A Long Way from Home

A Long Way from Home
Words of Faith 11-30-2023
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2023
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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Mark 5
When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. [7] He shouted at the top of his voice, "What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Swear to God that you won't torture me!" [8] For Jesus had said to him, "Come out of this man, you evil spirit!"

Jesus had made a deliberate trip across the Sea of Galilee to the "other side," where demonic activity was common. As soon as he set foot on shore, a tortured demon-possessed man came to him begging for mercy. There seemed to be a battle within this man who fell at the feet of Jesus. The war was between the man and the "voice" asking for mercy.
If the demon had complete control, it would have simply run away. But even the voice was revealing. The demon addressed Jesus with a Hebrew phrase used for God‑‑ , " Jesus, Son of the Most High God. " Apparently, the demon could not mask this man's language or the fact that he was, in fact, Jewish.

Now we know why Jesus came across the lake. This fellow was a long way from home. And this was no chance meeting. Jesus came precisely to rescue a son of Abraham‑‑ a Hebrew brother‑‑ whose tortured soul had called out. We don't know how all this occurred. It may have been that Jesus had heard of this man in conversation or through a family member. It may have been that this man's mother had prayed for his healing for years. It may have been that God simply heard the agony of this soul in his tortured state.
We don't want to miss that Jesus' mission is to seek and save the lost. If necessary, Jesus will sweep across the lake like a marine landing on a beach in enemy territory with an absolute commitment to retrieving his own. Jesus is more resolute than any special forces unit in the world, and He wields far more power. When Jesus arrives, the Enemy begs for mercy.
Our biggest problem is that we don't believe that. When confronted with the Enemy, we tend to hide in the boat or fight the battle on our own. We may engage the Enemy when all we need to do is leave the battle to the Special Forces, Jesus, and the host of angels surrounding Him. The angels of the Lord's army made a Roman legion of soldiers look like wimps.
My hunch is that the demon on the beach could see an army that the disciples could not and, therefore, knew it was time to surrender and negotiate terms. But if the Enemy realizes that you do not see the Lord's army and you will not call upon them, he will be happy to engage you in a fight.
What is our answer in such a situation? Pray. Call in the Special Forces guys. Call upon the Commander of the Lord's Army. Let him engage your Enemy.

Lord, I call upon You and Your strength to fight my battles. I surrender to You. Give me faith to trust in you in those situations that seem overwhelming. Give me eyes to see what is really going on. Give me faith to trust in your power. In Jesus' name, Amen.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2023
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2023 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.