“As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not be afraid; only believe.” Mark 5:36 NKJV
Do I remind you every day NOT to take one verse, out of context, and apply it to any situation you’d like – at your whim? I should. I have seen it more and more as these days get darker. DO NOT WRONGLY DIVIDE THE BIBLE! There are however a few fantastic verses with broadly reaching meaning that can be applied all over your life! This is great news to those who love to ‘name it – claim it’.
Let us take this opening verse as a quick thought on this subject.
Here is the story: Jesus said that He will come heal the child. World says she died. Jesus said, ‘don’t fear and believe’. Principle here is that Jesus’s promises always come true and the devil (and the world by extension under his dominion) are liars.
Our application: We find a Biblical promise correctly divided. For sake of the lesson here is one of mine: I stand on the promise in Psalms 91 – “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” This is verse 1 – but it goes on to say we are promised protection and provision. So when the world tells me I am not protected and might catch a plague and should be fearful and act erratic taking drugs which have not yet been fully vetted. I say “Don’t fear and believe”. I apply the opening verse! I choose to believe the Word of the Lord over the lies of the enemy. I stay in the secret place and I am protected.
“Do not be afraid; only believe.” Can be applied all over my life! Hallelujah!
Dear Heavenly Father – As always, please open eye to see and our ears to hear what you are saying! Lord – open our understanding that we may know you and give us wisdom. Please do not let us miss out on what you want and need from us today. Lord, I pray that your word prepares us and not scares us! We forbid the works and influences of fear over your word. And please keep us and bless us and shine your face upon us and pour out grace over us and give us peace! Thank you! – In Jesus name we pray, Amen
Today’s reading is from the book of Matthew, chapter 8, verses 14-34, and the book of Mark, chapters 4-5 (embedded below the image below for your convenience).
Coming in HOT today! But seriously, can we stop trying to make the scriptures say what we want them to say and take the time to really get to know our Jesus and what He is really saying?! Here are more parables today – some need to be grouped in with the ones from yesterday so you can keep them all together in one piece – one meaning – one point. Which is ironically kind of the point of Jesus speaking in parables – so you will look at it from many sides and draw one conclusion and better understand (not be more confused).
Today we again see the casting out of legion – Jesus cast demons out of a man. In case you do not understand the spirit world, let me explain. God is spirit and is not created but has always existed. God created spirit beings to worship Him. But one of these angels rose up in pride and sinned. In punishment he was told he couldn’t live in heaven anymore (but we saw in Job that he can still come and go from where God lives). God then created the heavens and earth and us. Those not evil beings came to earth to turn God’s favored creation (humans) against Him. These spirits still exist and hell is created as a final punishment for them – not for humans. But they are tricking humans into being evil and choosing that over being godly. And the only reason they are doing it is to get back at God and hurt God’s feelings. So as humans we are born into this battle and either surrender ourselves to God or to evil. We are left with NO other choices. We are not Gods and we are not powerful like we want to think we are. We are humble little pons in the game the evils ones have created – and God keeps trying to pull us out of this game.
It is in the purpose to hurt God that the evil spirit set the following scene. And it scared many. By the way fear is an evil spirit and therefore the scared people gave the evil more power and hurt their own ability to come to God for protection and peace. Let’s look at it:
This, by the way is a nightmarish horror story for the Jews specifically more so than for a gentile. Although this passage clearly shows that both have been scared by it. Let me explain. Jesus and at least 12 other Hebrew men literally travel through a storm and land in a foreign land. No doubt the men were still a bit shaken. They find themselves just outside of a cemetery – which is unclean. Near a heard of pigs, also unclean. With a crazy demon (unclean) man, malnourished (looking ghostly all skin and bones), bloody from cutting himself (unclean), with broken chains rattling around him – charging towards him with demons manifesting and crying out to Jesus. To them – is there any scarier scene? (My mother once told me Christians do not tell scary stories and I pointed out hell – but maybe I should have pointed this one out!)
Here are the points we learn: Many evil things can be in one body. Even evil possessed man comes worshipping Jesus (yes, some in your church are possessed by evil and raise their hands in worship on Sunday morning). These evil entities want to be in a human body, but can be in an animal. And there is something about water that is disagreeable to these evil things. <- this last one is a partial revelation that I have studied a few scholar’s opinions of. I find it very interesting.
I think Rev. Derek Prince explains it all in the most logical way, although not in terms I would use. But He was speaking to generations ago and I live in a world where words do not mean what they used to. None the less, if you are interested you can read his books and still find some of his grainy sermons on YouTube from when he was old but mankind finally had the technology to record it.
