LIVING IN GLORY - V
MEMORISE:
But upon mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; And the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.
Obadiah 17
READ: Mark 5:1-15
1 And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes.
2 And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit,
3 Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains:
4 Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him.
5 And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones.
6 But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him,
7 And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not.
8 For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit.
9 And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many.
10 And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country.
11 Now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding.
12 And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them.
13 And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand;) and were choked in the sea.
14 And they that fed the swine fled, and told it in the city, and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that was done.
15 And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid.
MESSAGE
Bondage is the condition of being dominated by sin fleshly lusts, or demonic powers. Bondage refers to any situation contrary to God’s plan and purpose for man according to Genesis 1:27-28.
It is anything that binds a fellow in the tomment of fear (Hebrews 2:15). Bondage of any kind has one purpose – to shame and disgrace.
Incident them bondage is usually not forced, as we see in the case of Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:1-19). People usually become enslaved through the wrong choices they make in life.
Consequently, many live by choice under the control of demonic powers, hard drugs and other forms of addiction like money alcohol, sex and worldly pleasures, without any idea that they are in bondage.
That is why 2 Peter 2:19 says:
…for of whom a man is overcome of the same is he brought in bondage.
Furthermore, Romans 6:16 says:
Know ye not that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
No matter what you are passing through you can make a decision now that will change the course of your life forever.
All you need to do is reject sin and evil, then embrace God and righteousness.
There is nothing glorious about living in bondage. Physical bondage includes poverty, sickness, failure, a sinful lifestyle, and addictions.
Spiritual bondage includes demonic possession, being remotely controlled or tied down, being under the influence and experiencing situations that are not observable or physically explicable, as seen in the case of the mad man of Gadara in our Bible reading today.
The good news is that Jesus came to this world for the purpose of restoring freedom to man in line with John 10:10 and Luke 4:18.
As you reject Satan and submit to Jesus today, He will make you whole and deliver you completely from all forms of bondage, in Jesus’ name.
PRAYER POINT:
Father, please deliver me from everything blocking the manifestation of Your glory in my life, in Jesus name.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: leviticus 24-26
HYMN 12: MY FAITH LOOKS UP TO THEE
1 My faith looks up to thee,
thou Lamb of Calvary,
Savior divine.
Now hear me while I pray;
take all my guilt away;
O let me from this day
be wholly thine!
2 May thy rich grace impart
strength to my fainting heart;
my zeal inspire!
As thou hast died for me,
oh, may my love to thee
pure, warm, and changeless be,
a living fire!
3 While life’s dark maze I tread,
and griefs around me spread,
be thou my guide.
Bid darkness turn to day,
wipe sorrow’s tears away,
nor let me ever stray
from thee aside.
4 When ends life’s transient dream,
when death’s cold, sullen stream
shall o’er me roll,
blest Savior, then, in love,
fear and distrust remove;
O bear me safe above,
a ransomed soul!
