God’s Power

Acts 13:6-12

New International Version 1984 (NIV1984)

⁶ They traveled through the whole island until they came to Paphos. There they met a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus, ⁷ who was an attendant of the proconsul, Sergius Paulus. The proconsul, an intelligent man, sent for Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the word of God. ⁸ But Elymas the sorcerer  (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul from the faith.  ⁹ Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit,^(G) looked straight at Elymas and said, ¹⁰ “You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord?^(I) 11 Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind, and for a time you will be unable to see the light of the sun.”

Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he groped about, seeking someone to lead him by the hand.¹² When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord.

(http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts%2013:%206%20-%2012&version=NIV1984)       

So many times we hear about the healing of people to show the Power of our Lord but how often do we hear about the blinding of someone to display His Power!  That is exactly what happened in this incident.  Someone was trying to ruin the testimony of Paul and Barnabas and disputed everything that they were telling this intelligent young man.  Did that stop them from sharing the Gospel?  No, Paul, who allowed the Holy Spirit to lead him, confronted the man and prophesied that he would be blinded because not only of his disbelief but his constant insistence to negate the truth that they were sharing. 

I think it is amazing how our God works!  He took a man that was totally against Him and used him as an illustration to a young man that wanted to believe but had one stumbling block, a sorcerer.  God used that stumbling block and the young man believed.  Now this man that thought he knew it all was not only totally blind but had lost someone he had been able to influence.   

Today our lesson is that we need not be afraid of the evil that is around us nor should we let it influence us or those we are ministering to.  We should confront it face to face with the power of the Holy Spirit and allow our Lord to use them as an illustration of His power.

Seek Him, call upon Him, and ask that the Holy Spirit would work through you to give you the strength, knowledge, and words to say to both those who are against the Lord and to those who want to know Him.

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila