Get Focused

After focusing on the passage Luke 8:26-37, I realized something: the battle of life is so much bigger than your day-to-day issues with work, family, friends, and even the petty issues that you may encounter in church. Those are all distractions to keep you from doing what you are destined to do. We get so consumed with what is going on in the natural, that we miss what is going on in the spirit. That is just a trick to keep us off what we really should be focused on. The enemy knows that if he can stop us, than he can keep his "territory".

The passage tells the story about Jesus delivering the man with the demons (I'm going to speak in the tone that appeals to those familiar with the story, if you are not familiar, I encourage you to read Luke 8 beginning at verse 1). In this story, there are many important points that can be pulled out. I'm going to get down as much as I can, because after hearing a sermon about this, and reading and meditating on the scriptures, revelation just keep unfolding and I just feel like I'm bursting at the seams with fire! Prior to meeting the demon-possessed man, Jesus was traveling on a boat with the disciples where they encounter a terrible storm, that was threatening their lives. With the seas raging and billows blowing out of control, the disciples were fearful and distracted with what was going on around them instead of resting in the fact that they had the Master of the Seas on the boat with them. While all of this is going on Jesus is asleep. They woke him up saying "Master, master, we perish." Jesus then arose and rebuked the storm [the distraction] and asked them where was their faith.

Jesus already knew what awaited them on the other shore, there was an assignment on the other side. And so did the devil. He tried to stop them from getting to their destination, where he would preform a miracle in front of a city of gentiles, so they may ask who is this man called Jesus?!

Once reaching the shore there was a man filled with demons who had been naked, living among the tombs, and cutting himself, who ran out and fell at the feet of Jesus. The demons in him spoke out and begged Jesus not to cast them back into the pit and asked to be cast into the pigs that were nearby.

Let's look at the man: He was filled with many demons, so many that they called themselves Legion. They had been tormenting this man so, that he could not live with people, but he lived among dead things (how many of us are so distracted that we are living in dead situations?). He was naked and cutting himself. How many times do we find ourselves in the place where we are so consumed with life that we are depressed and filled with negativity and beating up on ourselves . But if we, even with the devil on our backs, can get to the feet of Jesus, the devil would have no other choice but to flee. For if we can keep our mind stayed on Jesus all the other things (our needs and wants) will be added unto us.

Jesus had arrived at His destination. The demons knew the jig was up. They knew that they, even with all their numbers, were no match for the power of God. Take note that they knew exactly who Jesus was. Jesus was in a region full of gentiles. The gentiles were never given the prophesy about the coming Messiah, but yet this man full of demons calls Him the Son of the Most High God. The demons recognized the power in Him, while man had yet to realize that He was in deed the Son of God (That can go into a whole other topic in and of it's self). The demons knew they had no power and began bargaining because they knew they had to go. And because they recognize the sovereignty of God they had to ask permission to go into the pigs. If we are blood washed believers, filled with the baptism of the Holy Spirit, created in the imagine of God, having the mind of God, why are we so bothered by the devil and his foolery? The devil has no power. God has given us the power and authority through Christ Jesus to conquer the enemy. We have the power to put the devil on the run, if only we can stay focused.

After Jesus allow the demons to go into the pigs and they drowned themselves in the lake, the whole town came out to see Jesus....because of the demons. It was going to take a crossing through a storm, and a man being filled will demons for a town of gentiles (the rocks) to come out to find out who is this man called Jesus who even the demons that tormented this man recognized as the Son of God and had no choice but to obey!

We are living in a day and age where society has lost it's ever loving mind and is soooooo far away from God. We are living in the last days, and the devil knows his time is almost up, so he's trying to  turn as many as he can away from God. He was damned to hell and he wants us to be damned right along with him. Misery loves company. The bible says he goes to and fro through out the earth as a roaring loin seeking whom he may devour. We as blood-washed believers need to get focused on God because we have a job to do. I say this all the time, but it's time out for playing church. People are dying physically and spiritually. It is time to stand up and say for God I live and for God I die. People of God we need to seek God and ask him to show us what it is that he needs us to do, and put our hands to the plow. What is it that God has called you do in the Kingdom? Are you pursuing it? Let's get focused brothers and sister and let's get it done. Don't let the Lord pass you by.