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Sunday, January 11th, 2015
CityLight Church’s One Year Bible Reading Plan
Genesis 24:52-26:16
Matthew 8:18-34
Psalm 10:1-15
Proverbs 3:7-8
For full text click here: http://bit.ly/1dCfm1s
Commentary from Pastor Mike White:
“So the demons begged Him, saying, ‘If You cast us out, permit us to go away into the herd of swine’” (Matt 8:31). Matthew recounts the story of Jesus encountering two demon-possessed men. Notice that Jesus was not afraid as He approached these men. As the Light, He was never afraid of darkness; neither should we be.
The demons immediately recognized that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. James chides the early church for their pride in recognizing Jesus as the Messiah (James 2:19); if even the demons believe, what excuse do we have for our unbelief!
But the demons did more than simply believe in Jesus. They begged. They acknowledged that He was all-powerful and retained complete authority over them. They knew that they could not so much as move without first asking permission.
Jesus retains complete authority over all the powers of darkness to this day. We are His hands and feet. As such, we should be aware of the authority that comes with His name, and never be afraid to exercise it. The easiest way to cast out darkness is to expose it to Light. Demons will beg for mercy when the church steps into the full authority bestowed upon her by God’s Only Son!
Prayer:
Father, I know that every knee must bow to the name Jesus. That includes me, so I willingly give my life over to you. That also includes Satan and all his associates. Help me to exercise the authority over darkness that You always intended for me to have, in Jesus name.