You Didn't Start This.
But You're In It. Part 7
Pastor Carl Toti
October 25, 2026
Scripture: Acts 19:13-17; James 4:7
Key Verse: (Acts 19:15, NKJV):
“And the evil spirit answered and said, ‘Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?’”
Companion verse (James 4:7, NKJV):
“Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”
BIG IDEA & REFLECTION
A TRUE STORY
In 2011, a seventeen-year-old named Matthew Scheidt walked into a Florida hospital wearing scrubs, a stethoscope, and a hospital badge that called him a physician assistant. The prosecutor later said he even had the terminology down. According to his own statement to police, a doctor asked him to take over CPR on a patient while the doctor went to get medication. Afterward, he said, “I felt so uncomfortable even doing that.” A jury convicted him in 2012.
The costume got him through the door. It could not get him through the moment. Acts 19 is the same story in the spirit: seven men with the right words, facing someone who does not read badges.
REFLECTION
After six weeks of talking about the war, the schemes, and the armor, this week the question turns personal. Before you confront what is coming against you, settle whom you belong to.
THE HEART OF IT ALL
Three promises. Life—but you may only be breathing. Liberty—but you may still be in Egypt.
Happiness—but you may still be chasing the car. Every one of them was made on parchment by men
who are dust now. But there was another document, written not in ink but in blood—and it didn't
merely declare your rights, it purchased your life.
The chase is over. The catch is here. And His name is Jesus.
One —
Faith Is Not a Formula. It Is a Relationship.
The sons of Sceva had the right name, the right words, and the right routine. But listen to their phrase: “by the Jesus whom Paul preaches.” Not the Jesus they followed. Not the Jesus they trusted. Not the Jesus they belonged to. The name of Jesus is not a password to be manipulated. It is a person to be known. A prayer said in the right order with the right closing does nothing on its own, because technique cannot produce authority. Only relationship releases it.
BIG TAKEAWAY
Faith is not a formula. It is a relationship.
Two — Hell Knows His Name. But Does It Know Yours?
The spirit was not confused about Jesus. Hell has no doubt about who Christ is; Scripture says even the demons believe and shudder. Notice that the spirit speaks of knowing Jesus in a deep, personal way, but of knowing Paul only by reputation. Its message to the seven was plain: “I know Jesus. I have seen Paul work. But you? I have no file on you.” That was not confusion. It was a ruling from a courtroom with records. Yet something is more serious than a demon not knowing you. In Matthew 7, Jesus says to people who prophesied and cast out demons in His name, “I never knew you.” So do not aim to impress hell with your religious résumé. Aim for reconciliation with heaven. You can work for God while drifting from God, and a crisis will show whether you have a faith you profess or a relationship you possess.
BIG TAKEAWAY
The question is not how much you know about the devil. It is whether Jesus knows you, and whether your life shows it.
Three —
Submit First. Resist Second.
James gives the order: submit to God, then resist the devil. The sons of Sceva went straight to resisting and skipped the submitting. They went to the fight without ever going to the throne. Many of us do the same when we lean on borrowed faith. Your mother’s prayers are a blessing, but they cannot replace your own surrender. Your father’s faith can influence you, but it cannot stand in for yours. Your spouse may walk closely with God, but you cannot live indefinitely on someone else’s spiritual life.
This is not an invitation to insecurity. God does not want His children terrified that they lack some secret status. He wants them grounded in Christ. Notice how Acts 19 ends: fear fell on the city, and the name of the Lord Jesus was honored. When the counterfeit fell, the real was revealed.
BIG TAKEAWAY
Submit first, then resist, and the enemy will flee from the authority you carry in Christ.
Closing Prayer
Lord Jesus, I do not want to borrow faith from anyone else. I do not want a costume, a formula, or a good vocabulary. I want to know You, and I want to be known by You. Forgive me for the places where I have worked for You but drifted from You. Today I submit my mind, my habits, and my will to You. Write my name in Your book and settle it in my heart that I belong to You. When the enemy comes, let him find a locked door and a lit lamp. In the name of Jesus I pray, Amen.
ACTION STEP
This week, spend ten minutes each day praying in your own words, out loud and alone. Begin every time with these words: “Lord, I am Yours.” Write down one area where you have been borrowing someone else’s faith and take one step to make it your own.
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
1. Where have I been leaning on someone else’s faith, such as a parent, a spouse, or a pastor, instead of building my own?
2. Ifacrisisarrivedthisweek,whatwoulditrevealaboutthedifferencebetween the faith I profess and the relationship I possess?
3. HaveIbeentryingtoresistsomethinginmylifebeforeIhavefullysubmitted it to God? What would submitting it look like today?
If today’s reading stirred something in you, don’t file it under “later.” Take the next step today. Read more devotionals, sermon resources, and ways to connect with our church family at our website — the link is below.
