Day Twenty-one: Our Own Worst Enemy (Mark 5:1-13)
Devotional: Charles Spurgeon, British pastor from the 1800’s, told the following story. "There was once a tyrant who summoned one of his subjects into his presence, and ordered him to make a chain. The poor blacksmith (that was his occupation) had to go to work and forge the chain. When it was done, he brought it into the presence of the tyrant, and was ordered to take it away and make it twice the length.
He brought it again to the tyrant, and again he was ordered to double it. Back he came when he had obeyed the order, and the tyrant looked at it, and then commanded the servants to bind the man hand and foot with the chain he had made and cast him into prison. "That is what the devil does with men," Spurgeon said.
"He makes them forge their own chain, and then binds them hand and foot with it, and casts them into outer darkness.”
You’ve probably heard the saying, “They are their own worst enemy”. It’s true, isn’t it? Much of the pain we experience in life is self-inflicted. We keep going after the very things that enslaves us. Solomon puts it bluntly in Proverbs 26:11, “Like a dog that returns to his vomit is a fool who repeats his folly.” How can these chains be broken in our lives? Go to the King!
Satan is a tyrant who wants to kill, steal and destroy. He dresses the sin up nicely but in the end that’s his goal for us. But the King came to set us free and give us life, and life more abundantly. Notice in today’s passage that Jesus had authority over the demons. He’s got all the power and strength we need to have the chains released in our lives.
Colossians 2:13-15 says, "And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him."
Because Jesus was victorious over death, we can be victorious over sin! The evil one has no authority over us. Why? Because he and his cronies have been disarmed. Any power they have over us is us choosing to arm them again. We need to run from sin by running to the Savior. Prayer is our walkie-talkie to call in heavenly reinforcements. God’s Word is our manual for battle. The power for victory is there, but we need to put in the preparation. We have a part to play. Are we playing it?
Prayer: List a few areas of struggle. Find some Bible verses dealing with those struggles. Read them as a prayer of commitment to the Lord.
Devotional: Charles Spurgeon, British pastor from the 1800’s, told the following story. "There was once a tyrant who summoned one of his subjects into his presence, and ordered him to make a chain. The poor blacksmith (that was his occupation) had to go to work and forge the chain. When it was done, he brought it into the presence of the tyrant, and was ordered to take it away and make it twice the length.
He brought it again to the tyrant, and again he was ordered to double it. Back he came when he had obeyed the order, and the tyrant looked at it, and then commanded the servants to bind the man hand and foot with the chain he had made and cast him into prison. "That is what the devil does with men," Spurgeon said.
"He makes them forge their own chain, and then binds them hand and foot with it, and casts them into outer darkness.”
You’ve probably heard the saying, “They are their own worst enemy”. It’s true, isn’t it? Much of the pain we experience in life is self-inflicted. We keep going after the very things that enslaves us. Solomon puts it bluntly in Proverbs 26:11, “Like a dog that returns to his vomit is a fool who repeats his folly.” How can these chains be broken in our lives? Go to the King!
Satan is a tyrant who wants to kill, steal and destroy. He dresses the sin up nicely but in the end that’s his goal for us. But the King came to set us free and give us life, and life more abundantly. Notice in today’s passage that Jesus had authority over the demons. He’s got all the power and strength we need to have the chains released in our lives.
Colossians 2:13-15 says, "And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him."
Because Jesus was victorious over death, we can be victorious over sin! The evil one has no authority over us. Why? Because he and his cronies have been disarmed. Any power they have over us is us choosing to arm them again. We need to run from sin by running to the Savior. Prayer is our walkie-talkie to call in heavenly reinforcements. God’s Word is our manual for battle. The power for victory is there, but we need to put in the preparation. We have a part to play. Are we playing it?
Prayer: List a few areas of struggle. Find some Bible verses dealing with those struggles. Read them as a prayer of commitment to the Lord.
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