While reading through Mark 5:1-20 and/or Luke 8:26-39, the behavior of those demons towards Jesus struck me and made me pause. I was really amazed to see how demons reacted in front of the highest power who is no one else than our Lord Jesus Christ. Before I jump in, please don’t hesitate to share and/or ask questions that may arise while reading.

The summary of the scriptures mentioned above talks about a demon-possessed man who has lost his mind, crying and cutting himself up with stones at night while living in tombs and hills. In the region of the Gadarenes (Gerasenes), no one was able to tame him despite their multiple efforts and attempts using chains, strengths, irons and other tools. One day as Jesus was passing by, the demon possessed man came running towards Him. They [demons (impure spirits) inside of the man] kneeled down as they recognized who Jesus was and His authority so they began to plead. They started begging (praying to) Him not to torture them but instead to send them away. After they (demons) introduced themselves to Jesus, He gave them (impure spirits called Legion = 2,000 according to the number of pigs) the permission to come out of the man and go into the herd of pigs that was near. As they did, the demon-possessed man regained his sanity and Jesus asked him to go back to his people and testify.

The part of the scriptures I will focus on for this post is Mark 5:6-10,12-13 NKJV which reads:

  “When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. He shouted at the top of his voice, ‘What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God’s name don’t torture me!’ For Jesus had said to him, ‘Come out of this man, you impure spirit!’ Then Jesus asked him, ‘What is your name?’ ‘My name is Legion,’ he replied, ‘for we are many.’ And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area. The demons begged Jesus, ‘Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them.’ He gave them permission, and the impure spirits came out and went into the pigs.” ¹

Verse 6 says when the man saw Jesus from a distance he ran and fell on his knees near Him. But if you continue to read, we will realize that it was the demons in the man that ran [or caused the man to run] and started talking to Jesus. This denotes that the demons in the man recognized who Jesus was and His authority. Therefore they bowed to Him and pleaded [prayed] for a favorable judgement. As I looked at this passage, I was amazed and sad at the same time. Because if demons can do that and get their answers, it shows us how we [children of God] ought to get our answers as well right? Do you see where I am going with this? Can you relate? Do we also submit [as of bowing down] to God for things that we want? It is sad because most Christians are too complacent and can barely raise their hands to worship while at Church because of what people may say or how weird it may look. If demons know how to get answer(s) from Jesus by running, bowing to Him, how about us who have been made in the image of God and have the Spirit of God living inside us? If you still don’t see, let me quickly break it down for you. Our God is an unchangeable God. He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

These demons showed us seven steps on how to get answers to our prayers from Jesus Christ by:

1- Seeing Jesus (v.6): Seeing Jesus from a distance denotes recognition, acknowledgement. But here they (demons) didn’t only see the physical part of Jesus. They also saw the Spiritual side as well and therefore acted in accordance. Subsequently with faith, they were able to place their request (not to be tortured but to be sent away) before Jesus. Looking at this is the proof that if we have faith while asking from God, He will surely answer our prayers and remember that without faith we can’t please God.

Sometimes in front of challenges, we are too consumed and unable to see Jesus or have faith like a mustard seed. But if our eyes are not fixed on Jesus, we won’t be able to see beyond our noses. And also, we We won’t be able to see the Spirit and power of Christ inside of us. As you come before the Lord, just have faith, believe and trust that Jesus can answer your request. For Faith is the assurance (confirmation, substance) of things hoped for, the conviction [the evidence] of things not seen ².

2- Running and Kneeling to Jesus (v.6): Once you see and acknowledge that Jesus is the person you need, what do you do next? You surrender, you worship Him through reverence and do all that comes with worshiping God. And in worshiping Him, we are acknowledging His higher authority, His supremacy, His royalty, His majesty and more about God. For we ought to enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise!³

3- Shouting Out to God (v.7): When we shout out to God for help or with a voice of triumph, it’s because we want Jesus attention. The demons inside the man cried at the top of their lungs asking Jesus what He wants from them. One may cry out because s/he knows there is a higher power in play; like the demons knew when they saw Jesus and foreseen what was coming for them, they shouted and started pleading for their case. In every situation [good or bad], we as Christians are meant to cry out to God. But are we doing it? Who do we cry out to once facing challenges? Who are we glorifying when things go in our favor?

In different books and multiple chapters of Psalms (69,40,77,80…), we can read how people and David were crying out [calling on] to God in multiple occasions [times of praise and tribulations for help]. These demons in the man during their trying times shouted to God. We as Christians ought to cry out to God for help as well. Blind Bartimaeus cried out and got his sight restored by Jesus. David and Paul cried out to God and He answered them. As we read these verses, we see that these demons also cried and God answered them by granting their request [by sending them in the herd of pigs instead of water]. With all you are going through, when will you decide to cry out to Jesus?

