LESSONS FROM THE DEMONIZED MAN IN MARK 5 – 1
(This blog is a word-for-word transcript of what I teach to the pastors in India about Spiritual Warfare from Mark 5. Picture yourself in a pastors conference in India as you read it.)
It is a great privilege being a pastor. Being a pastor is a great privilege but it is not easy. One reason it isn’t easy is because we have an enemy, Satan, who opposes us. Satan tries to oppose all God does. He wants us to think he is as great as God but He isn’t.
Before God created the world He created angels to serve Him. But one of the angels didn’t want to do that, he wanted to be worshipped instead. He wasn’t able to defeat God so God cast him out of heaven. One third of the angels followed him. We call them demons and the one who leads them Satan. Their whole purpose is to control the world and be worshipped. He isn’t nearly as powerful as God, but He is more powerful than us.
The only people he doesn’t control are Christians who are living for Jesus. We are the only ones who can bring light into his darkness. So, for him to succeed he must stop the church. In order to stop the church, which Christians do you think they must stop first? PASTORS! Pastors are the ones they would like to destroy. God is greater, but we must know how to have victory in Him. We will look at example of God’s power over demons as recorded in Mark 5:1-13.
One day Jesus left everyone He was with to take a boat across the lake. He wanted to go help a man who couldn’t come to Him. Satan didn’t want Him to go free that man so he sent a storm to sink the boat. Jesus spoke to the storm and got safely to the other side. When Jesus got to the other side he met a man who was controlled by demons. He had many demons that were living in him. When we look at this man’s life we can see some of the things demons do to people. These are symptoms of demonizing.
For one thing, they influenced this man to live in a cave with dead bodies. Demons love death and darkness. God is light and life, Satan is death and darkness. We see, too, that this man was filled with anger. If anyone came near him he would do all he could to hurt them. He loved to bring pain and destruction to others. He wanted to cause pain to himself also. He would get sharp rocks and cut himself.
He did all these things because the demons put thoughts in his mind to do them. They weren’t thoughts he wanted and they weren’t thoughts God gave him. They were from demons, but he didn’t know that. He’d hear the thoughts and then he’d act on them. That’s how demons work with people today as well. They will put thoughts in a person’s mind which they don’t want. And they know they aren’t thoughts God is giving them. But the thought keeps coming back and back. It might be thoughts of doing an awful sin. It could be thoughts of anger, fear, greed or jealousy. It might be thoughts of hurting others or hurting themselves. It could blasphemous thoughts like “Jesus isn’t God,” or “God will never love me and take me to heaven.” We all get thoughts we shouldn’t have. When we confess them and pray we can grow and stop them. But if the thought doesn’t go away no matter what we do, then it could be a demon putting it there. This can happen to Christians as well as unbelievers.
The Bible doesn’t tell us why this man had so many demons doing these things to him. But it does give us some reasons that demons can get into our lives and attack us. If we allow sin in our life that opens the door to them they will come in. If we open ourselves to a power other than God they will use that. If someone worships idols or goes through rituals that will open the door for demons to come in. I John 1:9 says when we confess our sins God removes them so we can close any door demons have used.
When they come in they claim everything the person has. When the person has children they will claim those children. Then when they have children they claim those children as well. Exodus 20:5 says the sins of the fathers follow to the 3rd and 4th generation. That’s why sometimes you see the same sin from generation to generation in a family line. It could be a man has a problem with alcohol. When he has a son he has a problem, and so does his son. Or it could be a man who beats his wife. He tells you his father beat his wife and so did his grandfather. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says we are a new creation, the old has gone and all has become new. John 1:13 says that when we are born spiritually it is by the Spirit, not the flesh or by a father. Because of this we can keep the demons from working in us or our children.
Another reason they can work against you is because you are a pastor in India. Satan divides up his demons like a big army. He has different groups assigned to various countries and places. He has many strong demons assigned to India. He has kept India in darkness for many years. When you come to bring light, they will do anything can to destroy you. John 1 says that light is greater than darkness. Light can remove darkness but darkness cannot remove light.
There are some places in India that are even more open to demonizing. If something happens on a piece of land that invites demons’ presence there they will claim that piece of land. Maybe there was a shrine there at one time or some rituals were performed there. Maybe some awful sin happened there and they claim that land. Then if you build your house or church there they will work against you. If someone lived in your house before you that had idols or other things there demons will still claim that house. Maybe you have noticed that since you moved into this house or church everyone seems to be getting sick. Or maybe people can’t get along and there is always fighting. Or it could be that you have more and more expenses and never have enough money. That could be demons are claiming that land. When the Jews entered the Promised Land there were many powerful demons there. God told Joshua to destroy all the people and everything they had. Then Joshua dedicated the land to God and God cleansed it for the Jews to use.
Another reason demons can work against you if someone puts a curse on you. Maybe someone knows you are a pastor and doesn’t like you. The demons in them can put anger for you in the person’s heart. They say “I hope something awful happens to that pastor.” “I hope his church has lots of problems.” These are like prayers to Satan. Demons hear them and try to answer those prayers. Galatians 3:13 says that Jesus became a curse for us and by dying on the cross He broke an curses made against us.
These are all reasons why demons can work against us. Jesus defeated sin and Satan on the cross. Sin and Satan can be removed when we come to Jesus. We see that in the story of this demonized man in Mark 5. (to be continued in next blog)
1 John 4:4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
Do you see yourself in any of the symptoms this man had: attraction to death & darkness, pain in yourself and others, sinful thoughts you can’t have victory over or out-of-control behavior? (next blog will show what to do to have victory over these)
Can you identify any of the reasons you may have these symptoms: sin in your life, something passed down from your parents or ancestors, something having happened in your home, a curse put on you or attacks to interfere with your ministry? If you sense any of these, confess the sin and put them under the blood of Jesus. (more about this in the next blog)
cto Rev. Dr. JERRY SCHMOYER
Christian Training Organization
Jerry@ChristianTrainingOrganization.org
ChristianTrainingOnline.org
(India Outreach, Spiritual Warfare, Family Ministries, Counseling)
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