Jesus Drives Out Evil and Heals Many

Prayer Practice: 

Lectio – Read today’s passage through once. Then spend some time praying and asking God to show you what you need to pay attention to in the text. Read it again. Now ask God to help you see what this text, and the part that has stood out, may mean for you. Don’t expect to get a clear word every time but always be ready to really hear from God through His Word.

Daily Reading: Luke 4:31-44

Devotional:
by Pastor Jeff Morlock

Words are potent. They have power to uplift or discourage. They have power to heal or destroy (the old “sticks and stones” adage notwithstanding). A torrent of words pours forth from mass media and from every political platform and soap box. Words move people to buy and sell, to hate and to love. They can depress, distort, and deceive, poisoning the springs of our common life. Hence need to be careful about what we hear and what we say.

Which brings us to the Word of God. Do you hear it with selective submission or with the full faith and obedience? Jesus spoke God’s Word as no one had spoken it before. The prophets spoke with delegated authority – “Thus says the Lord.” The Scribes and Pharisees leaned on supporting quotes from other sources, often punctuating their teaching with question marks. Jesus’ teaching was punctuated by exclamation points and needed no human authorization, for he was authority incarnate - the Word of God made flesh. 

When Jesus spoke, it was God’s voice the people heard. At his command, sickness and disease fled, for the Spirit of the Lord was on him to set the oppressed free. Even evil spirits obeyed. And if even demons believe in the Son of God, how much more can we trust his Word and receive it expectantly, with engaged minds? How much more can we eagerly submit to his wise counsel, in the knowledge that his Word always does what it says, and accomplishes every purpose for which he sends it?

In what way has God’s Word (spoken, written, or incarnate) been calling you to yield or obey lately? In what way has the Word encouraged you or set you free?

Lord, your word is power and life. Help me to obey your teaching and to never doubt  the ability of your promises to save, heal, and restore. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Armed with Armor

13 Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. 14 He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach 15 and to have authority to drive out demons. -Mark 3:13-15

In today’s passage, we see Jesus appointing twelve apostles from all the disciple who were following him.  He pulls out of the crowd, a select few, giving them the charge to preach and he gave them authority to drive out demons.

It is no mistake that Jesus did both things.  You see whenever Jesus is talked about, Satan is near.  He will do his best to distract people from the gospel message.  Jesus is not concerned though, he has all authority over Satan and his demons.

The disciples Jesus picked were not perfect men.  We see time and again how they failed Jesus. Jesus does not need perfect people he needs loyal people.  Men who won’t walk away when times get tough, because they were going to get tough.  He picked men who would trust that God had a plan and it wasn’t always going to be what they expected.

Jesus knew that our fight is not against flesh and blood, but against the evil forces in our world. Jesus picked men who could be taught to understand where the fight lies.

We all need that same understanding.  If we are going to talk about Jesus, Satan will be near, trying to distract those around us.  Our fight is not with our neighbor though, it is with the devil and his demons. We need to put on the armor of God daily and stand firm against the devils schemes.

Faith under Fire

Jesus asked the boy's father, "How long has he been like this?"
"From childhood," he answered. (Mark 9:21)

Put yourself in the shoes of this father. He has a son who has been robbed of a childhood. He hasn't been able to run and play with the neighbor kids. He has been a prisoner of an evil spirit; who has had hold of him for years.  This father has been powerless to help his child.

What brought this family to Jesus' feet? How did they hear of Him? We don't know this, but we do know that having heard of this amazing man, this miracle worker, the father had faith that Jesus could help. "Jesus said, 'Bring the boy to me.'"  That was all it took. For years this family was looking for an answer; since the boy's childhood he has been plagued by evil taking over his life. But in an instant, Jesus made the difference.

Isn't that how it works for us too?  We struggle through life, dodging one catastrophe after another until we are at the end of our rope. We have tried to fix things, to control our life and repair our brokenness by ourselves. Until it doesn't work any longer - it never did really.

Then one day when the end of the rope is burning our fingers as it slips through them, we call out to the One who can change everything. I remember that day in my life. The day I cried out to a God I wasn't sure even cared, and pleaded, "Surely there must be more to life than this."

How often God removes our shackles in the furnace of affliction. -- Streams in the Desert (April 2)

Are you at that point yet? It is this prayer, this desperate call for help which began my faith journey. It can be the start of your faith walk too.


Mark 9:14-21

Demons? Seriously?

A few years ago, my wife and I were visiting a church while on vacation.  I don’t recall much about the service, except for the fact that the text for the day was a gospel account of Jesus casting out an evil spirit.  At some point in the sermon, the pastor asserted, “Now, we know today that there are no demons.” 

That was it!  No argument.  No explanation.  Just a declaration by undefended fiat.  I wanted to ask him right then and there, “What can you possibly know about the unseen spiritual world that Jesus didn’t?”  Or “If Jesus was so off base on this little detail, what concerns must we have about weightier matters, such as his divinity or our salvation?”  But convention got the best of me; I resigned myself to a slow burn in the pew ... and a Walter Mitty lifetime of imagined rebuttals.  (All of them delivered in brilliant oratory, of course!)

Jesus spoke of demons as though they exist.  Clearly this was no dumbing down to an uneducated audience, for he went on to teach much more about these powers of darkness and how they work.

So why even have this discussion?  Simply this: If we are comprised of body, soul and spirit, we ought to be wise to the things that challenge each of these facets of our being … and equipped to combat them.  Or stated differently, how can we even begin to fight a spiritual foe we cannot identify, name or admit that it exists?  Our advanced knowledge has yielded medicine for the body and psychology for the mind, but what about spirit and soul?  Ignorance in these matters is no bliss.

Here is an example.  Jesus said that when a demon is cast out, he eventually returns.  If he finds the soul “swept clean and put in order,” he moves back in, stronger than before.  The urgent take-away is this: when God fights for us and delivers us by grace, we do well to respond with faith in his Son who promises to live in us and seal us for eternity.  And the Spirit of Christ in us is, as John wrote, “greater than the one who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).  We are kept safe in Christ.

Here’s another.  Jesus said that some spirits are only cast out through much prayer.  Again, important to know.

As with anything, we can err in two extremes.  Some, for instance, superstitiously find a demon in seemingly every circumstance.  But the Word shows us that we are just as wrong to dismiss the existence of spiritual warfare.  Indeed the Apostle Paul's instruction to the early church serves also to alert us today: “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12).

His “so what” applies to us as well: “Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground ...” (Ephesians 6:13).

The “full armor” we put on is a person - Jesus Christ, who is our salvation, our righteousness, our truth and our peace.  In him and with faith in his Word, we will stand against any foe.

[Click here to see the daily reading in Luke 11:14-26.]