In Our Fight 10.1.23

Where He Meets Us In Our Fight En nuestra lucha October 1, 2023 (Mark 5:1-10) So they arrived at the other side of the lake, in the region of the Gerasenes. When Jesus climbed out of the boat, a man possessed by an evil spirit came out from the tombs to meet him. This man lived in the burial caves and could no longer be restrained, even with a chain. Whenever he was put into chains and shackles-as he often was-he snapped the chains from his wrists and smashed the shackles. No one was strong enough to subdue him. Day and night he wandered among the burial caves and in the hills, howling and cutting himself with sharp stones. When Jesus was still some distance away, the man saw him, ran to meet him, and bowed low before him. With a shriek, he screamed, "Why are you interfering with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In the name of God, I beg you, don't torture me!" For Jesus had already said to the spirit, "Come out of the man, you evil spirit." Then Jesus demanded, "What is your name?" And he replied, "My name is Legion, because there are many of us inside this man." Then the evil spirits begged him again and again not to send them to some distant place. Introduction: I was never a "fighter" in my boyhood days. I recall only one fight in my childhood with a neighborhood boy and if I remember correctly, I whipped him pretty good. Yet, winning the fight did not leave me satisfied and it ended my friendship with him and so I never opted to fight again. I never went looking for a fight. Never wanted to fight. I don't like to fight with my wife, my children, etc. When we read this story, we are looking a desperate man who is in a fight to survive. Buscamos a un hombre desesperado que está en una lucha por sobrevivir. * We don't have any background on how he got in the shape he was in. * We don't know anything much about who he was before these demons invaded his mind. What we do know was he was tormented. JB Philips translation describes him as "in the grip of an evil spirit" The language of the story tells a great deal... * Lived in a cemetery. * Was unrestrainable. * Wandered day and night howling like an animal and cutting himself. There are times when you feel you are fighting to survive! The night was long, the struggle intense, the attack real and you are fighting to keep your peace, fighting to keep your home together, fighting to remain hopeful when everything is falling apart. Sometimes we come to church and others are rejoicing but we are in a struggle, we smile and we put on a happy face but there is a "fight" going on inside of us...we're like the drowning swimmer fighting to keep his head about the water. And it's PERSONAL ...the fight always is. let's be sure we are clear... * The devil is real * The struggle you are in is real * The power of God available to deliver and release you is real asegurémonos de ser claros... • El diablo es real • La lucha en la que estás es real • El poder de Dios disponible para librarte y liberarte es real The Devil Has Come to Torment Us El diablo ha venido a atormentarnos This man was living in torment... * Demon possession was especially present during the time of Jesus' ministry on earth. * Demons still do possess individuals who give themselves to activities and involvement with satanic influence...(seances, Ouija boards, occultic fascination, etc.) * The devil was once an prominent angel in God's Presence o a leader of worship in the Presence of God. o His pride and arrogance caused him to challenge God and take His place. o so he was thrown out of heaven and was influential enough that 1/3 of the angels supported him and were also thrown out of heaven. o now the devil and these angels roam the earth in a futile attempt to undermine God's plans for you and me. (1 Peter 5:8) Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. (1 Pedro 5:8) Sed sobrios y velad; porque vuestro adversario el diablo, como león rugiente, anda alrededor buscando a quien devorar. This is the story of a man suffering from demonic possession but it could just as easily be... * the story of a woman with an unfaithful husband * an addict who can't delete the phone number of his pusher * the teenager who can't stop looking at pornography * the man who can't sleep at night because he so worried about taking care of his family. Don't be distracted by thinking you don't have anything in common with this man-this is about fighting for your survival and the fight is personal and it is intense. The devil wants to destroy you... (Luke 22:31, MSG) Simon, stay on your toes. Satan has tried his best to separate all of you from me, like chaff from wheat. A few things to remember about the devil and his demons.. * They cannot read your mind and don't know what you are thinking until you tell it * They don't have authority that God has not given them * They cannot be everywhere at the same time How does he torment us? * By our conversation we allow the enemy to know what is going on * By our actions, we give place to the devil to tempt us * By not feeding our souls, we open ourselves to spiritual weakness and attack (Lucas 22:31, NVI) Simon, mantente alerta. Satanás ha hecho todo lo posible para separarlos a todos de mí, como la paja del trigo. Algunas cosas para recordar sobre el diablo y sus demonios... • No pueden leer tu mente y no saben lo que estás pensando hasta que