Not always convenient

Now it happened, as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling. This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, “These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.” And this she did for many days. But Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And he came out that very hour. 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 16:16-19 (NKJV)

The walk of ministry demands a touch of gentleness, caring and understanding. It also demands decisiveness and fierceness in the face of hypocrisy and deceitfulness operating under the guise of holiness. These demons of deceit and hypocrisy must be confronted and brought under subjection both in our lives and in our work of ministry. Paul never spared the profit making and fortune-telling spirit in the girl that followed them. She followed them for the wrong reason, not to be saved but to align deceitfully with the men of God with the aim to increase her clientele and access to the body of Christ for personal gain and not Kingdom gain. If that activity we partake in will not bring increase to God's Kingdom, sincerely we need to re-evaluate things.

Paul and Silas placed Kingdom interest above others. Certainly not always convenient, but an example and principle of Kingdom walk that we must follow.

Be encouraged,

Afolabi