Some say that all of these evil entities are fallen angels other say there are fallen angels and other ones (with various explanations). We know that in the days of Noah, evil things were walking the earth and possessing people and influencing people for evil so God sent a flood to rid the world of them. It had to be a flood because these evil things only effected things on land. There are NO accounts of demon possessed fish (only godly fish who swallow a man whole and not digest him – looking at you Jonah). So there is something about water and these kind of evil things. And God rescued mankind, in grace and mercy, by sending the flood.
We know when we are sinners and we get saved, we must be immersed in water baptism, obediently. (I do believe we should get baptized and quickly after believing because that is what they did in the Bible. Some people say you cannot get to heaven if you aren’t baptized. I do not believe that is true because I have not found a verse that says that.) BUT there is something about water. And we only know in part. There is a reason He says to do it – so be obedient.
I know – I do not think you will find anyone else crying repent and be baptized (to not only participate I the death and resurrection of Christ, and because John Baptized before Christ started His ministry) but to also participate in the death of the evil of the times of Noah and the salvation through the arc because our rainbow has now been corrupted and mankind is evil such as the days of Noah and the time is late. There is something about salvation and water and although I do not understand in whole – I and not afraid and only believe and therefore obey.
Get to know God – learn of these deeper ways. Let Him open your understanding.
RELATIONSHIP:
Do you already have a relationship with a powerful God who cares about your every need because He loves you? Did you know my God can communicate with you and protect you – He has a plan for you to prosper if you just submit to His will and let His plan play out in your life!!! God wants a relationship with you and has already made a plan for your life. He loves you so much He sent His son to this world, to die as a sacrifice for your sins and rise from death with victory over sin and the ability to have a personal relationship with you.
“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” Romans 10:9-10 NIV
Here is a prayer for you to pray:
Jesus, I believe you are the way, the truth, the life, and the only way to the Father. I believe you are the son of God, you came to Earth and lived. That you died on the cross as a sacrifice for my sins, and rose again so that I may be saved from my sins and be able to get to know you. I declare: Jesus, you are Lord!
Therefore, I confess that I am a sinner and I ask that you forgive me of my sins and come into my life. Help me to turn away from my sins and transform me into what you have lovingly created me to be. Help me through a real personal relationship grow and accept your will for my life – that I may live in your blessings. Please walk with me, and talk with me – I accept a relationship with you and with our Father God, through you. In the name of Jesus I pray ~ Amen
MEMORY WORK: This month we have another great verse to pick up and swing when you need a sword in your hand! These memory verses were selected, last year for this year. As many of you tell me of the great attacks on your lives – the timing is perfect! But of course it is, it is God!
Deuteronomy 28:7
NKJV – “The LORD will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face; they shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways.”
NAS – “The LORD will cause your enemies who rise up against you to be defeated by you; they will go out against you one way and will flee at your presence seven ways.”
ESV – “The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before you. They shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways.”
AMP – “The LORD will cause the enemies who rise up against you to be defeated before you; they will come out against you one way, but flee before you seven ways.”
NIV – “The LORD will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven.”
Thank you for reading.
May the God of peace keep you and bless you. May you stay focused on Christ and covered in grace.
Maranatha ~ Come Lord Jesus!
BIBLE READING: Matthew 8:14-34 & Mark 4-5 NKJV
Matthew 8:14-34
Peter’s Mother-in-Law Healed
14 Now when Jesus had come into Peter’s house, He saw his wife’s mother lying sick with a fever. 15 So He touched her hand, and the fever left her. And she arose and served [a]them.
Many Healed in the Evening
16 When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, 17 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:
“He Himself took our infirmities
And bore our sicknesses.”
The Cost of Discipleship
18 And when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave a command to depart to the other side. 19 Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.”
20 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”
21 Then another of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.”
22 But Jesus said to him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”
Wind and Wave Obey Jesus
23 Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. 24 And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep. 25 Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!”
26 But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. 27 So the men marveled, saying, [b]“Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”
Two Demon-Possessed Men Healed
28 When He had come to the other side, to the country of the [c]Gergesenes, there met Him two demon-possessed men, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no one could pass that way. 29 And suddenly they cried out, saying, “What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?”
30 Now a good way off from them there was a herd of many swine feeding. 31 So the demons begged Him, saying, “If You cast us out, [d]permit us to go away into the herd of swine.”
32 And He said to them, “Go.” So when they had come out, they went into the herd of swine. And suddenly the whole herd of swine ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and perished in the water.
33 Then those who kept them fled; and they went away into the city and told everything, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men. 34 And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus. And when they saw Him, they begged Him to depart from their region.
Footnotes
- Matthew 8:15 NU, M Him
- Matthew 8:27 Lit. What sort of man is this
- Matthew 8:28 NU Gadarenes
- Matthew 8:31 NU send us into
Mark 4-5
The Parable of the Sower
4 And again He began to teach by the sea. And a great multitude was gathered to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat in it on the sea; and the whole multitude was on the land facing the sea. 2 Then He taught them many things by parables, and said to them in His teaching:
3 “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4 And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds [a]of the air came and devoured it. 5 Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth. 6 But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away. 7 And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no [b]crop. 8 But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.”
