The Power to Rebuke

Mark 1:21-28

Then they came to Capernaum, and on the sabbath Jesus entered the synagogue and taught. The people were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes. In their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit; he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!” Jesus rebuked him and said, “Quiet! Come out of him!” The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him. All were amazed and asked one another, “What is this? A new teaching with authority. He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him.” His fame spread everywhere throughout the whole region of Galilee.

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I know many of us are familiar with the movie, “The Exorcist”.  Linda Blair is almost best remembered for being demon-possessed and spitting something that resembles pea soup at her Holy foes than most anything else in her film career!?  While it’s easy for us all to believe in our Guardian Angels, most do not think or talk about their demons.  They don’t see them as real, but, they are as real today as they were in Jesus’ days.  The amazing thing is that we can have the same power as Jesus had – that when He walked into a room with a demon, they immediately took notice and feared, trembled, etc.  My Wife, Michelle, has a sign at our cabin, “Breath of Heaven”, that reads, “Be the kind of woman that when your feet hit the floor each the morning, the devil says, “Oh crap, she’s up.”  We all have this power.  “Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7)  “For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matthew 7:20).  Always remember, love wins in the end and nothing that the devil does can change that.  Christ loved all of us so much that He died for us; and, he died for something that He didn’t deserve.  He died for love period.  Please be sure to pass that love on to others – the devil can’t conquer it.