January 21, 2005

“…a slave-girl having a spirit of divination met us…Paul was greatly annoyed, and turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her....” Acts 16:16,18

#5: Paul discerned what was counterfeit.

Paul would have met many people in Philippi, but God had three special encounters recorded in the Book of Acts.

First, Lydia—the successful business woman; the next was a slave-girl that had a spirit of divination; and the third was a Philippian jailer. These encounters are very different and therefore different lessons can be learned.

Today, we are looking at the lessons learned from the encounter with the slave-girl. She had the right words, but the wrong music. Looking at the text, we notice that her words are surprisingly accurate.

“…she kept crying out, saying, “These men are bond-servants of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation.” (Acts 16:17)

Her words were right, but Paul discerned that the source of her insight was wrong. Paul did not let her words of affirmation mislead him. He saw through the charade and knew that he had to take a stand. Rejecting her words, he confronted what was going on beneath the surface.

We live in a world where a lot of different people are trying to tell us what God is like. Do you know how to recognize the truth? Do you know how to look beyond the initial confession and see what is really going on?

Discernment is essential. It was true for Paul and it is true for us. So, how do we develop discernment? The best way to recognize the counterfeit is to be very familiar with the authentic.

How well do you know the character of God? Do you spend time learning the Word of God? Are you obeying the part that you do know?

Set your heart on God and treasure His Word. You will know what He is like and easily recognize the counterfeit.