Don’t Borrow Another Man’s Badge
"You Can't Ride on a Reputation That Isn't Yours"
Today's Scripture
Acts 19:13-16 (NASB95) "But also some of the Jewish exorcists, who went from place to place, attempted to name over those who had the evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, 'I adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches.' Seven sons of one Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. And the evil spirit answered and said to them, 'I recognize Jesus, and I know about Paul, but who are you?' And the man, in whom was the evil spirit, leaped on them and subdued all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded."
Matthew 7:21-23 (NASB95) "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.'"
John 10:27 (NASB95) "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me."
Philippians 3:10 (NASB95) "That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death."
James 4:8 (NASB95) "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded."
Cowboy Wisdom
In the old cattle country, there were men who'd ride into a new town and drop the name of a famous rancher or lawman, hoping it would buy them respect they hadn't earned. Sometimes it worked for a short while. But sooner or later, the bluff got called — and when it did, the consequences were ugly. The seven sons of Sceva learned this the hard way, and they went out of that house naked and wounded, running and screaming. Jesus himself warned that this day of reckoning would come: "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 7:21).
They were using the names of Jesus and Paul like a magic formula, hoping the words alone would carry power. But the evil spirit wasn't fooled for a second. It knew Jesus — and it knew Paul — but it looked straight at those seven sons of Sceva and said "who are you?" The spirit recognized genuine authority, and these men had none. Real knowledge of Jesus isn't head knowledge or borrowed vocabulary. It's heart knowledge born out of genuine relationship. Paul wrote that the great goal of the Christian life is simply "that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection" (Philippians 3:10).
Christianity was never meant to be a set of passwords and religious phrases. It's a relationship — close, personal, and tested. Jesus described it this way: "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me" (John 10:27). You can't borrow that. You can't inherit it, buy it, or fake it through a long enough string of right-sounding words. Sooner or later, what you truly know shows.
The good news is that knowing Jesus is available to anyone willing to come to Him honestly, with nothing to offer but their need. "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you" (James 4:8). That's a far better introduction than a borrowed name.
Questions for Reflection
Is your faith built on a personal relationship with Jesus, or largely on the faith of others around you?
The evil spirit said it recognized Jesus and knew Paul — what would it say about you, and what does that tell you?
Are there areas where you're relying on religious familiarity rather than genuine intimacy with God?
What is one practical step you can take this week to draw nearer to God personally?
Prayer Focus
Jesus, I don't want to know about You — I want to know You. Search me and show me where I've been leaning on borrowed faith, religious habit, or familiar words instead of real relationship. Draw me close today. Make me someone You recognize as Your own — not because of what I've done in Your name, but because I truly know You and You truly know me. Amen.
