Out Of Control

Out of Control

A Slave Girl Healed By Paul

Read: Acts 16:16-19

Rosemary slammed her bedroom door and flung herself facedown on the comforter. She’d done it again! Why did she get so worked up? Michael had been considerate enough to let her know that he would be working late again, and they did need the extra money. So why did she start screaming into the phone and throw her coffee cup against the wall? After each outburst, Rosemary vowed to control her temper, but it was no use. She always seemed to be at the mercy of her emotions.

The slave girl in Acts 16 was at the mercy of her masters and also a demonic spirit. This young woman was not a con artist; she was possessed by an evil spirit that enabled her to predict the future. Her affliction had made her owners rich, but what a miserable, degraded life she must have lived. Shunned by everyone except paying customers, she must have longed to be valued for who she was as a person, not just for her performances.

One day, an encounter transformed the girl’s life. When Paul commanded the demon to leave her, she was instantly set free from the evil spirit that controlled her. The girl’s owners were furious because they had lost their means of making money, but through the power of Jesus’ name, she was restored to emotional and mental health.

We all struggle with our emotions, but some people are mastered by them. The Bible teaches that outbursts of anger, rage, and jealousy are part of our sinful nature. Only God’s Holy Spirit living in us can set us free from these demons. We must make the choice to let him control us. The only way to avoid being at the mercy of our emotions, like Rosemary, is to be at the mercy of God.

Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there.

Galatians 5:24