Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a female slave who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.” Acts 16:16–17 (NIV)
When Paul and Silas told the people of Philippi about Jesus, they had a strange encounter with a woman who followed them and shouted affirmations. At first, it sounds like a little fan club of one. Yes, it may have been disruptive, but her intentions were good, right? When we look closer, we see a woman who was enslaved, not just by her human owners but by a demon. She said the right words, but she was eaten up inside. Paul responded with compassion, and in Jesus’s name, he cast the demon from her. She was freed to live in truth.
Today a friend asked how I was doing. Instead of sharing my needs, I smiled. I deflected, and spoke about the weather, and affirmed many blessings in my life. With too much pride to admit my need for help and encouragement, I said what sounded like all the right things. Yet, deep inside I was hurting about a relationship and exhausted by a conflict.
Like Paul with the woman, Jesus sees beyond our pretty words. He sees our bondage and looks at us with compassion. Jesus invites us to get real. Whether our bondage is fear, doubt, anger, or greed, at times we are all enslaved and eaten up inside. Only Jesus’s power can free us. Today, let’s focus not just on saying the right things, but on letting Him make everything truly right.
Faith Step: Talk to Jesus and a trusted friend about your struggles so they can support you.