There is a say that closing your mouth is closing your destiny, your miracle or answer to prayers. Even in the Bible, God knows everything we desire but we ought to speak them out. “Truly, I say to you, what ever you bind on earth will be bind on heaven, and whatever you lose on earth will be loosed in heaven“⁴. No matter how people pray for you, your mouth has a major role in your answer to prayer because God wants you to cry out [seek] to Him personally and cast your care upon Him. Therefore in trials or thanksgiving times, the Lord is saying to you according to Isaiah 58:1-11, “Shout out loud, don’t hold back, and raise your voice like a trumpet.”

4- Power in Using the Name of Jesus (v.7): There is an authority, power attached to using His name. According to John 14:13, “… whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it“, we can see that Jesus, the name above all names is the key ingredient to the answer of our prayers.

Even the demons called the name of Jesus to catch His attention so they can place their request. “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God’s name don’t torture me!” (v.7) They knew that God has highly exalted Jesus and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knew should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father⁵.

Also for example, in the midst of many in the crowd, blind Bartimaeus calling [shouting] “Jesus, Son of David” caused Jesus to stop, turn back and attend to his case specifically. After reading this, why are we still shy to mention His name in public, in private? What are we waiting for to use the authority of His name? Didn’t Jesus say in Mark 16:17-18 that in His name, we will cast out demons, take up serpents, lay hands on the sick? For there is power to overcome anything and everything in the Name of Jesus which has authority in Heaven, on earth and under the earth. Let us start using His name with confidence and boldness as we cast out demons or crying out to Him. But in order for the usage of His name to be effective, we need to be born again. So, give your life to Christ today if you haven’t done so.

5- Having a Conversation with Jesus (v.7-9): This is called fellowshipping with God. It’s important for every Christian to have an one on one relationship with God. Demons understood the principle of relationship so they started introducing themselves to Jesus [break the ice] so they can get access, feel comfortable, and place their request. How much more of us Children of God to whom He gives free access? Our God is not a static one, He is alive and always available to hear and speak to us. But are we available for Him? What usually happen after our prayer session for those who pray? Most of us after prayer, we are quick to leave and move. Most of us make prayer a monologue but after we pray, let us allow God to talk back to us. Do you allow some time to talk to God? Set time aside to spend quality time [fellowship] with the Lord not only to place your request but also to show Him how much you love Him and longing to hear from Him. For relationship is a two-way street not one way. This step will help us build our trust, build the divine connection and give us the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us⁶.

6- Multiplying our Pleads [Prayers] (v.7,10,12):  The earnest [effectual fervent] prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results⁷. The demons here begged [prayed to] Jesus more than once for their request until it was answered. Do we have time to pray for what we want? And once we do, are we consistent or do we give up on the way? These demons showed us that a request [prayer] is not a one-time demand and we ought to do the same. By praying fervently, consistently until answered and even after the answer why not? It’s not that God doesn’t hear us the first time we prayed, for He knows our requests before we even asked. But He wants to see how dedicated, trustworthy, passionate and faithful we are towards Him.

For us to keep asking it is because we know He holds the key to our solution. If we give up after one or couple attempts or don’t ask, then we simply saying that we don’t need Jesus. That’s why God is also looking at our hearts which hold the reasoning behind our requests. For God won’t answer selfish requests or wrong motives. God will never let us dry or empty handed for no reason for He always come through on His promises. If there is a man [or woman] to pray, there is A God to answer Amen! Fervent prayers still work, try it and don’t give up. But if there is anyone among you in trouble [suffering]? Let them pray. Is anyone happy [cheerful] ? Let them sing songs of praise ⁷.

7- Waiting for Our Answer (v.13):  These demons kept praying (begging) Jesus while they were waiting for their answers. We ought as well to stay in continuous prayer and supplication while we wait for God to answer us. Not everything we ask of God will be giving to us the same day. For He knows our needs and will answer us in due time. When Daniel prayed, the answer for his prayer was released that same day but it got intercepted by the powers of darkness in the second heaven. Because Daniel didn’t stop praying, angel Michael had to come and release angel Gabriel while he fought those evils so he can bring down Daniel’s answer to prayer.

What happen to us most of the time is that we don’t want to wait so we retaliate to tradi-practiction, witchcraft [that will give us a fast solution] or other earthly things [money, people] that will only delay and push us further away from the plan [blessings] of God. This is the period we miss our blessings at the edge of our breakthroughs just because we don’t want to wait or have time to persevere in prayers.  According to Isaiah 40:31 “But those who wait [hope] on the Lord shall renew their strength. The shall [soar on] mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”

We need to learn to wait expectantly. Be silent before the Lord and wait expectantly for Him; do not be agitated by one who prospers in his way, by the man who carries out evil plans⁸. But if we wait expectantly for things we have never seen, then we hope with true perseverance and eager anticipation⁹. That is why I wait expectantly, trusting God to help, for he has promised¹⁰. So, it doesn’t matter what is happening around you, what people are saying. Just stay calm, stay connected, trust in Jesus and believe that what He said He will do He will surely do it. For He is not a man that should lie, Amen!

