Scripture: Acts 16 v 16 - 18: "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."
Whenever we embark on a mission to win souls we need direction from the Holy Spirit. In Acts 16 it started with Paul asking the Lord if he should take the gospel into Asia. The Holy Spirit twice refused them permission. "I forbid!", He responded.
Then the Holy Spirit gave Paul a vision calling him to preach in Macedonia. The Lord had prepared a place where there was a great need. The people they met first responded to The Gospel of salvation immediately and soon formed a Prayer group. The Lord also prepared a place for the apostles to stay. Our God does all things well.
On their way to their prayer meeting they were met by the woman who was possessed by a psychic demon, or spirit of divination. Her fortune-telling pronouncements concerning Paul's ministry actually undermined it. It does not recommend a ministry if the enemy is cheering it on! But even this was a divine appointment.
Paul prayed deeply for many months to bind the spirit of divination or fortune telling in this woman. It had a very strong hold on her. She was possessed by this demon. It controlled her completely and she was a slave to those who took for themselves whatever she earned.
One day the Holy Spirit said to Paul, NOW! The stronghold was broken through all his intercessory prayer, and the spirit departed as soon as Paul rebuked it. She lost her psychic powers immediately and those who used her to earn money for themselves were furious.
The attack escalated when Paul and Silas were thrown in prison by the evil people who controlled her earnings. In the deepest dungeon they praised God with Psalms and hymns, and He caused an earthquake to conveniently open the prison doors, releasing every prisoner.
This miracle (including that none of the prisoners ran away) caused the jailor and his family to be saved and baptized at midnight. By this time the whole city knew about Jesus!
The fortune teller woman was set free and God was glorified. Paul and Silas were brought before the magistrate who told them to leave that city. When they left the name of Jesus Christ was widely known.
The Holy Spirit had led them to a place which was prepared so that God's power and authority through the name of Jesus Christ could be displayed through His care for the wellbeing of the apostles; His desire to set the possessed woman free; His power over nature - sending an earthquake; His desire to save the soul of the jailor and his family. All these Godly acts left a strong impression on this city and all Paul's teachings would be remembered and a strong ministry established in the city.
When the Lord wants to start something He directs every stage of the operation. All we need do is follow Him and do what He tells us. When we try to add our clever schemes to His divine plan, that's when problems arise and when our programs flop we blame God for not blessing it. God only blesses what He initiates according to His own perfect will.
God has always said I will bless those who bless Israel and curse those who curse her. If we look at the state of those nations that continually oppose Israel and see how ruined they are its sufficient evidence that our God means what He says.
From the early days of Israel becoming a nation, they have had trouble with Syria. Wars, attacks, battles and persecution have continued until the present day. Until God's judgment came upon Syria reducing that nation to a ruin. It's people have fled in terror of ISIS, Russian butchers, their own maniac of a president.
The onslaught in Gaza is a continuation of God's commands to Joshua after the death of Moses. Joshua was commanded to wipe out all the nations and tribes starting with Jericho and all through the Holy Land. Calamities, Jebusites, Philistines, etc were to be slain because of their heathen practices. They never achieved it so there were many wars in Israel. Those who curse Israel are cursed by God.The
Quite a few years ago a pastor friend of mine spent a few months in Holland. He visited a man who owned a factory that made furniture. This Christian man told him that one Friday after closing his factory he needed to go back later to collect some documents. He saw a large van with two men loading items from his store. They were tnieves. The owner parked next to them and offered to help load the van with them.
He knew Jesus loved them and He did not want them condemned for stealing his goods so he willingly gave them away. The men were astonished when he told them why he was helping them steal his own goods. They drove off rather bewildered. The owner happened to be driving past his business on Sunday when he saw the same van offloading his goods. He enquired what they were doing. They replied that they had driven the van all weekend feeling so guilty for robbing him. They decided to return everything and ask forgiveness. The owner prayed with them and they received salvation from Jesus. That was a divine appointment for sure.
Unless we have a divine appointment initiated by our Father in Heaven, don't rush into human plans even if they seem promising. Too many have ended in tears and disappointment. Our Father loves us and He knows what His plans are going forward. Our best choice is to let Him know that we are available to do whatever His will may be.
Prayer: Heavenly Father how wondrous You are. There are many like this woman of Macedonia who need spiritual help and prayer. Teach us to pray like Paul did to reach the lost, the bound, the addicted and the broken people. Teach us to wait upon You to initiate plans. WAIT means Wisdom, Anointing, Instruction, Timing. In Jesus' name. Amen.