September 11
Bible Reading: Acts 16:16-24
Acts 16:16, “As we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners much gain by fortune-telling.”
She was being exploited by her masters for profit, for she had a “spirit of divination,” which was believed to be inspired by Apollo, the god associated with giving oracles. People referred to fortune tellers like her as “ventriloquists” because their predictions seemed to come from some unseen, external source.
In that era, fortune-telling was highly regarded, with even emperors consulting oracles before making significant decisions. A slave girl with clairvoyant abilities was, therefore, a tremendous asset for her owners. She had multiple masters, all of whom profited handsomely from the many who sought her supposed supernatural guidance.
Enslaved by cruel masters, she was also bound by sin and demonic forces (2 Timothy 2:26). Each day, she had no choice but to follow the commands of her employers, her soul darkened by an evil spirit that guided her in peddling her predictions. While her masters reaped the rewards, she was just a tool.
Daily, as Paul and his companions went to the place of prayer, the demon within her would cry out, declared them to be servants of the “Most High God” (Acts 16:17). The demon’s outbursts irritated Paul, who eventually commanded the spirit to leave her. The spirit departed that very hour (Acts 16:18).
She told others their fortunes, but her own fortunes were far from favorable. Darkened in her understanding, exploited by others, and divorced from God Himself, she faced a foreboding future. And there was no one to remedy her situation or change the trajectory of her life. But then Paul and his friends came bearing good fortune in the good news of forgiveness and freedom from sin. Jesus’ power to save knows no bounds, reaching even the direst situations. Once freed, the former slave girl’s tongue, once commanded by demonic forces, no doubt henceforth sang the praises of the One who had set her free. As do all those who have been transferred from the domain of darkness into the loving arms of Jesus (Colossians 1:11)!
There is deliverance and freedom in the name and by the power of Jesus Christ!
JESUS, THE NAME HIGH OVER ALL
Jesus, the name high over all,
In hell, or earth, or sky:
Angels and men before it fall,
And devils fear and fly.
Jesus, the name to sinners dear,
The name to sinners giv’n;
It scatters all their guilty fear,
It brings them peace of heav’n.
Jesus the prisoner’s fetters breaks,
And bruises Satan’s head;
Pow’r into strengthless souls He speaks,
And life into the dead.
Oh, that the world might taste and see,
The riches of His grace!
The arms of love that compass me,
Would all mankind embrace.
LookingtoJesus 