Acts Chapter Nineteen Devotion- Does the Devil Know your name?

This chapter is loaded with rich lessons. Starting with the big question asked by Paul, when he came upon new believers, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” he asked them. “No,” they replied, “we haven’t even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” Acts 19:2 NLT

This question has been up for debate for ages, which can often create heated discussions and even church division. Holy Spirit landing on God's sons and daughters is a gift that comes with a gift. “Then when Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in other tongues and prophesied.” Acts 19:6 NLT

If we are fighting spiritual battles, doesn’t it make sense to have spiritual weapons? Sometimes human words aren’t enough. The way Hannah prayed in the temple, a gutted, incomprehensible prayer. But her spirit was weeping, and there are no human words to convey such a desperate plea. David felt the Holy Spirit on Him when he slew a giant. When Jesus ascended to heaven, He knew the disciples would be vulnerable without Him. He said he was sending them like sheep among wolves. Matthew 10:16 So, they needed more than their determination or spirit. This is why He had them wait for the One who would come after Him. The One who would give them the power to contend for the Kingdom. The One who gives them courage when they were on vapors. The One who would provide the peace to sing in prison. The One who would make them known for their authority to cast out demons, pull down heavens healing power, and contend with principalities and a kingdom of darkness. They were empowered to wrestle against a force that was hellbent on destroying the message of Jesus. This is why Paul preached the Good News of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.

This is why when others were trying to cast out demons outside of Jesus and His power, the demons laughed. This is why the devil knew Paul’s name. Because he walked in the authority of God's Spirit, and hell knew it.

Does hell know your name? Do you walk in the authority of who you are called to be? Are you accessing all the Spirit of God has to offer? Sisters, we are not here to just muddle, struggle, pay bills and lose weight. We are here to bring the Kingdom of Heaven to a lost world. We are here to take territory and chase the enemy off. We are here to war, roar, and contend for souls. This is not our forever home. I was just speaking with a friend about the GGG page's vision that it’s beyond any of us. That I am not building my ministry but God's Kingdom. If I were to die tomorrow, I would hope and pray that the mission didn’t die with me. I am not here to make my name known but God’s. I am not building my legacy; this vision goes beyond my life. These missions from heaven get the attention of hell. But we are not left to fight alone or without weapons. This is why we need power beyond water baptism and a confession of sin. We need the next wave that came; the Acts movement of the Spirit of the living God landing on God's people in unique and powerful ways, and this move of God is still moving. We need everything the Spirit of God has for us to walk in power and authority to win this world!

“To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge. The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.” 1 Corinthians 12:8-11 NLT