Heart Tracks - Never Again

25 When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the impure spirit. “You deaf and mute spirit,” he said, “I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.”

26 The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, “He’s dead.” 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up. Mark 9:25-27

I think besides failing to realize who we are in Christ, we don't realize what we are in Him as well. Jesus Christ has authority over all things. Scripture says that all things are held together in Him. When we come to Him, live in Him, surrender fully to Him, we walk in His authority as well.

Jesus had been approached by a father desperate to see his son delivered from an affliction that not only rendered him deaf and mute, but caused him to physically harm himself. Jesus recognized immediately that the problem was demonic in its source. He confronted the evil spirit, commanded that it leave the boy, and added something key to that command, "Never enter him again." Here's the question that comes to mind; if we do walk in His authority, surrendered, obedient, abiding, then we too can speak "never again" to those things, habits, addictions, and people that seek to control, manipulate, and dominate us. What in you life, my life, needs to hear that command of "never again?"

I'm not oversimplifying here. Jesus Christ was and is fully God and fully man. All things were subject to Him. He said that all authority had been given unto Him. When He spoke, the response was instantaneous. He has given that authority to us, but we live in fallen bodies in a fallen world. Though we have His authority, oftentimes we need to exercise it more than once on any given object. Habits, addiction, abusive relationships can become ingrained in our lives. They take root, and they mean to stay. They will resist leaving. What we must realize that is with His authority comes His power. We may be weak, but in our weakness His strength is unleashed. His will is that we be free. When we align our will with His, all the power of hell cannot stand against that. No matter how powerful the stronghold, when we speak in that power of His name, it will crumble. We may need to speak it many times, at least in the beginning, but with each speaking, its power grows weaker until finally, its broken.

All of us, myself included, have lived under a yoke of slavery to something. The harm done us takes place on every level of life; physical, mental, spiritual. Like the father of that boy, we feel helpless. If we will realize who we are, and whose we are, we can rise up in His name and power and speak, as He did, those words to the slavemaster; never again! Jesus asked the father of the boy if he believed He could set him free. The father did believe, but it was coupled with doubt. His plea to Jesus was, "I do believe. Help me in my unbelief." Maybe that's where you are now. You want to speak the "never again." You do believe that you can be free, but that thing or person has held you in its grip for so long. Admit the struggle to Him, confess your doubt, your unbelief, and ask Him to replace it with His strength and confidence. Then begin to speak your "never again" to whatever stronghold holds you in bondage. When you speak those words in His authority, His strength, it will began to topple....at its very foundation. Speak it, and continue to speak it. You will shake the foundation of hell, and the foundation of that which holds you. Never again. What and who needs to hear that in your life?

Blessings,
Pastor O