se lo dices. • No tienen autoridad que Dios no les haya dado • No pueden estar en todas partes al mismo tiempo. ¿Cómo nos atormenta? • Mediante nuestra conversación permitimos que el enemigo sepa lo que está pasando. • Por nuestras acciones, le damos lugar al diablo para tentarnos. • Al no alimentar nuestras almas, nos abrimos a la debilidad y al ataque espiritual. The attacks of Satan are direct... Los ataques de Satanás son directos... * He received permission to test Job and he came right after his family, and his health-it was a direct attack from Satan. * God is so faithful that he will not give Satan permission to attack you beyond the limits of your ability to manage it. (1 Corinthians 10:13) The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure. (1 Corintios 10:13) Las tentaciones en tu vida no son diferentes de las que otros experimentan. Y Dios es fiel. Él no permitirá que la tentación sea más de lo que puedas soportar. Cuando seas tentado, él te mostrará una salida para que puedas resistir. The attacks of Satan are subtle... Los ataques de Satanás son sutiles... * Not every attack is direct...often Satan looks for a point of attack where you are not protecting yourself... o Temptations of the flesh and mind o Images we allow in our head o Thoughts we permit in our minds * Not only does the enemy want you but he's after your family. * Where are the places in your home, with your children that the enemy is at work to plant seeds of evil and destruction? o Children with electronic devices, website, games, etc. o TV shows, music and other media Jesus Has Power Over the Devil Jesús tiene poder sobre el diablo The moment Jesus stepped out of the boat the devil knew the gig was up! (Matthew 28:19) All power in heaven and earth is given to me... (Philippians 2:9-11) Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Mateo 28:19) Todo poder en el cielo y en la tierra me es dado... (Filipenses 2:9-11) Por eso Dios lo elevó al lugar de mayor honor. y le dio nombre sobre todo nombre, para que ante el nombre de Jesús se doble toda rodilla en el cielo y en la tierra y debajo de la tierra, y toda lengua declare que Jesucristo es el Señor, para gloria de Dios Padre. Jesus has given that power to you and me... (Luke 10:18-19) And He said to them, I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Jesús nos ha dado ese poder a ti y a mí... (Lucas 10:18-19) Y les dijo: Vi a Satanás caer del cielo como un rayo. He aquí os doy potestad de hollar serpientes y escorpiones, y sobre toda fuerza del enemigo, y nada os dañará. Instead of fear about the enemy's attack of us we declare that we are coming for him! (John 4:4) But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world. (Juan 4:4) Pero vosotros sois de Dios, mis queridos hijos. Ya habéis obtenido una victoria sobre esa gente, porque el Espíritu que vive en vosotros es mayor que el espíritu que vive en el mundo. "There is a power that is greater than all the power of the enemy!" "¡Hay un poder que es mayor que todo el poder del enemigo!" A Christian cannot be possessed by the devil. Un cristiano no puede ser poseído por el diablo. (Luke 11;17-22) Any country that divides itself into groups which fight each other will not last very long; a family divided against itself falls apart. So if Satan's kingdom has groups fighting each other, how can it last? You say that I drive out demons because Beelzebul gives me the power to do so. If this is how I drive them out, how do your followers drive them out? Your own followers prove that you are wrong! No, it is rather by means of God's power that I drive out demons, and this proves that the Kingdom of God has already come to you. When a strong man, with all his weapons ready, guards his own house, all his belongings are safe. But when a stronger man attacks him and defeats him, he carries away all the weapons the owner was depending on and divides up what he stole. Conclusion: So if this is a fight, then how do we win? We win by discernment...by knowing and anticipating what the enemy tries to do... (2 Corinthians 2:11) so that Satan will not outsmart us. For we are familiar with his evil schemes. Entonces, si esto es una pelea, ¿cómo ganaremos? Ganamos por discernimiento... sabiendo y anticipando lo que el enemigo intenta hacer... (2 Corintios 2:11) para que Satanás no sea más astuto que nosotros. Porque conocemos sus malvados planes. * Discernment is a gift of the spirit supernaturally * Discernment is also exercised through prayer and experience When we allow the Holy Spirit to dominate our lives we can always be one step ahead of the devil and his schemes We are not defenseless... Nosotras no estamos indefensas ... * Make the devil fear you * Resist the devil and he will flee (James 4:7) So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (Santiago 4:7) Humillaos, pues, delante de Dios. Resistid al diablo, y huirá de vosotros. (Ephesians 6:10-17) Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Therefore, put on every piece of God's armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God's righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. God I'm a sinner I'm sorry for my sins I believe Jesus died for my sins I believe Jesus will forgive my sins I choose Jesus Dios soy un pecador Lo siento por mis pecados Creo que Jesús murió por mis pecados. Creo que Jesús perdonará mis pecados. elijo a jesus