freeATlast

MARK 4:     FREE AT LAST!

35. And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side.
( hum what your not told here is that the other side was a place called the Gadarenes, a demons paradise, and Satans playground talk about taking it to the enemy! sounds to me like Jesus had a plan, our hero was about to step into action and that’s just like him he goes where others fear, shun or avoid & all for someone that others consider unworthy? of no value? hum....)
36. And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships.
37. And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. 38. And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?
( Now isn’t that like Satan to try to catch you unaware and unprepared, when your tired and weary and asleep he sneaks up for the kill, you see Satan was aware that Jesus was intending to bring freedom and relief to one of his dying human captives possessed of demons, and so Satan try’s to stop this mission of deliverance using the elements and fear; but notice Jesus he’s asleep and relaxed, he’s confidently calm in Christ not even worried, unlike the others who panic and flee in fear! )
39. And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
( yeah he will speak peace to your situation too if you let him, ask him, seek him )
40. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? 41. And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?

Mark 5:1   And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes.
( Ah that place again, the devils island, it was a no mans land, no one ever went out of their way to go there, it was considered a place of dangerous demons, a land of outcast, rejects and rift raft, this place was feared and avoided by all, no it was not its high jagged cliffs and rugged storm waters that people feared most but rather the dangerous and demonic forces that abided there.)

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.
( for some of us we too are bound, but the fetters and chains that bind us are not made of wrought iron but are rather of our own making, our own choice? That’s why sometimes it seems like nothing or no one can tame us, like nothing can break this bondage? A bondage not of iron and steel but fetters of lust, greed, anger, bitterness, and faithlessness, chains of condemnation, shame, hypocrisy, gossip and so forth but there is freedom, there is hope! his name is Jesus! Try him you’ll like him. )
5. And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones. ( always night and day, ever wondered what its like to cry night and day? to hurt so bad night and day? to be so mad and insane, so out of control that you constantly seek to harm and destroy yourself and others? so unable to help yourself? my what a life! what bondage, what pain, what hopelessness! )
6. But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him,
( that’s just it for most of us when we feel or sense that Jesus is afar off, when we feel that he’s not listening, or he’s unconcerned, when we can’t feel his presence, we tend to run in the opposite direction, we go away from him rather than try and draw nearer to him? and as for worship him? when he seems so distant, no we tend to get mad and even doubt causing us to hold back the praise and worship, and when we see Jesus coming our way some of us also run the other way, we tend to fear the changes he will bring in our lives, the request he may make upon us, the bondage he may deliver us from ah yes you see some of us actually like our bondage? “ wilt thou be made whole?” )
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.
(Many yes many that’s just it, sometimes it seems like your over whelmed & over powered, that the enemy is many! that the enemy is mighty, that there are more against you with each passing day, but be encouraged for the bible saids that ‘ if God be for you who can be against you” greater is he that is in you” )
10. And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country. 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.
( Now isn’t that something? did you notice it saids that he was sitting in his right mind and clothed! hum wonder where he got the clothes? well it wasn’t normal for folks in the middle east to go around carrying extra clothes, My guess is Jesus was prepared because he was following a plan, the plan of divine deliverance, perhaps he heard the cries of even this demon possessed man, just when you think he’s not listening )
16. And they that saw it told them how it befell to him that was possessed with the devil, and also concerning the swine.
17. And they began to pray him to depart out of their coasts.
( Isn’t that like some people you come to them offering help and healing, you bring deliverance from demons and despair, and people want to chase you out of town. they prefer the life of sin rather than the Son, they prefer to remain shackled to their illicit sex and drunken stupors more than the freedom of sanity and sobriety; I should know I was once in this mess myself, till my hero! my Daddy! came to my rescue)

REFLECTIONS: A demon possessed man! hum.. ever wondered how he got that way? ever wondered what his life was like? what it was like before? who his family was? his mommy? Maybe it started with just a small curse word here and there, maybe a little stealing here and there, maybe an ungrateful attitude every now and then, maybe just a drink or toke now and then, or perhaps it just started with a casual affair or a little pornography every once in awhile, I really don’t know how it started, but what I do know is that it doesn’t have to start with a big revolt against God you see Satan usually waits for a little opening he don’t need much but when he gets in he comes in like a flood!
Cause you see in the end this man was a destroyed man, a sick man, a fallen man, a hurting man, but he was not a hopeless man atleast not in Gods eyes, oh he more than likely may have been rejected by his own family, persecuted by the religious bigots, ostracized by society, mocked by the public, yeah left for dead in this vast cold and distant wasteland called the Gadarenes oh what a mess he was in, and Oh how his poor mommy’s heart must have hurt and broke to see her son ravaged by demons and rejected by society, to see her son sent to this lowly island of devils and danger. So here he is abandoned in a dark, damp, dirty and dungy cave, yes even this demon controlled man had a mommy who cried and cared, yes he once had his whole mind, had his own job, once took care of mommy, once prayed, once worshiped, he once lived a normal life, I imagine there were times when he reflected back on his sane days, his freedom days, I imagine as he was in that cave cutting himself and crying night and day, that he cried and whispered or maybe even screamed a prayer, maybe it was during just one sane second of sanity over the many hours of insanity...

