When Demons Pray

Wednesday, December 14, 2022

When Jesus arrived on the other side of the lake, in the region of the Gadarenes, two men who were possessed by demons met him.  They came out of the tombs and were so violent that no one could go through that area.  They began screaming at him, “Why are you interfering with us, Son of God?  Have you come here to torture us before God’s appointed time?”  There happened to be a large herd of pigs feeding in the distance.  So the demons begged, “If you cast us out, send us into that herd of pigs.”  “All right, go!” Jesus commanded them.  So the demons came out of the men and entered the pigs, and the whole herd plunged down the steep hillside into the lake and drowned in the water.  The herdsmen fled to the nearby town, telling everyone what happened to the demon-possessed men.  Then the entire town came out to meet Jesus, but they begged him to go away and leave them alone.  Matthew 8:28-34

There is a question here, screaming to be posed to anyone who reads this Gospel account:  Which is a better outcome…two men tortured and driven to hell, or two men healed of their madness, the consequence being a herd of pigs sacrificed?

So often I’ve heard the argument turn towards compassion for a herd of pigs (which were being raised for food), and ignoring the tormented men, possessed by demons.  The evidence of our sinful nature is seen in the epilogue to Jesus healing the men.  The whole town agrees, the pigs were more important to them than the healing of the possessed men.  By begging Jesus to leave, the entire town takes a stance against the liberating compassion of Christ, choosing instead the company of evil.  And thus it has always been.

If you take a closer look at the tortured men, the demons reveal everything that drives their decision.  Their whole activity has one purpose…to bring misery, pain, and death.  All their actions drove the men to violence and disruption.  This has been the game plan of Lucifer since being kicked out of heaven for opposing God.  Apostle Peter warned the flock about Satan’s ways:

Stay alert!  Watch out for your great enemy, the devil.  He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.  1 Peter 5:8

Why is this account in Scripture?  It holds up a mirror to today’s culture…anger, violence, murder, deceit, all of which turns upside-down that which God planned for us, His creation.  He designed the fruit of the Spirit as our dwelling:

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!  Galatians 5:22-23

Ever opposing the good work of God, demons are under orders from Hell to destroy our peace, and every other work of Heaven, take us by the hand, and lead us to death’s doorstep.

For You Today  

The question of the day (always) requires choosing whom you will serve.  So let’s ask it:  What if it were YOUR herd?

Spiritual warfare is not a choice…the battle is already raging.  And in any war, the choice of which side you’ll take must be settled long before the battle begins.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

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There are about 2,000 devotional posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road Devotions library.  To dig deeper on today’s topic, explore some of these: 

   Faith That's BAD for Business and Ears Open - Heart Straight - Eyes on the Road - Sure Foot

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Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©   

When the Demons Laugh

 

Thursday, February 3, 2022

Though I am surrounded by troubles, you will protect me from the anger of my enemies.  You reach out your hand, and the power of your right hand saves me.  The Lord will work out his plans for my life—for your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever.  Don’t abandon me, for you made me.  Psalm 138:7-8

C.S. Lewis, after he’d been converted, wrote many wonderful things to defend the faith of the Christ he’d come to love.  One of the deepest (for me) of these is The Screwtape Letters, an imagined conversation between a senior demon named Screwtape, and his nephew, Wormwood, a demon apprentice.  Uncle Screwtape is mentoring Wormwood on how to drag other humans to Hell.  In one training session, something of a debriefing on the work of an old devil, Lewis recounts something quite apropos to the last couple of years in our generation[1]:

′′One young devil asked the old man:  "How did you manage to bring so many souls to hell?"  The old devil answered:  "I instilled fear in them!"

Answers the youngster: "Great job!  And what were they afraid of?  Wars? Hunger?"  Answers the man:  "No, they were afraid of the disease!"

For this youngster:  "Does this mean they didn't get sick?  Are they not dead? There was no rescue for them?"   The old man answered:  "but no . . . they got sick, died, and the rescue was there."

The young devil, surprised, answered:  "Then I don't understand???"

The old man answered:  "You know they believed the only thing they have to keep at any cost is their lives.  They stopped hugging, greeting each other. They've moved away from each other.  They gave up all social contacts and everything that was human!  Later they ran out of money, lost their jobs, but that was their choice because they were afraid for their lives, that's why they quit their jobs without even having bread.  They believed blindly everything they heard and read in the papers.  They gave up their freedoms, they didn't leave their own homes literally anywhere.  They stopped visiting family and friends.  The world turned into such a concentration camp, without forcing them into captivity.  They accepted everything!!!  Just to live at least one more miserable day . . . And so living, they died every day!!!  And that's how it was very easy for me to take their miserable souls to hell....′′

For You Today

Fear is as much, if not more, of an enemy than any pandemic.  We must keep in balance the prudence of planning and appropriate caution for our own health, and that of others.  Jesus did encourage that his believers were to count the cost[2], meaning understanding there are risks, because we live in bodies that are susceptible to disease and injury.  At the same time, there is little sense in clinging to a miserable life, filled with fear.  Rather than live fearing that which can kill the body, our lives should be spent lovingly serving the One who gives eternal life.

The words of Jesus should be sufficient at this point:

Dear friends, don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot do any more to you after that.  But I’ll tell you whom to fear.  Fear God, who has the power to kill you and then throw you into hell.  Yes, he’s the one to fear.  

Luke 12:4-5

If you cling to your life, you will lose it, and if you let your life go, you will save it.  Luke 17:33

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!  

[1] Title and Other Images:  Pixabay.com   Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©   

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[1] C.S. Lewis in 1942 - Old Devil's Letters To the Young

[2] Luke 14:28