Christ's Authority Over Demons

"One Year Bible" New Testament Passage
Acts 19:13-41 15

And the evil spirit answered and said, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?”. 16 Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. Acts 19:15-16(NKJV)

There are those who deny the reality of the spiritual realm that surrounds us. Our Western rationalistic mind-set tends to acknowledge only those things we can touch, taste, feel, or prove in a test tube.

The Bible, however, teaches us that spiritual evil exists and is personified in a real being called the devil and his emissaries which we call demons. This is not medieval superstition, but rather existence of an unseen realm that affects our visible world in a myriad of ways.

There is one only one way of legitimately dealing with the encroachments of spiritual evil. That way is the Person of Jesus Christ. He, through His Cross and His resurrection, has defeated forever the legal claims of Satan over fallen men. As we connect with Christ, we join in His great victory and engage His authority to enforce His victory.

This is not a trick or gimmick to be used for our entertainment. It is not a formula we can use apart from Christ. The seven sons of Sceva thought they could ACT like Paul, and they would then have the authority of Paul. NOT SO. It is unwise, foolish, and even dangerous to play with spiritual warfare.

Our power over demons does not rest in our techniques, but in our connection to Christ. If you know the risen Lord, you stand in His authority today. One of the great privileges of a relationship with Jesus is that we can increasingly learn to walk in His power and authority over the devil. May we each commit ourselves today to grow in this awesome dimension.