MY STRUGGLE:

In my mid-30s I was in prison. This was not a prison made of concrete and metal bars. It was a prison made of flesh and bone…skin and appearances. It was the prison of my own body. My prison was a struggle with body image, comparison to others, and eating disorders. I was not alone in my prison. I shared it with my own personal demon. A cellmate I called The Beast. I felt isolated, alone, ashamed and suffocated. I was scared, overwhelmed, and threatened by The Beast. Unfortunately, The Beast was my own mind, my own demons, and a lie from Satan that took on a physical form in my mind. The Beast felt like a being living in me that would take over my mind and body to “make me” do what I knew was wrong when I wanted to do what was right. I felt powerless. I felt like no one could help me; no one understood me; and I could not help myself. My inner demon kept me confined in my mental prison.

GOD’S PROMISE:

In the gospel of Luke, there was a man who also had a demon living in him. (See Luke 4:31-37) The passage describes the demon as an “unclean demon”. To be unclean according to the Wycliffe Bible Encyclopedia is “to be contaminated in a physical, ritual or moral impurity; denotes profane or desecrated.” The word desecrate means to violently disrespect or violate. The man with the unclean spirit was being violated and tormented by this disrespectful and immoral demon. I imagine the man felt very similarly to how I felt…powerless, alone, isolated, and ashamed of his behavior. The man may have done things he did not want to do because the demon “made him” do it. BUT…now here is the miracle…Jesus healed the man with a demon! Jesus does not heal him over days, weeks or months. It wasn’t with a drug or physical therapy. In v. 35 the scripture states the demon “had thrown him down in their midst and came out of him, having down him no harm.” (John 4:35)

BUT HOW did this happen? What made the demon leave the man? JESUS! Jesus rebuked the demon!

Ok…what does that mean that Jesus “rebuked” him. Did he say, “You bad boy.” Or “you should not do that.” Or ,”If you don’t stop, I will put you in time-out.” No…when Jesus rebuked the demon, Jesus said, “Be silent and come out of him!” (John 4:35) and that is exactly what happened… in that very moment. The man was completely healed. The demon left. The prison was torn down. The man was free. And the man was unharmed.

OUR TAKE-AWAYS:

In summary, what are we able to learn from this story:

• Jesus has the power to silence demons.
• Jesus has the power to protect us from the demons and free us from the prisons while leaving us unharmed.
• Jesus has the power to set us free from our personal demons and prisons.

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me(the Messiah), because He has anointed Me to preach the good news to the poor. He has sent Me to announce release(pardon, forgiveness) to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed (downtrodden, bruised, crushed by tragedy), ¹⁹ to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord [the day when salvation and the favor of God abound greatly].”

John 4:18-19 AMP

This man likely felt like his body and mind were taken over by the demon, The Beast. Oh, how I relate to this story. BUT, Jesus freed the man; Jesus freed me; and He is able to free you too!

ENCOURAGEMENT FOR YOU:

My Sweet Circle. The good news and victory is that Jesus has the ultimate authority and power over our demons. Jesus is able to free us from our prisons. Our demons and prisons are not all the same…they may be addictions, body image issues, comparison to others, greed, power, etc. In summary, our prison is sin. However, Jesus loves us even in our sin. He created us, loves us, and desires to be in relationship with us. He DIED for us to take on our sin as His own. He offers us grace, mercy and forgiveness. Let loose of the chains, break free from the prisons, and ask for His forgiveness! Be free!

QUESTIONS TO PONDER:

• What is your prison or demon? What do you struggle with?
• How has this demon impacted your life?
• Do you want to be free?

PRAYER:

Abba, Father. You are our protector and chain-breaker! You are our conqueror over the beasts and demons in our lives. Free us, Father. Crush the enemy and remove these temptations from our lives. Free us from our prisons. And protect us in the midst of our trials. Lord, you are our Savior and we rest in your loving arms through the forgiveness you offer through Jesus. You provide the balm for our souls. Thank you, Lord Jesus. Amen.

Hugs and blessings, Sweet Circle!

Stacy