“But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.”

Matthew 12:28

There was a great expectation in the city of Jerusalem and the surroundings cities because of Jesus’ ministry. People were amazed at the miracles being manifested through Him. However, all of them were alarmed to know that Jesus was headed to the region of the Gadarenes. Many thought that it was going to be the end of His ministry because not even the army was able to control the demonized man who was wandering throughout the region. His strength was huge. There was no chain that was able to bind him; he broke out of everything. Everyone knew that this was a demonized man, but when Jesus arrived at the place where they knew he roamed, those with Him were puzzled when they saw how the afflicted man knelt down before Jesus, acknowledging his great level of authority. And he said with a loud voice, “What do you want with us, Son of God?” The demons inside of him shouted, “Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?” (Matthew 8:29).

The demons knew that Jesus was the Son of God. The news had spread in the demonic spiritual realm because in just three ‘rounds’ He had defeated their top leader! Now Jesus had gained the grudging respect of these demonic forces, and they knew that there was no power that could defeat Him. Just one of Jesus’ words was enough to send them to eternal torment. For this reason, they begged Jesus not to do so. Later, the demons identified themselves, saying that they were many and that their name was ‘legion’. “The demons begged Jesus, “If you drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.” He said to them, “Go!” So they came out and went into the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and died in the water” (Matthew 8:31-32).

This man was set free from the demonic power, but the people of the region were not pleased; instead, they asked Jesus to leave them and go somewhere else. It’s incredible to see the spiritual blindness of the people from the region of the Gadarenes. The Son of God was there, and they saw that He performed one of the most extraordinary miracles that no other man had performed before; however, they didn’t care. What they cared more about was that they had lost their source of income when they lost their pigs.

When the news arrived at the ears of the religious leaders of Israel, they tried to play down the situation, but Jesus declared, “But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you” (Matthew 12:28). One of the most unusual features of Jesus’ ministry was the casting out of demons. Some of the prophets who came before Him had the power to raise the dead, to cleanse lepers, and to perform miracles; however, no one knew that it was possible to cast out demons like this. After Jesus left the region of the Gadarenes, He had established, with clarity, that the kingdom of God delivers people from every demonic oppression.

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
I received the testimony of a woman about her experience when she attended an Encounter. “For years, I lived with a spirit of guilt that I felt was eating me up inside every day. I became a widow fifteen years ago, and later, I fell in love with another man. I was always an exemplary mother with my two daughters, but I started to feel sick and I had constant bleeding. One day I decided to go to the doctor, and to my surprise, the doctor’s diagnosis was that I was pregnant. I felt like dying with that report; it was my worst day. I thought of the reaction of my daughters and what my family would say because it is one thing to fail in your emotions but a very different thing when a mother fails. In the midst of my despair, I went to an abortion center, but they said that they would not do it because I was six months pregnant, and my life would be at risk. I would rather have died before bearing the shame before my daughters. However, when I saw the baby on the screen, feelings of motherhood awoke in me so I let go of the idea of aborting the baby. That baby is ten years old today, and it is a beautiful girl. I was never able to forgive myself, and I felt an evil spirit that tormented me; yet, when I attended an Encounter and they started to speak about how Jesus came to deliver us from the power of the devil, I understood that He had taken my failure and my shame to the Cross. He had died especially for me. As I understood that, I was able to remove the heavy weight that had tormented me for years. I was able to forgive myself and accept the forgiveness Jesus was offering. My life was divided in two before and after my encounter with Jesus. I’m the happiest woman in the world after I was accepted by Jesus.”

TODAY’S DECLARATION
“The truth of Your Word, Jesus, enlightened my life, dismissed the darkness, broke the chains, and I was clothed with power.”

Today’s post is an excerpt from Pastor Cesar Castellanos’ book, Declarations of Power for 365 Days of the Year: Volume Three.

TODAY’S BIBLE READING

• Old Testament: Esther 3-4; Proverbs 16:1-16
• New Testament: Luke 19:39-48; Titus 3:1-8