14th Sep 26 | 04:00
Studies by Book
Personal holiness to wage war against the enemy
📖 Acts 16:16-18
Acts 16 - Series 04/Episode 12 - Tue, 28th July 2026 - Personal holiness to wage war against the enemy - Acts 16:16-40 - EXPERIENCES AT PHILIPPI - Psalms 101:02-04
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Acts 16:16-18 Now it happened, as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling. (17) This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, "These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation." (18) And this she did for many days. But Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, "I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her." And he came out that very hour.
When Paul commanded the evil spirit of divination in the slave girl to come out of her, the spirit came out that very moment. Luke 10:17-20 Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name." (18) And He said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. (19) Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. (20) Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven."
The disciples were dazzled that evil spirits were subject to them in the name of Jesus. This is the place for the church. We must exercise this position as we see evil and wickedness operating around us. Have we insulated ourselves from the evil so that it does not disturb us? We must abhor what is evil. Will we seek the Lord to give us a heart that hates evil? Romans 12:9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.
Saying that we love God requires that we hate evil. Psalm 97:10 You who love the LORD, hate evil! He preserves the souls of His saints; He delivers them out of the hand of the wicked. The Lord preserves the souls of His saints, but do we desire to keep our souls from evil? I Peter 2:11 Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, We must abstain from fleshly lusts that war against the soul. Peter dives deep into this matter of fleshly lusts. I Peter 4:1-3 Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, (2) that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. (3) For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles-when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries.
To wage war against the devil, we must hate evil. Ephesians 5:5-11 For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. (6) Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. (7) Therefore do not be partakers with them._ We were once in darkness, but are now light in the Lord. We must walk as children of the light to expose the works of darkness. Ephesians 5:8-11 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (9) (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), (10) finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. (11) And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.
It is God's word that gives us understanding of the ways of God. We must always keep in mind that this is not about an intellectual insight. This is about understanding that has transformed us. If there is no transformation within us, it is proof that understanding has not occurred. Psalm 119:104 Through Your precepts I get understanding; Therefore I hate every false way. It is this understanding that will cause us to hate evil.
The Psalmist beautifully explains this life in God. Psalm 101:2 I will behave wisely in a perfect way. Oh, when will You come to me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart. Walking within the house is about life in the closet, where the outside world does not see us or know us. We can put up a front before the public, but who we are in places where no one sees us is what matters before God. Psalm 101:3-4 I will set nothing wicked before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; It shall not cling to me. (4) A perverse heart shall depart from me; I will not know wickedness.
We must not know wickedness. Knowing in the Bible is about intimacy. This is the call for us. It is when we walk in intimacy with God that we can wage war against the works of darkness.
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