If Jesus answered demons’ request here, what do you thing will happen if we [who are made to the image of Christ] follow their example? Won’t we get more than what we asked for as we are made in the image of God? In order to get our answers from God, we need to follow these seven demons’ steps listed above. We can learn even from our enemies but we need to be smart about it. Therefore anything else besides what I mentioned here concerning this passage you want to follow from these demons is on you so stick with Christ. He can also answer yours and mine if we diligently follow these steps.

I remembered one night as I was about to sleep. Like half way, I felt as if a dark power was oppressing my chest area. I tried to get up but couldn’t at many occasions. From the feeling I had, I knew it was the devil attacking me but couldn’t event open my mouth to speak as if it also blocked me to speak. And from nowhere as I closed my eyes and started thinking of Jesus and calling Him in my heart, my mouth was released and I commanded that demon to release me in the nam of Jesus and I was free. After that, I prayed for couple more minutes and went back to sleep. Just about when I was falling asleep, I felt that Spirit again near my face, ohh it was creepy. As soon as I felt it, I called out the name of Jesus and casted it out from my room for a second time. Then finally, it went away but I continuously uttered the name “Jesus, Jesus” until I felt asleep again. We have One name to call in our trying times in our prayer and it’s the name of JESUS. Just saying this simple prayer “Jesus, I need You!” can be powerful and bring us a long way. For the prayer of a righteous man being made effective conquers [avails, succeeds] much¹¹.

At the end, it comes down to what are you going to do to still have peace in the midst of your hard time? In all you do, make sure you see Jesus at the center of every situation [good or bad] by acknowledging and praising Him and crying out to Him. Take time [at least 2h:40mn] in a day to fellowship and connect with God. Keep showing to God that your request is important and that you know He is the only One to make it happen for you by not giving up and persevere in prayer. Don’t be discouraged when you think God is silent [for unanswered prayers] but continue to pray and wait patiently expecting His promises over your life to manifest.

To you going through trials and not knowing what to do, where to turn to, felling lost, ashamed, alone, depressed, don’t know how to go about your situation, feeling like hope is gone, and overwhelmed by your situation. Remember you are surrender by Jesus. Stop trying to fix it on your own but fix your eyes on Jesus, relax, be at peace knowing that God [will] has taken care of your situations. In order for that to happen, you have to follow the above steps that those demons showed us with all your heart and belief. Nothing is lost or too late. Those are the devil lies to trap you in your condition. By worshiping Jesus, it will move Him to answer your prayer and it’s a guarantee (It’s means that’s the only place we are sure and a guarantee He can do it). If you don’t know how to pray, start praising God and worshiping Him.

No matter the situation you are facing (good or bad), always shout out to God by using the name of Jesus Christ. For there is power in the name of Jesus to break every chain, curses, barriers, limitations. Never cease to call upon Him for He is the situation controller and the miracle working God. Learn from these demons and put your enemy to shame for God gave us the key to bind on earth⁴ whatever we don’t want, to permit whatever we want and it shall be done in heaven; as well as giving us power to defeat our enemies by trampling them under our feet. You are not defeated but are a winner, more than a conqueror through Christ who strengthen us. Jesus won the war so keep in mind we are not struggling to get victory but we are struggling [fighting] in a place of victory, Amen!

 

Let’s pray:

Father in the mighty name of Jesus I worship and praise Your name. Be thy exalted and lifted High; open our spiritual eyes and hears to see what you want us to perceive and to hear what you want us to comprehend. Help us to die to our flesh and increase your Spirit within us. Holy Spirit, help us to remove any form of distractions that are hindering us to focus, spend time with You and hear from You in Jesus name. Oh, Jesus Son of David, as you answered blind Bartimaeus and had mercy on Him, have also mercy on us as we cry out to You and prevail in our situations. Holy Spirit my helper, come to my aid and help me to overcome the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes and my situation in the name of Jesus. In the name of Jesus Christ, I command … (name your situation) to turn around for my good. In the mighty name of Jesus, I bind [forbid, cast out] the spirit of … (name it-things you don’t want to see anymore) and loose [permit] the spirit of …(name it- things you want to see happen). Thank You Jesus for answering our prayers and strengthen us spiritually in Jesus name. Receive our praise, honor and glory for you alone deserve our adoration in Jesus name.

God bless you and remember Jesus loves you and wants to draw closer to you. Go boldly into His throne room of grace and take what belong to you. Amen!

 

Biblical References:
¹Mark 5:6-10,12-13; ²Hebrews 11:1; ³Psalms100:4; ⁴Matthew 18:18; ⁵ Philippians 2:9-11; ⁶1John 5:14; ⁷James 5:13; ⁸Psalms 37:7; ⁹Romans 8:35; ¹⁰Psalms 130:5; ¹¹James 5:16; ¹²Matthew.18:18