Jesus casts demons out of a Gadarene man and raises a girl from the dead.

Mark 5

Jesus casts demons out of a Gadarene man and raises a girl from the dead.
INSIGHT
When Jesus takes over a life, He makes a difference. The worse the life, the greater the change. When the demoniac from Gadarene rushes at the disciples with evil intent, Jesus exercises divine power, banishing Satan's minions from their victim's soul. Later, the man who had run naked among the tombs, howling and cutting himself, is sitting beside Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. Wherever we are in our spiritual journey, the Lord will continue the work He has begun. He will keep changing us, ever into the image of Christ.
PRAYER
As you consider God's power to make sinners into saints, offer Him praise:
For You will light my lamp;
The Lord my God will enlighten my darkness.
For by You I can run against a troop,
By my God I can leap over a wall.
As for God, His way is perfect;
The word of the Lord is proven;
He is a shield to all who trust in Him (Psalm 18:28-30).

As you seek to keep your life free from sin, pray this confession:
What I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice;
but what I hate, that I do. If, then, I do what I will not to do,
I agree with the law that it is good. But now, it is no longer I who do it,
but sin that dwells in me (Romans 7:15-17).

Pause to pray this affirmation to the Lord:
I am persuaded that neither death nor life,
nor angels nor principalities nor powers,
nor things present nor things to come,
nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing,
shall be able to separate us from the love of God
which is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38-39).

As you make your requests known to the Lord, pray for:
Your continued sanctification by the power of God's Spirit
A greater willingness to share what Christ has done for you
Your activities for the day
Finally, offer this closing prayer:
You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness,
To the end that my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever (Psalm 30:11-12).