”
Luke 4:33–35
Demons are real, and they are active in our world today. Though it is a mistake to obsessively focus on the demonic, it is also a mistake to ignore it. The devil has many agents at work, and they have a real impact on the world. It was true in Jesus’ day, and it is still true now (although sometimes they manifest themselves in different ways to a modern world). There are some twenty different references in the Gospel of Luke to Jesus dealing with people who were possessed by demons. Several of these confrontations took place in synagogues—the equivalent in our day of churches. Not everyone who comes into church is a believer, and we need to be discerning as we deal with people. John wrote, “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1).
When the demon interrupted Jesus as He taught, the Lord responded by casting the demon out of the man. The point of this story is not that we should go around looking to cast out demons, but that the power of God is greater than the power of Satan. The devil is a created fallen angel, and though his strength is greater than ours, it pales in comparison to God’s power. The Christian who is indwelt and empowered by the Holy Spirit will overcome the devil.
Today’s Growth Principle:
The power of God is able to overcome all of the work of the devil in our lives
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