When Evil Assails You (2)

There are times when evil strikes at us from the outside, in … people, circumstances, systems, social trends that attack the good that we're trying to do. It's happened to you too, right? But there's nothing new in any of that. Not many years after Jesus had walked this earth, His Apostles were out there doing good. Acts 8:9 Now there was a man named Simon who lived in that city. Before Philip came there, Simon had been doing magic and amazing all the people of Samaria. He bragged and called himself a great man. And people believed him. So facing someone like that … well, it's easy to feel intimidated. Yet when he saw the amazingly powerful miracles of the Apostles, he wanted some of the action, so he offered to pay them for some of their secret sauce. But … Acts 8:20-24 Peter said to Simon, "You and your money should both be destroyed because you thought you could buy God's gift with money. You cannot share with us in this work. Your heart is not right before God. Change your heart! Turn away from these evil thoughts and pray to the Lord. Maybe he will forgive you. I see that you are full of bitter jealousy and cannot stop yourself from doing wrong." Simon answered, "Both of you pray to the Lord for me, so that what you have said will not happen to me." Don't be intimidated when evil assails you. Because the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. That's God's Word. Fresh … for you … today.