If you believe- Evil Spirits Exist

If you believe in Jesus Christ you believe- EVIL SPIRITS EXIST.

This is truth. A truth we love to ignore or regulate to a fictional context such as books, movies, and tv shows. We don't want to think of them as a REALITY. Just when do we suppose their reality was done away with? Some might say when people became enlightened. They might say when people stopped believing in witchcraft - witches and sorceries. When science came into fashion over superstition.  Yet, our SAVIOR believed and believes in evil spirits. The very Savior we claim to love knew the reality of evil spirits.  The Apostles knew that evil spirits were real as well- they dealt with them, casting them out of the people they were possessing. 

Now read the following--

Act 19:13  Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth.

Act 19:14  And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so.

Act 19:15  And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?

The evil spirit used the man's voice to speak and ANSWERED those trying to get it to release the man it was possessing.  The EVIL spirit ANSWERED!  The evil spirit told them it KNEW JESUS, it KNEW PAUL as forces that had the POWER of GOD to command it to obey.  The evil spirit did NOT know these pretenders who dared to use the name of Jesus, a name they did NOT believe in as their Savior.  This evil spirit using the man it possessed ATTACKED all of those pretenders- SEVEN sons of a CHIEF of the PRIESTS of the Jews. 

Act 19:16  And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.

One man against SEVEN men!  One man possessed by an EVIL SPIRIT. 

This all happened after Jesus died, was raised from the grave and went to heaven. This all happened while the apostles lived and were spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Act 19:17  And this was known to all the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.

What had happened to the seven sons of the chief priests of the Jews was spread far and wide. People witnessed their attack, they witnessed their lying to the evil spirit who KNEW they weren't coming to it in the name of the SAVIOR, in the power of the Savior.  They also knew that the true witnesses of the Savior were able to cast out evil spirits. They realized the TRUTH of the WAY being spread by the Apostles, the Disciples of the Savior and they had to believe!

Act 19:18  And many that believed came, and confessed, and shewed their deeds.

Act 19:19  Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver.

Many of those who believed PRACTICED evil ways!  Read that!

They USED CURIOUS ARTS.

They USED BOOKS of these CURIOUS ARTS.

They USED VERY EXPENSIVE BOOKS of CURIOUS ARTS, things they knew were CONTRARY to the WAY Of the Savior Jesus Christ.

They BURNED these books publically revealing their commitment to the WAY, the TRUTH they were learning and believing. 

This is truth and today we discount this and believe that NOTHING we do matters at all. We tease the evil spirits, we live with them among us and we laugh and play and believe that it's all good.

I'm not saying any of us know where the evil spirits are, who they are possessing. It seems as if there isn't a way to know as there was back in the days of the Apostles. Some say they know, and maybe if I were confronted boldly by one inside someone I'd know, I just can't know that I would. I don't have the answers to this but I DO know that EVIL SPIRITS did NOT DISAPPEAR from the earth.

I know EVIL ways have not disappeared from the earth. 

Curious arts are still prevalent and used all the time- ALL THE TIME. And they are used by those who have NO idea they are using evil, and they wouldn't believe you if you told them they were. They see no EVIL, they see no harm in their curious arts.

We know this--

Deu 18:9  When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations.

Deu 18:10  There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch,

Deu 18:11  Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.

Deu 18:12  For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee.

ABOMINATIONS-

Divining.

Observing times.

Enchanting.

Witchery.

Charmers.

Consulters with familiar (EVIL) spirits.

Wizards.

Necromancers.

We know this--

Dan 2:1  And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from him.

Dan 2:2  Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, for to shew the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king.

Dan 2:3  And the king said unto them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream.

Dan 2:4  Then spake the Chaldeans to the king in Syriack, O king, live for ever: tell thy servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation.

Dan 2:5  The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, The thing is gone from me: if ye will not make known unto me the dream, with the interpretation thereof, ye shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a dunghill.

Dan 2:6  But if ye shew the dream, and the interpretation thereof, ye shall receive of me gifts and rewards and great honour: therefore shew me the dream, and the interpretation thereof.

Dan 2:7  They answered again and said, Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation of it.

Dan 2:8  The king answered and said, I know of certainty that ye would gain the time, because ye see the thing is gone from me.

Dan 2:9  But if ye will not make known unto me the dream, there is but one decree for you: for ye have prepared lying and corrupt words to speak before me, till the time be changed: therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that ye can shew me the interpretation thereof.

Dan 2:10  The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, There is not a man upon the earth that can shew the king's matter: therefore there is no king, lord, nor ruler, that asked such things at any magician, or astrologer, or Chaldean.

Dan 2:11  And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none other that can shew it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.

Dan 2:12  For this cause the king was angry and very furious, and commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon.

Dan 2:13  And the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain; and they sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain.

Dan 2:14  Then Daniel answered with counsel and wisdom to Arioch the captain of the king's guard, which was gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon:

Dan 2:15  He answered and said to Arioch the king's captain, Why is the decree so hasty from the king? Then Arioch made the thing known to Daniel.

Dan 2:16  Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he would shew the king the interpretation.

Dan 2:17  Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions:

Dan 2:18  That they would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret; that Daniel and his fellows should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.

Dan 2:19  Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.

Dan 2:20  Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his:

Dan 2:21  And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:

Dan 2:22  He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him.

Dan 2:23  I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast made known unto me now what we desired of thee: for thou hast now made known unto us the king's matter.

Astrologers, soothsayers, magicians-  NONE of these are of GOD!

Daniel- a prophet of GOD, he alone had GOD on His side.

All these things we do today and think harmless, GOD FORGIVE US! PLEASE GOD FORGIVE US! 

With our minds we SERVE YOU, and YOU ALONE!

Bless us! Keep us in YOU! SAVE US FROM OURSELVES! KEEP US FROM EVIL! PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!

Let us look SOLELY to YOU for ALL THINGS, not to any person at all whatsoever, but YOU!

In the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ our LORD! Now and forever, AMEN.