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Day 6 Mark 5:1-20 Mark 5:1 And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes. 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. 5 And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones. 6 But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him, 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. 10 And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country. 11 Now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding. 12 And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them. 13 And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand;) and were choked in the sea. 14 And they that fed the swine fled, and told it in the city, and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that was done. 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. 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. 18 And when he was come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed him that he might be with him. 19 Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but said unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee. 20 And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel. When you tell someone not to say or do something, they tend to do it anyway. People have used this method as reverse psychology when they want something done. Whether or not that was Jesus’ intention when he cast out the legion of demons from the man, we don’t know. However, it got the attention of all those who knew the man Jesus’ cured. As Christians, you know you can tell people the gospel message, but without testimony it’s difficult for people to believe there could be anyone who rose from the dead. Yet, when you give your testimony, especially to people who knew you before you accepted Jesus as Savior and Lord, they will see the change in you, and will be ready to believe. Not everyone’s testimony is dramatic as the man with the unclean spirit. For many, their testimony is an aha moment, when understanding becomes clear. For instance, those who grew up in church, never did anything out of place, yet didn’t have a relationship with Jesus, despite all their knowledge about him, until the day when it became clear in an unmistakable manner. I guarantee it’s harder for someone to believe you just suddenly believed in Jesus, than for someone who came out of a dramatic life-saving accident for which there is no reason you should be alive. In those instances, reverse psychology comes into play, even daring a person to look into something they are totally against. Two men who were complete atheists were given the challenge. One was a newspaper reporter, and the other a college student. Both went to great lengths to prove the Bible was a hoax, talking to everyone they could, searching not only people, but the Scriptures looking for discrepancies that didn’t exist, and came to the same conclusion. One such person was Lee Strobel, a journalist for the Chicago Tribune. His story was documented in a book called The Case for Christ, now a movie by the same name. The other was Josh McDowell, a college student, given the challenge, and his conclusions not only led him to Jesus, but to a book that has now seen many editions, called Evidence That Demands a Verdict. Irrefutable evidence is what people look for when it comes to something as life-changing as believing in Jesus as your Savior and Lord. The evidence is out there. For the man with the unclean spirit, the change was dramatic, and people asked Jesus to leave their coast because they were afraid of him, but they also marveled at what happened to him. What did it take for you to believe? Have you believed? Let’s pray: Father, you know me. You know where I stand when it comes to knowing you. Increase my faith and give me a testimony people will believe. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen. Copyright © 12 July 2018 by Valerie Routhieaux Image courtesy of Pixabay