Begin with two minutes of stillness and silence before God.

Have you ever thought you were pretty good at something, whether it be a skill, trade, or even technology, only to discover that you were not nearly as proficient as you thought you were? I can think of plenty of times when I thought I was good enough to cover the bases of a task, but then found out I had absolutely no clue what I was doing! I imagine you can relate to this and remember how embarrassed you felt after.

See, for me, I can think of one specific time when this happened to me. I am by no means a mechanic or know much about cars, but I felt confident enough in myself to where I could rotate my own tires. The premise of it seemed simple enough: switch the back tires with the front tires. Well, I got the first tire off, and I was ready to switch the back tire when the whole car fell off the car jack! After I jumped out of my skin, panic set in. How much damage did I just do to my car? I got the car jacked back up and the tire back in place. I then drove my car to the nearest tire shop to let a professional do the job! For those wondering, yes, I did damage the brake plate.

In this same vein, in the reading today, we read the story about the Sons of Sceva. Sceva was a Jewish Chief Priest who was known for his miracle-working powers. Sceva had seven sons who would cast out demons. In the passage, we see them try and fail at casting out a specific demon because they were only using Jesus as a tool to help them instead of having a genuine faith in Him. They were in a situation where they thought they knew what they were dealing with, but did not have what was needed. Talk about a tail tucked between your legs moment!

When we look at this passage and the book of Acts, we see the church exploding throughout the known world. These men and women had a Genuine Faith in Jesus, not just a casual cultural faith. They were leaving each day for the Kingdom! This faith they lived changed their lives and pushed them to do mighty things. As we read in the next section, so many people in Ephesus were converting to Christianity (or The Way as they called it) that a riot was started by silversmiths and craftsmen. These men had their jobs affected because people stopped buying the idols they were making!

When we live a life of genuine faith, it changes our whole lives. It starts to change how we work, shop, talk, and love others. It starts on the inside, but as the Holy Spirit works in us, it changes our outward life as well. The goal of a Christian life is to ultimately point to Jesus! The unbeliever (co-workers, friends, family, classmates, etc) should see us and go: “Wow! There is something different about them and I want to know why!” As Peter says in 1 Peter 3:15, “Always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you...”

As you continue your day, week, month, year, and the rest of your life, strive to live a life of genuine faith that leads others to know, love, and follow Christ.

• What changes in your life, whether adding or removing, need to happen in your life to help you live out a more genuine faith?
  
• Think of one person in your life to intentionally pray for so that you can help guide them to live a life with Christ. What steps can you take to have a conversation with them?
  
• Ask the Lord to help you reveal blind spots in your life that hinder your faith.
  

Take two minutes to reflect in silence.

Reflection:

• Use the S.O.A.P. Method to study God’s Word.
• SCRIPTURE: What stands out to you in today’s passage?
• OBSERVATION: What is this text saying? What is the context? How does it fit with the verses before and after it? Are there any commands, instructions, or promises? 
• APPLICATION: How can you apply this verse to your life? What does this mean today? What is God saying to you? 
• PRAYER: Respond to the passage in prayer. Ask God to help you apply this truth to your life and spend some time listening to what He may be telling you.