Editors note: The devotionals that appear from this month on will be taken from the summer archives because I want to go over the Gospel of Mark from the beginning.. It is possible they will have updates and will be highlighted in pink.

Quiet Times: (Psalm 8,  Proverbs 8,, and Mark 3:11-12)

“Whenever the evil spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, "You are the Son of God." But he gave them strict orders not to tell who he was.” (Mark 3:11-12, NIV)

Observations:

I asked myself what can I learn about the evil spirits!

Evil spirits were not just one but many and

1. Whenever the evil spirits saw Jesus, they fell down before Jesus.

2. Whenever the evil spirits saw Jesus, they cried out to Jesus saying, “You are the Son of God.”

Observations/Interpretations:

I asked myself what is significant about them not being one.

It emphasized to me that evil comes in many forms and Satan uses his evil spirits to do the dirty work. However, evil spirits cannot stand before Jesus or handle Jesus. They are powerless before Jesus. This is evident by two points:

Point 1:
Whenever the evil spirits saw Jesus, they fell down before Jesus!

The evil spirits could not stand the sight of Jesus. They were so powerless before Jesus that they fell down before Jesus. This is so amazing. Not only that but they do something else that is more significant which is evidenced by point 2.

Point 2:
Whenever the evil spirits saw Jesus, they cried out to Jesus saying, “You are the Son of God.

The evil spirits who were sent to do Satan’s dirty work fell down before Jesus and cried out to Jesus saying, “You are the Son of God.” This is amazing and radical. I say that because lots of human beings even do not fall down and cry acknowledging Jesus to be the Son of God. They go on living their own lives how they wish. The evil spirits whatever their power was in the realm of evil, they could not stand before the presence of Jesus but had to acknowledge who Jesus is!

Observation/Interpretations:

I asked myself how Jesus responds?

“But he gave them strict orders not to tell who he was.”

I found it very significant what Jesus did when He gave them strict orders not to tell who he was. First, of all it tells us that Jesus can order and command evil spirits and they become powerless before Him. This is awesome and great!

Also, I believe Jesus did not want the evil spirits to testify on his behalf letting people know who he was. First of all the personification of evil in a person’s life will never be a good testimony when they talk about Jesus. If a person’s life is filled with evil then they definitely cannot be a good testimony when they talk about Jesus. It is good to know that Jesus can order evil spirits too and they have to listen to Him. Also, Jesus had His timing for everything. He did not want evil to let people know who He was but wanted to reveal it in His timing and not let the people hear it from the evil spirits.

Application:

I saw important implications for my own life. Evil spirits no matter what form they take cannot stand Jesus. Instead, they fall down before Jesus and cry acknowledging Jesus and His power. This means when I have the power of the Lord residing in my heart and life, evil spirits cannot touch me. Instead, they will fall down in the Name of Jesus! With Jesus on my side, the evil spirits will have to hide. The key is having Jesus in my life and allowing the power of the Holy Spirit to work in me and protect me.

I ask you now dear friend, what has evil done to you?

Dear friend, evil can come in many forms and it can do all kinds of damage. Satan is expert at sending his demons and evil spirits to do his dirty work. They become successful and powerful in people’s lives who are not covered by the Blood of Jesus Christ. When they are on their own, evil will pervade their lives in many forms. This is how evil spirits work. But there is Good News and the Good News is Jesus Christ, my friend. We see in the Word of God that the evil spirits could not stand the sight of Jesus but fell down and cried before Jesus. This is so powerful. Jesus even gave them strict orders. I learned in the previous chapters that Jesus even gives orders to evil spirits and they obey Him.

No matter what evil has done to you or you are faced with, you can be delivered. I know you can! Yes, you can friend! Jesus Christ is His Name and to save you and me, He came. His blood will cleanse you where you are and give you the best antidote to protect you from the enemy. In Heavenly armor you can enter the land, for the battle belongs to the Lord. No weapon formed against you will stand, for the battle belongs to the Lord.

Turn to Jesus whatever you are faced with and know you can command evil to get away from you and it will have to because of Jesus who resides in you as you acknowledge you are a sinner and need the grace of Jesus Christ to save you and bring you deliverance. When you do that, you will have a new hope! Yes, you will and you can! Don’t let the enemy steal your joy for the enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy but Jesus has come to give life in all its fullness for you!

May you know even when evil visits invading land, evil will one day be completely vanquished when Jesus Christ comes back to run the show here on earth! May you know that until that day the battle still belongs to the Lord and you can fight evil with Jesus on your side! Amen!

“Evil Visits Invading Lands!”/”What has evil done to you?”

Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus, thank you so much for your love and for showing us that evil spirits cannot stand the sight of you. Instead, they fell down and cried before you acknowledging you are the Son of God. We are so sorry for our sin! Lord we ask you to please forgive us as we fall down before you with our heart, mind, soul, and strength. We acknowledge we are sinners and need your grace to save us and deliver us from the enemy. Help us please Jesus. Come into our heart and make our heart your home. Live in us Jesus and help us to live for you and serve you the rest of the days of our lives. We live in a world of evil and need your protection to fight evil. We need you Lord and know that there will come a time when all evil will be vanquished. Until then help us to stand with you Jesus and remember the battle belongs to you Lord as we enter the land. Thank you that no weapon formed against us will prosper when we have you! When we know you no matter what happens here on earth, we can be with you! Thank you Jesus. Thank you for your help and that you have heard our prayer and answered it! In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!

If you would like to invite Jesus Christ into your heart and make Him a daily part of your life, you can this very moment. You will never be alone. You can claim God's promises for you in the Bible and see them come true, before your eyes, in His wonderful timing. You don't have to wait for a special time to come to the Lord. You can come right now as you pray this prayer, meaning it in your heart.

Friend, you may feel something or you may not but this you can be assured that the Lord Jesus has come into your life and will give you a new beginning! Amen!

Get yourself involved in a campus Bible study, fellowship, and most of all find a Bible believing church and be involved to grow in your Christian walk with the Lord. They all need to be supplements for your own precious time with the Lord in prayer and meditating on His Word. If you need a Bible, please let me know!

If you need anyone to talk to, pray with, or study the Bible with this Fall of October 2005, you can email me at reddy4hisglory2004@yahoo.com or call me at 412-720-4579.

Love in Christ,
Ramesh

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