Acts 8: 9, 10 But there was a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one: To whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the great power of God.
Not all spiritual powers are godly. Before I came to the Lord, I was deep into palmistry and astrology. I used to not just disclose the future but also the past, and they could confirm my reading. My accuracy was over 85percent. Later, as I got deeper into it, I realised I did not need to see their hand to read. I felt a dark power working through me. After coming into the Lord, I had to rebuke the power within me and was set free from it.
In India, we have many so-called ‘godmen’, some do manifest powers, and I had interaction with a couple of them. What I found their powers do not work when one is in the Lord. Like hypnotism does not work on everyone, so also these powers do not work on everyone. Unless one submits to the power, it has no hold on you.
We see in today’s scripture that the people assumed the powers that Simon manifested were from God; they submitted to them. It was only when Philip came onto the scene that they realised it was ungodly. Since Philip had discernment, he could know the powers were ungodly.
It is only when we seek the purpose and to what end it is leading that we can discern if it is godly or ungodly. Philip, while preaching, healed and delivered many, but the spirit/s in Simon was still holding on to him. It is only when the person/or one related to them, seeks help that they can be set free. It requires a spiritually very mature person to remove the spirit from within an unwilling soul.
Today, being ‘Good Friday’, we find some people manifesting nail marks on their hands or on their heads. This is known as Stigmata. It looks godly but is not. It is a very powerful, ungodly power that deceives people far from God, and that too while taking the Lord Jesus’ name.
The biggest problem comes when Men or Women of God (those with Callings) play with ungodly powers (this does happen when they harbour greed, hate, unforgiveness, etc.), one cannot easily identify when they are speaking for/acting on behalf of God or under ungodly powers. This state does not last long when another Man/Woman of God is around. The hidden gets exposed.
We need to be careful, even if we are in the Lord, for these powers can have a hold on us if we do not have a hold of our desires or emotions.
[Prayer Starter]
Lord, You are Almighty God. You, Lord, are Light, and when we are in You, Your Light within us exposes and overcomes the darkness within us and within those around us. Lord, we pray that we always discern every power, even if it is taking Your name…
This prayer we make in Jesus’ Name, Amen.
[Reference Scriptures]
Acts 8:5-8
5 Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them.
6 And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did.
7 For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed [with them]: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed.
8 And there was great joy in that city.
Acts 8:11-24
Acts 16:16-19
16 And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying:
17 The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation.
18 And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour.
19 And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas, and drew [them] into the marketplace unto the rulers,
Dated 03 March 2026
Bro Rollwyn