( Oh Jesus please help me! God I can’t stand this! God I need to be free! oh this pain.. please forgive me father! )
but that’s all it took to get the attention of Jesus just one second of sanity, just one second of hope, just one second of a prayer, and Jesus was on the move..
“ we must needs go to the other side of the Gadarenes” ( and lets take some clothes while were at it )
So you see no one is beyond Gods help, Gods hope, God hears our cries, acts on our behalf, moves in our favor, he understands it’s a terrible thing to be under the cruel taskmaster of sin, he weeps for the demon possessed humans in our mist that we avoid and fear! that we reject and cast off to our islands of the outcast, places we have put aside for the people we call demons or rejects in our society.
Oh no we don’t have an island called the Gadarenes we have other places that are similar but we call them jails, hospitals, mental institutions, detox centers, Rehabs, abortion clinics, ghettos etc.
No sometimes we don’t send them to an island physically but we send them to an island of self made misery, of loneliness, of shame and abandonment, an island of emotional brokenness, an island of rejection and ridicule, you see sometimes the place of the Gadarenes can be within us!

A PRAYER: First let me say I love you Daddy! I ask your forgiveness today for the many things that may be wrong in my heart, or in my mind, for so often I do not even realize that I am in need of your saving grace! and that I have strayed from you, keep me daddy, may I also today pray for the so called demons in our mist the humans under demon bondage and control I pray that you would hear their prayers and cries, and if they are to insane to pray that you would move on others to pray for them, to care for them, to weep for them, to go out of their way for them in faith rather than avoid and shun them in fear, please daddy don’t let the stormy winds of adversity and thunderous troubles sent by Satan hinder nor frighten us from bringing deliverance and hope to the demon captives in our mist, don’t let us fear to go to the Gadarenes for sometimes we must take the battle to his territory yes sometimes we must be willing to travel and traverse the jagged cliffs of danger and despair, trouble and trials to see justice and freedom for the demon captive, to go thru the ravaging storm waters of danger and death to bring deliverance! Father thank you for the many times you went out of your way just for me, thank you that when I couldn’t pray and yes when others wouldn’t pray for me, thank you that you prayed for me! that you promised me that “ you make intercession for us daily..” Thank you that you cried for me when I couldn’t, that you cared when I didn’t, that when I was insane with sin you brought sanity and the Son just for me, you gave me healing! and wholeness! freedom and soundness, and blessed be thy name most holy one, the mighty God in Jesus! some folks don’t like that title but I love it, I adore it, I magnify it! you are wondrous and splenderous! for when I was abandoned and rejected, laughed at and mocked, chained and shackled by condemnation and shame sent to the island of the Gadarenes within me?
I felt so all alone, so hopeless, so unloved and uncared for, then you came, you brought perfect love, true freedom, you gave my life back to me, my dreams, my hopes, set me free from sin and bondage and oh how long I longed for that! to be free from the shame and misery, the ignorance and self righteousness, God bless you my Lord and savior!
It was a terrible thing to be under demon influence some people will never understand what’s that’s like, never care, never pray, never try.. but praise the Lord for your faithfulness! love you Jesus! please daddy never let the demons come my way again, never let them attempt to destroy my life, my family or my ministry ever again.
Yes Lord I may not be possessed of demons physically? but for the times when I act like there’s a demon in me, oh my God please be merciful and gentle with me. For God I am in need of lots of your mercies many a time, and oh Jesus I pray that will never want or try to chase you out of my coast or city, out of my home or heart, that I would never cry depart from me? help me to live that you would be glorified and magnified! and again I ask with great concern and love watch over my loving family with tender care and love, forever we will and do love you! AMEN!


Prepared by : George R. Nava   2170 E. Market St. Stockton, Ca phone -46-59731