“Then they came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gadarenes. And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no one could bind him, not even with chains, because he had often been bound with shackles and chains. And the chains had been pulled apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces; neither could anyone tame him. And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones.” Mark 5:1-5 NKJ
It was by no accident that after the event in Mark 4 where Jesus calmed the storm that Jesus and the disciples encountered the demon possessed man walking about the tombs. This was an encounter that Jesus used to show the disciples and us, the authority we have been given in Him! Our authority in Christ affects both the physical and the spiritual realm. Mark 5 says that the man had a legion of demons and when Jesus cast them out they went into a herd of sheep numbering at least 2000. It is very interesting that the disciples did not react to this event, the way they reacted to Jesus calming the storm. They didn’t even question who this man was who could cast out 2000 demons and send them into a herd of sheep. That just blows my mind because I would think this event would be even more impactful than Him calming the storm!
There is a very important lesson for us to learn from this as it correlates to the life storms we face, but we have to be willing to learn it. Remember the first lesson we learned yesterday is to rest in Christ so we know what to do next when an unexpected storm arises. The second lesson is to learn how to walk in the authority we have been given in the midst of the storm. We are New Covenant Disciples of the Living Savior! We have been given all power, authority, strength, and dominion through our covenant relationship with Jesus Christ! But the choice to exercise those rights is a choice left entirely up to us! When Jesus was resurrected from the dead the authority over the earth, that Adam gave to satan in the Garden of Eden; was given back to us through our relationship with Jesus Christ! Until that moment satan was given full authority to move about and operate in the earth at will.
After that event his authority was stripped away! Though he can still move about the earth he has no authority to harm us or destroy us. Remember his attempts to harm us are only a shadow of death and a shadow cannot hurt us. In Christ we have complete authority over him! In Luke 10:19 Jesus said, “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” In order for us to act in this authority during a life storm, we have to believe it belongs to us; over our belief that a life storm is too much to bear. 1 Corinthians 10:13 says, “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”
We all know that when a life storm comes up unexpectedly the temptation to be afraid, worried, stressed out, or anxious is present. But we have to make the decision to act in the power and authority of Jesus Christ so we do not succumb to the pressures of those temptations. Remember we are not battling flesh and blood but principalities and powers of darkness. In other words we are not battling cancer, divorce, death, financial ruin, rebellious children, a down economy, etc.
Ephesians 6:10-13 says, “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”
Most Christians do not accept this truth and because of it, they operate in a carnal mindset during a life storm, just like the disciples did when they encountered the storm. As a result they suffer unnecessary wounds; physically, mentally, emotionally, relationally, and spiritually. The enemy has “pulled the wool over their eyes” and blinded them to the truth that they have been given authority over him! Tomorrow I will go into more detail about what this means and how the enemy deceives us into believing his lie over God’s Truth. For now it is important to understand that in Christ we have complete authority over the enemy.
You might say “there is nothing I can do, my spouse is leaving me” or “there is nothing I can do, the government created this mess and I have to deal with it”. Or you might say “there is nothing I can do, my teen ran away” or “there is nothing I can do, cancer runs in my family” etc. The truth is that there is a lot we can do if we are willing to accept who we are as New Covenant Disciples in Jesus Christ! The wisdom we have to gain is this; knowing what we can do even in the midst of something we cannot control. Our goal in Christianity is not to be in control. Our goal is to become empowered to exercise our authority in Christ in the midst of a storm that is raging out of control! And the only way to do this is to learn from the One who went through the same struggles we are going through and allow Him to teach us how to overcome!
Prayer: Let me fully embrace my identity as a New Covenant Disciple. Help me to understand the Spiritual Truths of Your Word so I know how to exercise the authority You have given me, in You! My helmet of salvation protects my mind from the fiery darts of the enemy, and I believe by faith that as I learn from You; he will not be able to “pull the wool over my eyes” and deceive me. I praise You for walking this earth and taking on all my struggles so You would know how I suffer. And I praise You for going to the Cross for me! May I learn how to allow You to work through me to trample the enemy when he comes in the midst of a life storm to attack me. Amen
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