JANUARY 26, 2024

Matthew 8:28-34 (HCSB)
Demons Driven Out by the Master
28 When He had come to the other side,  to the region of the Gadarenes,  two demon-possessed men met Him as they came out of the tombs. They were so violent that no one could pass that way.  29 Suddenly they shouted, “What do You have to do with us,   Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?” 30 Now a long way off from them, a large herd of pigs was feeding. 31 “If You drive us out,” the demons begged Him, “send us into the herd of pigs.”
32 “Go!” He told them. So when they had come out, they entered the pigs. And suddenly the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and perished in the water. 33 Then the men who tended them fled. They went into the city and reported everything—especially what had happened to those who were demon-possessed. 34 At that, the whole town went out to meet Jesus. When they saw Him, they begged Him to leave their region.

Pastor HD Jones
In our modern age we really don’t think about spiritual warfare but Paul is plain when he says we “fight against things unseen”.  I’m not the most spiritual person you ever met but I know without a doubt I have been in the presence of evil several times.  It kind of weirds me out but scripture teaches us that Satan and his demons are real and many of them are lose in our world today.  Ever wonder how a person can kill an individual and then eat their body?  Many times mass murderers will tell the police that some voice in their head told them to kill their victims.  If spiritual warfare of good/evil is real, and I think it is, then I want to walk with the most powerful friend I can have.  That is Jesus, by the way.  In Christ we can resist the Devil, command that he leave our presence, rebuke demons, and even win battles in the spiritual realm. One night I had a friend that was in a spiritual battle.  I really felt that a cult was very close to drawing him away from church.  The deacons and I had a special prayer for him and I am pleased to say… he came to his senses and pushed away from that cult.  There is a battle going on that, many times, we don’t see and many times we are mere pawns in this game. But Jesus is real and He is the champion of spiritual warfare so we can trust Him to help us as we struggle in this life.