I'm Following Jesus – Page 1666 – Mark 8:34 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

King James Bible Study – “And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” – Mark 8:34

Date: Monday, October 07, 2019
Chapters: Matthew 8, Mark 2
Message: God’s Grip On Satan

Hello My Friend,

I have known some children that were born with cerebral palsy, some so severe that they were like a vegetable. Things like this is where a lot of people question God, and even have a hatred toward Him. God often uses infirmities to show His mercy and grace upon the ones who care for them. Keep in mind that faith plays a huge part in healing, and while it looks like God made an error, there is no error, God makes no mistakes. And by the way, this is not God, this is the devil, he is the one who strikes God’s creation with infirmities. However, God is the one who allows it, everything He allows is for the purpose of showing His glory through the infirmities, and to prove to the devil their faith is in Him.

“And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause. And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life. But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face. And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life.” – Job 2:3-6.

“he is in thine hand; but save his life.” Saved, born again Christians have one thing in them that no religion or belief can give them, Jesus Christ. Amen! God may allow the devil to afflict us, but our life, cannot be touched. When Jesus walked the earth, thousands of people gathered wherever He went, some were believers without having witnessed one miracle, some waiting to see some miracle in hopes that He would do the same for them. And some were out to prove that He was a fraud. Let me tell you, Jesus was quite astounded to see the lack of faith that the Jews had in Him. Of course, He always knew their faith, but to see it face to face probably grieved Him greatly. As Jesus was returning to Capernaum a Roman soldier found his way through the crowd and spoke to Him.

“And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him. The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.” – Matthew 8:5-10,13.

“but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.” All Jesus has to do is speak one word in our faith, and He will unleash all His power on us. How sad is it that Jesus can walk into a church building, one that even speaks about Him, and yet, He is not able to find great faith in them? And let me tell you, Jesus touches and heals many that are sick, and yet still, He is not able to find great faith in them. Now, in the process of time, Jesus touched and healed each and every one of those who came to Him by faith, including casting out evil spirits that possessed people. “And when Jesus was come into Peter’s house, he saw his wife’s mother laid, and sick of a fever. And he touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them. When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses. Now when Jesus saw great multitudes about him, he gave commandment to depart unto the other side. And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.” – Matthew 8:14-22.

“Himself took our infirmities,” Think about what this means, Jesus takes upon Himself every single one of our infirmities, even if we are the cause of them. And He also bares our sicknesses, taking each and every one of them to the cross with Him (Colossians 2:12-15). “and he cast out the spirits with his word,” Did you know that Satan can still possess people today? Mothers killing their babies, kids killing their parents, this is all the work of the devil because he knows that his time on earth is short. You know, Jesus not only touches and heals every single soul who believes in and receives Him the second they call on His name (Romans 10:9-10), He also casts the devil out of them, meaning the devil cannot touch their soul. We get a glimpse of the power that Jesus does have on Satan, as passes through Gergesenes, He came upon two men seeking His help, having been possessed by a legion of evil spirits.

“And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way. And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time? And there was a good way off from them an herd of many swine feeding. So the devils besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine. And he said unto them, Go. And when they were come out, they went into the herd of swine: and, behold, the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place into the sea, and perished in the waters. And they that kept them fled, and went their ways into the city, and told every thing, and what was befallen to the possessed of the devils. And, behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus: and when they saw him, they besought him that he would depart out of their coasts.” – Matthew 8:28-34.

“If thou cast us out,” You see? Satan has to get permission from God to do anything. Other than the evils of this world being the result of the fall of man, I will tell you that I will never begin to understand why God has not dealt with the devil already, and why He allows him to afflict us so much. What I do understand is that we all have the power to cast the devil out, and that is in our freewill to choose Jesus Christ as our Saviour. Satan can no more force us to do something than God, everything that we go through is used by God to prove our faith in Him. Sometimes He will remove the infirmity to prove that faith, other times He will not, but it is the choices we make through them that either Jesus or Satan has the power to control. Satan cannot not possess a soul unless he is invited in, but unlike Jesus who does have the power to remove Satan from the soul of any person who calls on Him, Satan does not have the power to take that soul back (Matthew 10:28-33). Amen!

“they besought him that he would depart out of their coasts.” They did not want Jesus there. Let me tell you, the reason why so many people suffer in their infirmities is because they fear if Jesus has all that power to control what Satan can so, He can use that same power to control them. Jesus really does not work that way, and He will not come to anyone either unless He is invited in. You know, the biggest deterrent that keeps people from coming to Jesus is religion. In fact, religion questions every single move that Jesus makes, every move that Jesus made was questioned by the Pharisees. Jesus sees a man named Levi, he calls on Him to follow Him, and immediately he left what he was doing. Jesus, along with the disciples and many others went to Levi’s house for dinner, Pharisees were there too.

“And it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house, many publicans and sinners sat also together with Jesus and his disciples: for there were many, and they followed him. And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners? When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast: and they come and say unto him, Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not? And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? as long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. And it came to pass, that he went through the corn fields on the sabbath day; and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn. And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful? And he said unto them, Have ye never read what David did, when he had need, and was an hungred, he, and they that were with him?” – Mark 2:15-19,23-25.

“When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them,” Do you think that Jesus does not know who questions Him? I had someone ask me why Jesus would come back when he has given up on the human race. We always need to be ready to answer these foolish questions. “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.” – I Peter 3:15-16. The more we get in God’s Word the more faith we will have in what Jesus can do for our lives, and we will be able to answer those who come at us with those foolish questions, or just avoid them all together because they already know what they believe, and are set on deterring us from our faith in Him. “But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain.” – Titus 3:9.

Today’s Prayer: Jesus, I know that You reward those who not only receive You as their Saviour, but live by faith in You. As I walk the earth by faith, I know I will face infirmities, and even know that You may not remove them all. You have gone before me and cleared the way so that I might follow in Your footsteps and do what it is that You call me to do. I am comforted in knowing that I do not walk alone, but walk hand in hand with You as my Guide. May I endure, and see the purpose of all my infirmities with the full assurance that my faith and work is not in vain. In Your name Jesus. Amen.

God Bless You, I am praying for you,

Christina

Are You 100% Sure You Are Going To Heaven?: http://readytofollow.com/
Receive The KJB Daily Devotions In Your Email: http://eepurl.com/2WMzT
Missed A Message: https://imfollowingjesus.com/Biblestudy/
Visit I’m Following Jesus Missions: http://imfollowingjesus.com/index.html
I’m Following Jesus On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/byhisstrength