"“But when her masters saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to the authorities .” (Acts 16:19)

Choosing to walk with God and to live by faith is the best decision one can make. The benefits are endless and the rewards are certain. But it’s not always easy. Sometimes the difficulties even make people give up on their decision to be faithful to God.

But true surrender is tested right in those moments, just as we see in the passage above. The devil was trying to deceive people into believing that the spirit of divination that was working through the slave girl came from God. By saying good things about Paul and Silas, the devil thought that he wouldn’t be discovered. However, Paul was able to spot that evil was behind all the praise they were receiving.

At that moment, he became very annoyed and immediately used his authority to cast out the demons from the girl. This goes to show that if you do not rebuke the devil, then he will even praise you! But if you resist him and refuse to compromise, that’s when the opposition begins.

Up until that point, Paul and Silas’ stay in the city was going smoothly, but when the girl’s masters realised that they could no longer profit from fortunetelling, they became very angry, and started to persecute the men of God and this led to their beating and imprisonment.

‘So much for serving God!’ one might think. There are many Christians who fear the consequences and so end up making deals with the devil. The, ‘I don’t disturb you and you don’t disturb me’ kind of attitude is what makes them deny their faith. And as you know, it is impossible to please God without faith.

As much as they faced tribulation, they knew that remaining true to their faith would be worth it. After being badly beaten and having their feet tied to the stocks, the Bible says they were praying and praising God.

Dear friend, what is your reaction when you face opposition because of your faith? Would you rather not use your faith until the next time? Or do you remain steadfast with your decision to serve God?

Because they were faithful at all times, an earthquake came as God’s way to set them free and manifest His power through them. They were also able to save the prison guard. This proves that tribulation is not meant to bring you down. It is nothing but an opportunity for you to grow in your faith and be a living testimony of God’s power.

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