Read: Deuteronomy 11:1-12:32; Luke 8:22-39; Psalm 70:1-5; Proverbs 12:4
God reminded the people that their children didn’t see the miracles and wonders that God did for them when he delivered them from Egypt. They also didn’t live during the days that the Lord disciplined them with plagues and earthquakes. They would have to teach their children these things over and over so they wouldn’t forget them. The live they were going to would not be hard like the life of traveling through the wilderness. The promised land would have fertile fields and rain. God tended to this land and if they obeyed him he would make sure the rain came at the right time and the earth yielded its fruit. All the land that God had mapped out for them would be theirs all they had to do was to set their foot on it. He promised to drive out their enemies. They just had to keep walking.
This is a great promise to us. When we get stuck because of fear we stop possessing our land. If we have dreams then we keep dreaming and planning until God breaks through for us. If we have family issues, we press on in prayer and keep walking with the Lord. To stop is to lose ground.
God gave them the choice of being blessed or cursed. He gives us that same choice. To be blessed is to follow his Word. To be cursed is to disobey them.
In Luke, Jesus and his disciples crossed the lake to the Gentile side. The devil knew he was coming and tried to kill him in the storm but Jesus was not afraid of the devil’s threats. He calmed the sea. When he got there, he immediately met the principality of that region that resided in a man in chains (a perfect picture of a man under Satan’s command). Jesus cast his demons out and put them into the pigs as he had begged. The pigs committed suicide by rushing down the cliff into the water where they drowned. Instead of the people being happy to see this man totally set free, they were afraid of Jesus and made him leave. People are comfortable in their lifestyle of sin. They don’t applaud righteousness and spiritual freedom.
When the man begged to go with Jesus, Jesus told him he had to stay and tell people what had happened to him. Jesus left.
What we didn’t read today is that the man did what Jesus told him to do and the people were able to see the change in this man. The next time Jesus came to this region, the people flocked to see him. We overcome by the power of our testimony and the blood of the lamb.
Lord, help us to be bold in sharing our testimony to those around us. Help us not to be afraid of Satan’s power which is under our feet.
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