9 And He said [c]to them, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
The Purpose of Parables
10 But when He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable. 11 And He said to them, “To you it has been given to know the [d]mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables, 12 so that
‘Seeing they may see and not perceive,
And hearing they may hear and not understand;
Lest they should turn,
And their sins be forgiven them.’ ”
The Parable of the Sower Explained
13 And He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? 14 The sower sows the word. 15 And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts. 16 These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; 17 and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word’s sake, immediately they stumble. 18 Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, 19 and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 20 But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, [e]accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.”
Light Under a Basket
21 Also He said to them, “Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Is it not to be set on a lampstand? 22 For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light. 23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”
24 Then He said to them, “Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given. 25 For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”
The Parable of the Growing Seed
26 And He said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should [f]scatter seed on the ground, 27 and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. 28 For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. 29 But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”
The Parable of the Mustard Seed
30 Then He said, “To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we picture it? 31 It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; 32 but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade.”
Jesus’ Use of Parables
33 And with many such parables He spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it. 34 But without a parable He did not speak to them. And when they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples.
Wind and Wave Obey Jesus
35 On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.” 36 Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. 37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. 38 But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”
39 Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace,[g] be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. 40 But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How[h] is it that you have no faith?” 41 And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!”
A Demon-Possessed Man Healed
5 Then they came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the [i]Gadarenes. 2 And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, 3 who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no one could bind [j]him, not even with chains, 4 because he had often been bound with shackles and chains. And the chains had been pulled apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces; neither could anyone tame him. 5 And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones.
6 When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him. 7 And he cried out with a loud voice and said, “What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore[k] You by God that You do not torment me.”
8 For He said to him, “Come out of the man, unclean spirit!” 9 Then He asked him, “What is your name?”
And he answered, saying, “My name is Legion; for we are many.” 10 Also he begged Him earnestly that He would not send them out of the country.
11 Now a large herd of swine was feeding there near the mountains. 12 So all the demons begged Him, saying, “Send us to the swine, that we may enter them.” 13 And [l]at once Jesus gave them permission. Then the unclean spirits went out and entered the swine (there were about two thousand); and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and drowned in the sea.
14 So those who fed the swine fled, and they told it in the city and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that had happened. 15 Then they came to Jesus, and saw the one who had been demon-possessed and had the legion, sitting and clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. 16 And those who saw it told them how it happened to him who had been demon-possessed, and about the swine. 17 Then they began to plead with Him to depart from their region.
18 And when He got into the boat, he who had been demon-possessed begged Him that he might be with Him. 19 However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, “Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you.” 20 And he departed and began to proclaim in [m]Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all marveled.
A Girl Restored to Life and a Woman Healed
21 Now when Jesus had crossed over again by boat to the other side, a great multitude gathered to Him; and He was by the sea. 22 And behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus by name. And when he saw Him, he fell at His feet 23 and begged Him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter lies at the point of death. Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live.” 24 So Jesus went with him, and a great multitude followed Him and thronged Him.
25 Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, 26 and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse. 27 When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment. 28 For she said, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.”
29 Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the [n]affliction. 30 And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched My clothes?”
31 But His disciples said to Him, “You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’ ”
32 And He looked around to see her who had done this thing. 33 But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. 34 And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.”
35 While He was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?”
36 As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not be afraid; only believe.” 37 And He permitted no one to follow Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James. 38 Then He came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and saw [o]a tumult and those who wept and wailed loudly. 39 When He came in, He said to them, “Why make this commotion and weep? The child is not dead, but sleeping.”
40 And they ridiculed Him. But when He had put them all outside, He took the father and the mother of the child, and those who were with Him, and entered where the child was lying. 41 Then He took the child by the hand, and said to her, “Talitha, cumi,” which is translated, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” 42 Immediately the girl arose and walked, for she was twelve years of age. And they were overcome with great amazement. 43 But He commanded them strictly that no one should know it, and said that something should be given her to eat.
Footnotes
- Mark 4:4 NU, M omit of the air
- Mark 4:7 Lit. fruit
- Mark 4:9 NU, M omit to them
- Mark 4:11 secret or hidden truths
- Mark 4:20 receive
- Mark 4:26 sow
- Mark 4:39 Lit. Be quiet
- Mark 4:40 NU Have you still no faith?
- Mark 5:1 NU Gerasenes
- Mark 5:3 NU adds anymore
- Mark 5:7 adjure
- Mark 5:13 NU He gave
- Mark 5:20 Lit. Ten Cities
- Mark 5:29 suffering
- Mark 5:38 an uproar
If Not For Grace 