Satan’s Distractions
Job 1,2
Acts 16:14-40
Daniel Boone had a town where he was living and the Indians came to attack it. Their method of attack was very similar to the way the devil attacks us today. they took arrows; dipped them in oil, then set them on fire and shot the burning arrows at the fort and houses. It is very difficult to fight fires and indians both. The indians used this to be a distraction so the settlers would be hindered from using the entire village against them.
Ephesians 6:16
Satan wants us dead, but not every time he comes against us is he going to end our spiritual lives. He often sends distractions so we give up ourselves.
Satan came against Job with various circumstances that could have caused him to lose focus, but Job did not curse God and die. We too, can be strong in the Lord through any circumstances and every time we come out on top of the trial, our faith will be stronger than before.
Paul was preaching, and healing in Philippi and because what he did offended the devil, the devil then rose up and caused them to be thrown into jail. Paul and Silas could have gotten discouraged but they did not allow this distraction stop them from praising God. Their faithfulness to God resulted into at least one more family being saved in that town.
Paul felt called by God to go to Macedonia and went specifically to the town named Philippi and stayed there a few days. the sabbath day came and they went out of the city to the river to pray where the local women would gather. Paul and Silas began to speak to the women that had gathered there.
A woman named Lydia, who would prepare fancy clothes; and also worshiped God, heard us and god opened her heart to the gospel so she listened closely. she wanted to become a disciple of Jesus Christ, and was then baptized in the name of Jesus. Every one in her entire house became a Christian through the testimony and preaching of Paul and Silas. She was excited about being hospitable to the and begged them to stay a while with her.
Paul and Silas continued to move toward prayer at the river, but as they continued; they noticed a young slave girl who was filled with an evil spirit that allowed her to tell the future, by which her masters had gotten a lot of money. She followed them many days, crying out, “These men are servants of the most high God, and will show us the way to salvation”. Paul was made sad in his spirit seeing her in this way so he said to the spirit “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her”. The evil spirit had no choice but to leave her that same moment.
The girls masters saw their hope for making money with her was through, they captured Paul and Silas, and took them to court. They accused them of turning the city upside down, and teaching things that were illegal for Romans to do. They got a riot started, so the judges had them beaten and thrown into prison. The judges then ordered the jailer to watch these prisoners under penalty of death if they escape.
This jailer, because he had gotten such sever orders put them into the inner prison, which basically amounted to being a dungeon, and then tied them up in stocks so they couldn't walk around.
Paul and Silas, having been put into this prison, under these circumstances; decided to put their physical circumstances behind them and praise the Lord anyway. At midnight they sang so loud the other prisoners heard them. God was using this seemingly bad situation to show the Philippians His power as well as His mercy. God made an earthquake so powerful that the prison walls shook and the doors all flew open. Every prisoner’s chains were loosened and all were able to walk about.
The jailer, having seen from the outside, the doors hanging open; and expecting the prisoners had all ran away, pulled out his sword to kill himself. Paul shouted out to him and said, “Don’t hurt yourself, we are all here”. The jailer called for a servant to bring him a torch, and fell to his feet before Paul and Silas.
He then brought them out and asked them what he needed to do to become a Christian, because he realized they had something that he didn’t. He knew that a Supernatural thing had happened and that these men were guided by a power much bigger than most other men were.
They told him “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved”. In that instant, He asked Jesus to come into his heart and was baptized as well as the rest of the people in his house. He then took Paul and Silas and fed them and washed their wounds.
When morning came, the judges came and said, “Let those men go”.
The jailer came and told Paul and Silas they had been released from prison, and to go in peace.
Paul, upon hearing this said, “We were beaten in public as Roman citizens and then thrown into prison, and now do they just want to throw us out? Let them come and fetch us out”.
The local law enforcement gave that message to the judges and the judges feared because they had treated Roman citizens in a manner that was not legal. The judges then came and begged them to leave the city.
Paul and Silas then left the prison and went to stay in the house of Lydia while they encouraged the brothers in Christ.
