In Acts 8:9-25 we meet a man named Simon. Simon is a sorcerer. Now, if you’re unfamiliar with the dark arts, sorcery is witchcraft. A sorcerer casts spells, performs divination, and speaks to evil spirits. The Bible is very clear that sorcery is a sin and is evil. It breaks my heart that today people still practice this. It looks a lot more mainstream and harmless, but it’s still sorcery, nonetheless.
In this text, we learn that Simon was very talented. He had people call on him who were wealthy and poor, who were great and low, all of them thinking he was someone impressive. He had followers who would say, “This man is rightly called the Great Power of God.” Simon enjoyed this.
One day, the apostle Philip came to town. He began to preach and teach the gospel. People’s hearts were changed and they gave their lives to the Lord. Philip was doing a great job and miraculous things were taking place through the Holy Spirit. Simon began to take notice of this. He gave his heart to the Lord and believed what Philip was saying. Then Simon saw something incredible. He watched as Peter and John laid their hands on people and others received the Holy Spirit. When Simon saw this, he was amazed. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the right amazement. His first thought was to offer Peter and John money so that he would be given this gift as well. Simon also wanted to go around performing the signs and wonders.
The problem here is Simon didn’t want to see God’s kingdom furthered, or even to know God. What he saw was a way to get what he desired most, which was applause and acknowledgment from his peers. He believed that the gifts of God were something that could be manufactured and sold. Of course, Peter and John rebuked him of this and told him that his heart was not correct, that he must pray and ask that God would forgive him.
The reason I share this with you is because we can find ourselves in the same boat. Now I don’t mean that you have tried to buy the gifts of God. But have you ever tried to strong arm God into doing what you want? This can happen in several different ways. A couple of the most common are some of the simplest. For example, my prayers only involve things that I need. I only request things from God, never sharing my heart or having a personal conversation. Another way is when I read my Bible with an answer already in mind. I am only reading to get the answer that will fix things. Worship can be another one. We will sing songs in front of people and at church, but other than at my times of performance, I don’t sing.
The reason these things I listed are not far off from Simon and his actions are because they all have one thing in common. They all miss the heart of God. When will we learn that God is not a genie, and the Bible was not written with us in mind? God is not a tool to be used to impress people or to make our lives better. If we do Christian things with a heart of “I’ll do for you if you do for me,” that is wrong. When you truly understand who Jesus is and just how much He loves you, following Him is not about getting anything. I follow Him because I love Him. I read my Bible not to gain answers about where I should go to college or what job I should take, but to understand the character and heart of my Father. I don’t worship because other people are present. I worship because He is worthy of it, and my heart longs to praise Him. I don’t pray because I need something. I pray because I want to share my heart with the one true God, who
cares about me.
I’ve said this before and I will say it again. If you want to see your life change and really see the Lord start to do a work in you, all you have to do is seek Him. It’s not something that can be bought. It’s not something that can be manufactured. It is 100% a heart change. When you know the heart of God better, it changes you.
I challenge you this week - not to get better at asking for things. Instead, I challenge you to get better at knowing God. Instead of asking for things or reading the Bible in order to gain something, how about you try reading and praying with the heart of knowing God better? God has changed my life and my relationship with Him through this. I never knew how to get closer to God until I started with the right focus: “God, teach me Your heart and who You are.”
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