This is a continuation of a study I'm doing on "Dealing with the Devil," based on a 30 day scripture plan I found by The Ruffled Mango.[1]

In this post, I'm covering days 10 through 14—we're going to look at:

Satan uses Elymas, a sorcerer, in trying to sway the proconsul (a man of power[2]) from the faith and it ended up backfiring on him! In this passage, we learn that Satan uses trickery and deceit to accomplish things, but we also learn that when we stand up to him, God uses those moments to bring believers to His side instead.

Despite their obedience, Paul chides the people on being "wise to that which is good and simple concerning evil." This hit personally, because I have a tendency to complicate issues. We think and overthink until we end up not sure which way is up and which way is down. Satan can use this to his advantage.

In this passage we learn about a church that struggled to separate themself from evil. A rotten apple spoils the whole bunch! There were 2 key points I took from this passage:

This passage focused on forgiveness and the fact that when we don't forgive each other, the devil can get a foothold in our relationships. It reminded me of church hurt and how we both push people away and allow ourselves to be pushed away. The devil wants us to be separated because that is when we are at our weakest point.

Sometimes we're tired, overlooked, and overworked; but if we don't do what God calls us to do, the devil will certainly send someone to replace us. There are many false prophets who are just waiting for the spotlight and with that spotlight they can do a lot of damage. It is our responsibility to be where God tells us to be, doing what He tells us to do so that the devil doesn't get to voice his deceit.

The biggest take away I took from this selection of passages was that we must call out false teaching and evil. We must take a stand and declare the goodness of God to contrast the devil's darkness. This is how we win souls for Christ and how we keep ourselves from being deceived.