Luke 8 Devotions by Stephen Taylor

Luke 8:29-31

For Jesus had commanded the impure spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demon into solitary places. Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” “Legion,” he replied, because many demons had gone into him. And they begged Jesus repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss.

The demons inside this man could break physical chains, but only Christ can break the spiritual ones! We see that the enemy has some power, but our God has all power! The demon-possessed man could not be subdued nor controlled by man, yet he is begging Jesus for mercy. This part of the story shows just how powerful our God is. It teaches us that, yes, our enemy has power and is more powerful than us, but he isn’t more powerful than our God.

If we want to continue to stand firm, then we must continue to be found walking in the Spirit and following Christ. He is our strong tower, our Defender, our ever-present help in times of trouble. We cannot overcome outside of Him, but inside of Him, we are more than conquerors. It starts with humility in surrender and grows into a vibrant and personal relationship with Him.

It amazes and encourages me the contrasts that these verses paint. How strong the demons are against the flesh, yet how weak they are against the Son of God. We, too, must fight spiritual battles with spiritual weapons; the Word of God, the name and blood of Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.

We all have chains that this world claims that it can break- sadness, depression, addiction, fear, loneliness, hurt, pain, rejection, and so much more- but the truth is that only the One who created the heart can save, redeem, and fill it with all that it needs and longs for. So today, let’s humble ourselves before Him and walk in the victory that He paid so dearly for us to have!

Psalm 108:12,13- Give us aid against the enemy, for human help is worthless. With God we will gain the victory, and He will trample down our enemies.

God bless! I love you all, but His love paid it all! Glory, honor, and praise now and forever to Papa God, Jesus Christ our King, and the Holy Spirit!