You have heard the saying, “Variety is the spice of life.” While this mindset may be harmless when cautiously applied to our shoe collection, it can be lethal regarding the spirit realm. In Acts, Chapter 16, Paul performs an exorcism on a slave girl who was proclaiming that he and Silas were messengers sent from God. What she was doing seemed harmless on the surface, right? They were God’s anointed messengers. But the Bible also tells us that this girl had a spirit of divination. She was a first-century psychic, which means that the source of her knowledge was ungodly and forbidden. Paul’s spirit discerned her spirit regarding its essence and its intent—and it grieved him. The Lord requires and deserves our undivided devotion. The evil one who masquerades as an angel of light has never stopped contending for the souls of God’s beloved Creation. The deceiver’s ‘light’ is darkness, his ‘oil’ is deadly, and his vessels are busy. Our ability to examine ourselves and others by God’s Spirit has never been more crucial. 

Dear Father,

Thank you for being a jealous God, whose love for us was perfectly demonstrated at Calvary. Your Holy Spirit is the only source of divine wisdom, knowledge, and truth. Our flesh craves the snake oil of poisoned cisterns, but you alone deserve our worship. Because of Christ, we can repent, walk by faith, and choose life over death. Praise His Name. Amen. 

For Further Study:
Acts 16:16-18
Matthew 7:17/ John 10:10
2 Corinthians 11:14/ Genesis 3:1-4
James 3:13-17
2 Corinthians 3:15
Exodus 34:14/ Jeremiah 2:13
Jeremiah 3:20 
Jeremiah 3:22/ James 4:8
Romans 8:6-8