Daily Devotionals

He Has Magnified His Word, Psalm 138:2

By Praying We Are Known

Act 19:13-15, 13 Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists took it upon themselves to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits,…15 And the evil spirit answered and said, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?”

In this passage, the sons of Sceva attempted to expel an evil spirit from a man through the name of Jesus Paul preached. The evil spirit respondedJesus I know and Paul I know; but who are you?” The evil spirits know praying believers (both Paul and Jesus were praying men), Satan is known as the prince of the air (Eph 2:2). He knew Daniel as a man of prayer and so was Job (Job 1). The disciples went out in Jesus’ power in Mark 6 and cast out demons, healed the sick and preached the gospel. Less than a year later, 9 disciples left behind as Jesus went up the mountain to pray (Luke 9) could not cast out evil spirits from a child. Jesus said to them later, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.” (Mark 9:29).

Satan and his demons know prayer warriors. If we invoke Jesus’ name and not pray, he is not moved. Those who are a threat to him and his kingdom are those who are “constantly submitting to God in prayer and resisting him through the power given to them to overcome”. If we are engaged in everything but praying, we have demonstrated that we don’t honor God because by prayer do we demonstrate our dependence on Him. “Prayer is the greatest of all forces, it honors God and brings Him into active aid” (E.M. Bounds). “The one concern of the devil is to keep Christians from praying. He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work and prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom, but he trembles when we pray.” (Samuel Chadwick).

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