Encounter with Legion

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God 

In my role as a Pastor, I’m often asked my opinion about demon activity. Fear of demons and spirits is seen in every culture, and with good reason. After all, from what we read about them in the Bible, they are vastly more powerful that human beings. It’s easy, then, to understand mankind’s superstitions about freeing themselves from demonic influence. 

Listen up! Superstitions have no effective power over Satan, but the Lord does! That is the main lesson we learn from Jesus’ encounter with the demoniac from Gerasa [Mark 5:6-10]. The demons even recognized it because they called Him “Jesus, Son of the Most High God” [Mark 5:7]. 

In that day, people commonly believed that to say another person’s name would give the speaker some advantage or power over the named person. And Legion laid it on thick, calling Jesus by His name and title -“Jesus, Son of the Most High God.”  

Of course his attempt was hopeless. No power or authority equals that of the King of kings and Lord of Lords. Hence, we believe that the whole of Satan’s kingdom is subject to the authority of Christ. 

Then it happened, not by a prolonged ritual, merely a spoken word, “Come out of the man.” And they did. All of them. No wonder the the “spirt world” trembles at His name [James 2:19].

Christ followers need not fear demons or the spirit world. Not because of who we are, but because of who He is and what He can do. You can put your full confidence in His power over the spirit world, and His ability to preserve you forever in His kingdom.

And he cried out with a loud voice and said, “What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God that You do not torment me.” For He said to him, “Come out of the man, unclean spirit!” Then He asked him, “What is your name?” And he answered, saying, “My name is Legion; for we are many.” Mark 5:7-9