Satan's Goal


This man lived in the burial caves. No person could tie him. Even 
chains could not keep this man tied. Many times people had used 
chains to tie the man's hands and feet. But the man broke the chains 
on his hands and feet. No person was strong enough to control him. 
Day and night, the man walked around the burial caves and on the 
hills. The man would scream and cut himself with rocks.--Mark 5:3-5 (ERV).


KEY THOUGHT:


So often, the power and influence of the Devil is minimized. To 
believe in a real being behind evil is ridiculed in many circles. 
Yet, Scripture assumes a belief in a real "evil one" that stands 
behind real evil.

What we are able to witness in Mark 5 with this man, possessed by 
demons, is the goal of the work of the Devil in human lives. He longs 
to isolate, degrade, and torture those whom he controls. His power is 
unrelentingly strong, yet he uses his strength to hold people in fear 
because of death. Ultimately, when the evil one gains a foothold in 
our lives, he leads us to self-destructive behavior. Don't minimize 
the Devil's power or presence. Instead, center your life on Jesus, 
the one who conquered the evil one's power, and broke his death-grip on us.


TODAY'S PRAYER:


Father, forgive me if I have ever minimized evil, and the Devil's 
power exerted through it. Thank You for sending Jesus to destroy the 
Devil's hold on my life. Give me strength to resist his attacks, and give me
strength to overcome his influence in my life. In Jesus' Name. Amen.