Acts 16:16-24. Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a female slave who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. 17 She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.” 18 She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so annoyed that he turned around and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” At that moment the spirit left her.
19 When her owners realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities. 20 They brought them before the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar 21 by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice.”
22 The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods. 23 After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. 24 When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.
In Philippi, Paul and Silas witnessed the economy of darkness at work. A poor female slave had been suffering from demon possession, and her owners were making a great deal of money by exploiting her ability to tell fortunes through an evil spirit.
After pleading for help from Paul and his team for many days, she was finally set free from the power of the devil by believing in the name of Jesus Christ. She was healed by the power of the gospel that Paul proclaimed.
But this infuriated her owners. Why? Scripture states they “realized that their hope of making money was gone.” They had no interest in her well-being. Instead of thanking Paul and Silas for healing her, they falsely accused them and pressured the authorities to prosecute them.
It is likely that these owners had close ties with corrupt government officials. They stirred up the crowd to attack Paul and Silas, and eventually, the judge ordered that they be severely beaten, flogged, and imprisoned without even a trial.
What happened in Philippi is a clear picture of the economy of darkness operating in today’s world. Satan has constructed a system where people worship money (Matthew 6:24; Colossians 3:5) and become “lovers of money” (1 Timothy 6:10; 2 Timothy 3:1).
As a result, our economy is often driven by darkness, with people willing to make money at any cost—leading ultimately to destruction and disaster for our nations and the world.
The pornography industry, for example, already larger than Hollywood, is one of the fastest-growing industries globally, generating billions of dollars a year. With emerging technologies like virtual reality, it is projected to double in revenue. This industry is ushering the world down a destructive path, relentlessly targeting families—especially today’s younger generation.
Many countries, including the United States, have long lost the battle against illegal drugs. Worse yet, more nations are legalizing them, viewing drug industries as among the most profitable businesses in history.
There are many who benefit from keeping the flow of illegal drugs across our borders. Tragically, corrupt officials and greedy businesspeople, completely seized by the spirit of the devil, play a significant role in today’s economy of darkness, which is controlled by “the ruler of the kingdom of the air” (Ephesians 2:2).
But you are a child of God and belong to the Kingdom of Light. Through Christ, God has set you free from the devil’s frame of the economy of darkness. You possess everything in Christ (2 Corinthians 6:10). All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Christ (Colossians 2:2–3).
You are precious in God’s eyes, and you no longer need to worry about your life (Matthew 6:25–34). In Christ, there is abundance (2 Corinthians 9:8) and true contentment (Philippians 4:11–13).
Do not let the devil deceive you with worldly possessions. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap. They begin to desire many foolish and harmful things that ruin and destroy lives (1 Timothy 6:9).
Trust in your heavenly Father, from whom all blessings flow. Be alert to the reality of the economy of darkness operating in your region. Like Priscilla and Aquila (Acts 18:1–3; Romans 16:3–4), understand the purpose behind the work God has entrusted to you. Learn how God’s economy works and how it can serve the mission of evangelism and world missions. It is time for us to arise and shine the light of Christ—to turn the economy of darkness into the economy of light.
Prayer. Father, I thank You for setting me free from Satan’s frame of the economy of darkness and for filling me with every blessing in Christ. So I declare that I lack nothing because You are my Shepherd. For the rest of my life, I desire to seek first Your kingdom and Your righteousness. In Jesus’ name, Amen.