Accept Jesus Christ

God was performing extraordinary miracles by Paul’s hands, so that when even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his body were brought to the sick, their diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them. But some itinerant Jewish exorcists tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were possessed by evil spirits, saying, “I sternly warn you by Jesus whom Paul preaches.” But the evil spirit replied to them, “I know about Jesus and I am acquainted with Paul, but who are you?” Then the man who was possessed by the evil spirit jumped on them and beat them all into submission. He prevailed against them so that they fled from that house naked and wounded. This became known to all who lived in Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks; fear came over them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was praised.  Acts 19:11-13, 15-17 NET

It is very important we know, believe, acknowledge and accept Jesus Christ is the risen saviour. He is not a tool we yield for our personal ambition or gain.  

And while there are some who attempt to perform miracles in the name of Jesus without placing their faith in Him, we must not act in the name of Jesus to manipulate others or to get our own way. 

In Acts, the seven sons of the priest Sceva attempted to cast out demons in the name of Jesus without actually believing in Jesus. They had no power over the demons because they were not walking in the power of Jesus. Instead they ended up bleeding and badly beaten by the demon possessed man.  

There is no sure method to guarantee a miracle every time we pray for someone, but we can be sure that God will not honor the power within Jesus' name if it is not accompanied by faith that Jesus Christ is Lord. 

Again, the power of Jesus' name is not the name itself as if it is a magical formula to produce certain results. Rather, the power of Jesus' name is the Person of Jesus. God incarnate, who made a way for our salvation. When we talk about the name of Jesus, we are talking about Jesus Himself, His character and the things He does and when we belong to Him through faith, we can rely on Him and know that His power is at work in us.  {tweetme}In the magnificent name of Jesus Christ we can rest.{/tweetme}