In Acts 13, we read about Paul and Barnabas being set apart
by the Holy Spirit for a special work. After they were prayed over, they were
commissioned and sent out from the church at Antioch of Syria. After traveling
from town to town throughout the island of Cyprus, they reached Paphos where
they met a Jewish sorcerer. Let’s pick
up In Acts 13:6 where this account is told and read through verse 12.
“Afterward they traveled from town to town across the
entire island until finally they reached Paphos, where they met a Jewish
sorcerer, a false prophet named Bar-Jesus. He had attached himself to the governor, Sergius
Paulus, who was an intelligent man. The governor invited Barnabas and Saul to
visit him, for he wanted to hear the word of God. But
Elymas, the sorcerer (as his name means in Greek), interfered and urged the
governor to pay no attention to what Barnabas and Saul said. He was trying to
keep the governor from believing.
Saul, also known as Paul, was filled with the Holy
Spirit, and he looked the sorcerer in the eye. Then he said, “You son of the devil, full of
every sort of deceit and fraud, and enemy of all that is good! Will you never
stop perverting the true ways of the Lord? Watch now, for the Lord has laid his hand of
punishment upon you, and you will be struck blind. You will not see the
sunlight for some time.” Instantly mist and darkness came over the man’s eyes,
and he began groping around begging for someone to take his hand and lead him.
When the governor saw
what had happened, he became a believer, for he was astonished at the teaching
about the Lord.”
Notice in the account above it states that Elymas, the
sorcerer, was interfering with and urging the governor to pay no attention to
the Word of God. In other words, he was trying to keep the governor from “believing”.
It’s interesting that it states that Elymas “attached himself” to the governor.
Paul, who was filled with the power of the Holy Ghost,
looked the sorcerer dead in the eye, addressed the sorcerer (the spirit or the
hindrance behind Elymas trying to keep the governor from believing), and dealt
with Him so that the governor was able to see what had happened and believed in
the Word of God!
There are demon spirits and things of this world that
will try to “attach” themselves to
our lives in order to hinder us or keep us from being or doing all that God has
called us to. Maybe it’s anger, jealousy, sexual lusts, or worldly desires all
of which will keep us from walking in the fullness of the faith!
At what point do we must stop, realize those things
are hindering us, look them dead in the eye and say, “Enough! In the name of Jesus Christ you must go! You aren’t welcome in
my life any longer!”
What are some “things”
trying to “attach” themselves to you today to hinder you from the faith? When
will you address them and see them “detached”?
