Read Mark 5:1-20 to see a story of a real strongman.

I love this story. The towns people had been absolutely unable to deal with this guy. They had tried everything to get him to snap out of it. When that didn’t work they exiled him to live in a graveyard so he would keep his distance, but he kept coming around causing mischief. Finally, they tied the guy up in the graveyard, but not even ropes or chains could contain him. He was unstoppable because his super-strength was fueled by the possession of thousands of demons. But look at the picture of this strongman as soon as Jesus appears on the scene. Jesus doesn’t even say a word and the guy is running to His feet, bowing down, begging not to be tormented. This same strongman that nobody could tame, is cowering at the feet of Jesus. I love this picture. There are thousands of demons in this man and no one has been able to control him, and without even a word, just at the mere presence of Jesus, the God of the impossible, this man is like a cream-puff.

Jesus rescues the man and sets him in his right mind, but did you notice the reaction of the town. They ask Jesus to leave. They should have been thrilled that God did the impossible and healed this man that they had no power to help, but they were too busy raising pigs, a huge no-no and sin for any Jewish person. They were content to deal with the presence of Satan wreaking havoc in their lives through this guy as long as they could live in their lives of sin. The man, now healed tells the surrounding ten towns all about Jesus and what He did for him. They are all amazed. God did the impossible!

Today when you come against a battle with our enemy the devil, just remember this picture of who is the Strongman and who is the cream-puff. Thousands of demons vs. one Jesus will end every time with the the demons begging not to be tormented. Oh yeah, and who lives in you, this same Strongman, Jesus, the God of the impossible lives in you if you believe. So what enemy can stand against you today? Go into battle with confidence!

What if Jesus showed up and started doing the impossible in our midst? That is why we are studying this series. That is what we are praying for Him to do! Would you be excited to spread the word to the ten towns around us? Or are we just like the townspeople, so content to deal with the presence of our enemy and his destruction in our lives as long as we get to keep our pet sins? If there is anything unconfessed in your life today, ask the God of the impossible to restore fellowship and be prepared to share as He does the impossible in our midst!

Jesus is being used by His Father to do the impossible everywhere He goes. The crowd is getting bigger and bigger, so much so that in every situation He is looking for an escape plan (the boat) so He won’t be crushed. People are being healed, demons are being cast out, lives are being changed, and Jesus knows it is time to give the ministry some official leadership. So He calls and sets aside the twelve disciples as key leaders and then heads home. At this point though, the crowds will not be deterred. They are relentless and the chaos ensues as He heads home and the crowds fill the house. In the middle of this moment, His mother and brothers decide it is time to set Him straight. After all, this chaos is now affecting their lives. How in the world could they grow up with Jesus, knowing He was different, that He was God’s Son, and still doubt what He was doing? They thought He was out of His mind! This much clamoring, this much attention, this much action, this constant surrounding of the crowd seeking healing, wisdom, and salvation needed to be moderated. They wanted Him to just tone it down a little. This wasn’t how the religious leaders were acting in that day. But Jesus knew that is precisely why the crowd was drawn to Him. The religious leaders of the day didn’t speak with authority or teach like He did, they didn’t have the power to do the impossible like He did, they couldn’t heal, or set free from demonic oppression like He could. That is why the crowd and chaos ensued, it was because He was different. He had power! He could deliver! He was the Son of God.

The religious leaders didn’t understand it because they were unable to do what He did, so they reasoned it away. Even His own family didn’t understand the chaos and they wanted Him to tone down His influence. But in these moments of craziness, Jesus offers us a huge point of clarity. In Mark 3:33-35 Jesus makes it clear that the crowd is the reason why He came. It wasn’t to continue in the lame religious procedures of the past that never drew people closer to the Father. It wasn’t to hold the prestigious role of royalty where His family would enjoy the perks of a ruling Son or Brother. He came to start something new. He came to make sure that the crowds of people that He loved would be able to know the Father in an intimate way, to create a family that isn’t by heritage or lineage, but by His choice to redeem us through His sacrifice and resurrection. Jesus says that whoever does His will is even more than a blood relative to Him, that person is like a brother or sister!

Ephesians 1 talks about us being adopted into God’s family and how we have inheritance benefits as a result of that salvation. Today, realize that Jesus came into a chaotic world to stir things up even more. Remember that salvation and Jesus doing the impossible in and through us should turn things upside down for us and everyone around us! Jesus’ mission wasn’t about His family’s comfort, it was about Him saving all those whom He had chosen from the foundations of the world. Let’s see God do the impossible through us as His family, and bring a little holy chaos to our community as He does the impossible through us and changes our lives and everyone around us!

