Most of you know the story of the demon possessed man who lived among the tombs, but have you ever read it in the Amplified Version?
Luke 8:27-31Now when Jesus stepped out on land, there met Him a certain man out of the town who had [was possessed by] demons. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he lived not in a house but in the tombs.And when he saw Jesus, he raised a deep (terrible) cry [from the depths of his throat] and fell down before Him [in terror] and shouted loudly, What have You [to do] with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? [What have we in common?] I beg You, do not torment me!For Jesus was already commanding the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For many times it had snatched and held him; he was kept under guard and bound with chains and fetters, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the wilderness (desert).Jesus then asked him, What is your name? And he answered, Legion; for many demons had entered him.And they begged [Jesus] not to command them to depart into the Abyss (bottomless pit).
I heard Katie Souza teach on these particular scriptures a few months ago, but I stumbled upon them again this past week.
The scripture that stands out to me is where the demons say, “WHAT HAVE WE IN COMMON?”
The demons had NOTHING in common with Jesus. They recognized there was no sin in His heart — no opening where they could attach themselves. I love that!
Can they say the same about us?
Do we forgive?
Do we have bitterness?
Do we have jealously?
Do we have insecurity? Fear? Doubt?
I don’t want to have ANYTHING in common with them!
When I first started reading this morning I opened to Matthew and saw some scriptures I had highlighted:
Matthew 6:14-15For if you forgive people their trespasses [their reckless and willful sins, leaving them, letting them go, and giving up resentment], your heavenly Father will also forgive you.But if you do not forgive others their trespasses [their reckless and willful sins, leaving them, letting them go, and giving up resentment], neither will your Father forgive you your trespasses.
Forgiveness is a B I G stumbling block for so many of us. It is a dangerous one too! Want to talk about having an open door for the devil to torment you? Hold bitterness and unforgiveness in your heart and all sorts of wickedness will follow you.
WHAT HAVE WE IN COMMON WITH YOU?
Ephesians 4:31Let all bitterness and indignation and wrath (passion, rage, bad temper) and resentment (anger, animosity) and quarreling (brawling, clamor, contention) and slander (evil-speaking, abusive or blasphemous language) be banished from you, with all malice (spite, ill will, or baseness of any kind).
WHAT HAVE WE IN COMMON WITH YOU?
Father God, I pray that we would deny our flesh and follow You — leaving behind all that would grieve Your Spirit and not bring glory to Your Name. Please strengthen us today as we seek Your Face. We want to be a sweet aroma to You, not a stench. Clean us up Lord. Help us to reflect Your Light wherever we go.
I pray that demons would have NOTHING in common with us. No open doors. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
All I've got to say is…what a blessing you are! 🙂
Excellent Post and a beautiful reminder of Who He is and Who we are also because of His finished work on the cross. We have nothing in common with the enemy and if we truly believe that, we will resist any temptation to behave like him by the power of the Spirit of God within us!
What a lovely post.
Hugs & love,
Mimi
Loved this one! As we are all in a spiritual battle the moment we accepted the Lord! Yet, we forget that….Great reminder!
I also love that song you shared…And Amen to your prayer sister!
The first verse I had learned was Ephesians 6:10 – Be strong in the Lord's mighty power. I'm glad that the Lord made it known to me right away that it is through His might and power that we battle, not our own strength. And so thankful for His mighty weapons…I had gone through a spiritual battle myself, and that was how my lagging faith stopped and knew it was a serious thing! And also found out how powerful truly the Name of our Lord is…"Jesus"…how spiritual enemies cower by just mentioning It…Glory be to God!
Wonderful post, and reminder, Beth. I was struggling with unforgiveness a few months ago, and I knew I had to leave it at the cross!! What a blessing it is to be free of that bitterness!!
Beautiful post Beth. Hillsong lovely as well. Blessings dear one.
Great post, Beth! Such "food for thought"….
We truly need to arm ourselves with Christ because the devil is out there…seeking whom it may devour!
~Beth