Delivered from destruction

Pam Padgett ... teacher 

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.

While reading this it stood out to me how destructive the devils were, causing the man to be untamed, tormented and harm himself, and causing the swine to run violently to their deaths.

But when Jesus delivered the man from the devils, he was quickly and remarkably changed.  No longer unable to be tamed, he was sitting, clothed and in his right mind ...  

Mark 5:14 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 saith 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. 

I was reminded that Jesus taught about the thief who comes to steal, kill, and destroy the sheep, but that He (Jesus) came that the sheep may have life ... 

John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. 

Throughout our lives the devil looks for ways to harm or destroy us.  One way the devil attacks us is through thoughts which try to condemn us, cause us to fear, or go in some other way that is harmful or against the word of God.  Leading in a way of oppression and destruction, "deadening" us and making us unable to move forward in things of God. 

We can't deal with these thoughts by our own wisdom.  But when we turn to God and He gives us His word in the matter and we go in that way, we are delivered from the snares of the devil.

The word of God is truth which sets us free from the harmful thoughts from the devil and directs us in the ways of God.  We are not destroyed, but we are able to walk in life, clothed in the word from God we've been given and having a "right mind", our thoughts established by God.

1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.