December 20 2024

Friday December 20

“A Certain Man Who Had Demons”

Luke 8:26-29

26 Then they sailed to the country of the Gadarenes, which is opposite Galilee. 27 And when He stepped out on the land, there met Him a certain man from the city who had demons for a long time. And he wore no clothes, nor did he live in a house but in the tombs. 28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before Him, and with a loud voice said, "What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me!" 29 For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For it had often seized him, and he was kept under guard, bound with chains and shackles; and he broke the bonds and was driven by the demon into the wilderness.

I love doing these five-minute devotional “Pastor Chats” early each morning because I am seeing and learning things from these passages of Scripture I never saw before. Especially, taking the time to look at them more deeply in their context I am getting so much more from them.

Before we go on to the next section of Luke 8, we need to remember that Luke begins this chapter with Jesus giving the parable of the Sower sowing the Seed on the four different types of ground. The Word of God is the Seed that must be planted into the hearts of precious souls before they can believe and receive God’s great message of salvation. Then Jesus reminded His disciples in verse 16, that we are not to hide God’s light but put it on a “lampstand” so that others may see it. We are that lampstand that must go out into the darkness to show people the “Way” to God through Jesus Christ!

Then in verse 21, Jesus says that whoever hears the Word of God and does it are the ones who will enter into an intimate relationship with Him as His mother and brothers spiritually. In this context it is obvious that Jesus is teaching His disciples that we need be obedient to take God’s Word to those in darkness. And then very next thing we read about in verses 22-26 is that Jesus invited the disciples to get into the boat and cross to the other side of the lake.

Why? Because on the other side of the lake, in the country of Gadarenes there is a demon possessed man that needs the Light! But on the way there and a terrible storm threaten to sink them, Jesus is teaching another lesson to His disciples about faith! If we are going to be prepared to face the demonic forces of hell with the Light of the Gospel, we must have faith in the power and authority of Jesus over them!

So, when Jesus commanded the wind and waves to cease, He revealed His mighty power over the elements of nature to His disciples. When they arrive at Gadara Jesus is going to reveal His authority and power of the demonic elements that blind, bind, and enslave people in their sins.

In preparing to study the story of the Maniac of Gadara here in Luke 8:26-39, I want to encourage you to read the other Gospel accounts of this same incident in Matthew 8:28-34 and Mark 5:1-20 to get the full picture of what took place.

My friend, today in our culture and world we are facing a demon controlled and possessed people like never before. In John 10:10 Jesus said, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” Satan and his host of demons are stealing, killing and destroying the lives of so many around us, and their only hope for deliverance is the authority and power of Jesus!

As followers of Jesus, we must obey Him to get into the boat and cross over to the other side to these dear people wherever they may be! As we face the storms on our journey, in obedience to the will of God, our faith will be increased to also experience the power and authority of Jesus over the powers, principalities and rulers of darkness (Ephesians 2:1-3; 6:10-20).

This reminds me to ask you to pray for me as I prepare to go South East Asia the second week of January 2025. Pease message or email me if you want more information on this trip and more specific details on how to support and pray for us. My email address is: pastormike@pmiministries.org

God bless!