Brown's Daily Word 1/22/15

Praise the Lord for another brand new day, brilliant and beautiful. The Lord blessed us with a wonderful Wednesday gathering. There was beautiful sharing, laughter, humor and, best of all, sharing in Jesus's love.
Doing some reading recently, I was amazed to learn about the terrible trend in the world today in the area of self-injury or self-mutilation, which some are calling an epidemic among young people. It is reported that the practice of cutting is an effort to relieve anxiety or low self-esteem.
I love the account of Jesus who came to the area where a man was possessed by demonic spirits. The man was consumed with pain—and he cut and abused himself until he encountered the One who could bring healing to his soul, as well as his body. This account we find in Mark 5.
Apparently the people who lived in that area had tried to control him by chaining him, but he was so strong that he had repeatedly broken free from the chains. Demonic forces had occupied his life, and they had brought him great strength…and great pain. Then, much to their surprise, they saw Jesus. Others may not have known who Jesus was, but these demons had no question about who He was; they were terrified as He approached. No doubt people had long been running away from this dangerous madman, but Jesus approached him and commanded the demons to come out him.
The same word was used to describe how Jesus commanded the storm to be still. Under the influence of these evil forces, the man fell down before Him—as if in an attitude of worship—and begged to be left alone. The man immediately knew Jesus, calling Him, "Son of the Most High God". Peter's confession of Jesus as Messiah, as Son of God, is still in the distance; but these demonic forces knew Him, and they knew the kind of power He had over them. It is amazing. Demonic Spirits knew who Jesus was.
Just as they referred to Him by name, Jesus asked the man his name. He said, "My name is Legion, for we are many." A Roman legion consisted of about 6,000 soldiers—just a bit larger than the size of a battalion in the American military. He was not necessarily saying there were 6,000 demons inside of him; his response was intended to convey that he's under the control of multiple evil forces—a demonic mob. These demons knew Jesus could destroy them with a word. They understood what Mark wanted us to understand: that just as Jesus has authority over natural forces, Jesus has authority over spiritual powers. There is nothing beyond His power and authority. Because of that power, Jesus can transform our pain into freedom. Tom Wright writes, "That's what we need to know as we ourselves sign on to follow Him. He isn't just somebody with good ideas. He isn't just somebody who will tell us how to establish a better relationship with God. He is somebody with authority over everything the physical world…and the non-physical world…can throw at us.
This is a Jesus we can trust with every aspect of our lives." The demons knew Jesus had the power to remove them from the man, so they begged Him not destroy them. They asked Him to allow them to flee into a nearby herd of pigs, recognizing their fate was completely under His authority. Jesus granted them permission; but much to their surprise, as soon as the demons fled into the pigs, the herd rushed down the bank and fell into the sea to their death—! Yet it was a vivid demonstration of what Jesus had just done in freeing this man from the demonic shackles that had been holding him. "The herdsmen fled and told it in the city and in the country. And people came to see what it was that had happened. And they came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man, the one who had the legion, sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. And those who had seen it described to them what had happened to the demon-possessed man and to the pigs. And they began to beg Jesus to depart from their region.
 As He was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged Him that he might be with Him. And He did not permit him but said to him, 'Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how He has had mercy on you.' And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled." People came to see what had happened to the pigs, but they were more shocked when they saw what had happened to the madman of the tombs. No longer shrieking in agony, he was now clothed and sitting calmly with Jesus.
 The One who has authority over storms of every kind had calmed the storm in this man's life, and they saw him transformed. The demoniac had become a disciple. That is the greatest miracle we will ever see. There are miracles of physical and emotional healing. There are miracles that demonstrate God's power over the natural world.
 However, the most compelling miracle is the one in which Christ removed a sinful heart from our lives and replaced it with a new heart in which He sits on the throne. The most amazing miracle ever done is the one in which He forgives our sin and rebellion and adopts you into His forever family.
 There is nothing beyond His power and authority. Because of that power, Jesus can transform our pain into freedom. That's what Jesus Christ can do in a life…2,000 years ago and still today. There is nothing beyond His power and authority. Because of that power, Jesus can transform our pain into freedom. We celebrate His Freedom... We declare His Freedom. In Jesus. Brown http://youtu.be/28sqs5H5hao?list=PL7304E4198449D993