The Lord did heal me and today you would never know I had any leg problems. I have often been grateful that for some reason in God’s divine purpose, He allowed the prayers of those around me to be answered and for me to be healed! But I also know that it isn’t the plan of the Lord to always heal. I wonder if it had been the will of the Lord to continue with that physical struggle into adulthood how life would have been different. I think I would have felt like the man in Mark 3:1-6. Read this story and put yourself in his shoes.

This guy has lived his entire life with a withered hand. Can you imagine his excitement when this God/Man named Jesus who had healed countless others decided to take the time to talk to him? I am sure he was hoping against hope that Jesus would heal him! But then he looks at the religious leaders of the day and sees their nastiness. Here is Jesus and everyone knows that He can heal if He chooses, and he has a person to heal that desparately wants to be healed, but there is one catch, it is the Sabbath day. Healing someone was considered a work in that time. So the act of Jesus healing the man would mean that He in fact broke this horrible rule that had been added to God’s law. The leaders had taken God’s simple law to rest and worship on the sabbath keeping it holy and added so many man-made components that now, if Jesus abides by their rule, this man will be destined to suffer day after day for the rest of his life. Can you imagine being so close to being healed and then the disappointment that must have flooded his soul as the man thinks, Jesus can’t do it now, it is the wrong day.

I love in verse 5 how Jesus looks at the people in anger and He was grieved by their hardness of heart. He was so ticked that they thought more of their man-made rule than they did about this man being healed by the power of the God of the impossible! Jesus heals the man anyway, and the leaders conspire to kill Jesus. Think about what they are conspiring about, “How dare He heal a man, after all it was the wrong day!” The man went away healed, and the crowd went away angry and unfulfilled!

Today do you identify with the man who needed healing? Is there anything in you physically, spiritually, emotionally, psychologically that needs healing? Doesn’ t is make you feel good to know that it doesn’t matter the day or the time, Jesus sees you just like you are and He wants to be there with you. It may not mean that He heals you of all of your pain or struggle, but He cares enough to look at you and see you and He will be with you teaching you things about yourself and about Him that you could never learn any other way. Take a minute and tell God your hurt, ask Him if it is His will to heal that hurt, then thank Him for being there with you through the hurt!

Or are you more like the religious leaders of Jesus’ day? Are there any hard places in your life today, and hardness of your heart? Is there anything in you that could take a beautiful act of Jesus working in the lives of people around you and make you upset that He didn’t follow your rules and your terms? When you look at people, do you have the same compassion as Jesus, or do you glaze over them like the Pharisees? Ask Jesus to soften your hardness today so you see people in the same way that He does.

As Katie and I raise our girls, we want to instill in them the importance of following the rules, but I never want them to get the impression that following the rules will make them good, or will make them close to God. The religious leaders of Jesus’ day had invented so many rules that were their own and not God’s. Holiness and fellowship with God became a checklist of rules. In our passage today, they even question Jesus’ holiness and that of His disciples because they weren’t following their rules. This was so far from the attitude of what a relationship with God should have been. Read what Jesus said to them in Mark 2:18-27.

Jesus is saying to those people that view their relationship with God as a list of rules, that their way of life would never hold up to the new standard He was about to bring. He wanted them to see that the desire of God’s heart was not just to outwardly follow the rules, but for the innermost part of our lives to lived under His leadership and control. He wants to be Lord over us! His Lordship should lead to a desire to “do” what He wants us to do, but more importantly, His Lordship should give Him permission to make us “be” who He desires us to be. The “doing” of the rules are not what determines us “being” His children. We can never earn our salvation, because it is a gift that Jesus has already purchased on our behalf. Instead, if Jesus has called us to “be” His children, then we will “do” what His heart desires as a natural outflow of Him leading our lives.

Following Jesus isn’t about fasting of keeping the Sabbath or keeping any other rules, it is about Him keeping you as His son or His daughter in a relationship where you worship Him in a personal way. That worship should not follow in the way of a stuffy tradition, but in an intimate way as a child to his Father. Today stop trying to be close to God by changing your own habits through sheer willpower. Instead allow Him to change you by surrendering to Him as the Ruler over your life. Be captivated by a God who loves you personally today, and thank Him that your closeness to Him isn’t dependent on you being good, not on your earning your way to Him like every other religion believes, that your relationship with Him isn’t because of your strict following of the rules but is strictly because He chose to love you and lead you to Him through His grace and love! He has given you freedom and not bondage, so let’s worship Him today!

You would think Jesus would be all about making sure His “branding” was secure with only the best and the brightest, most articulate, most well respected men to represent Him and lead a global movement called the church. After all, many of these twelve would write the very words of our New Testament!

Read Mark 2:13-17.

I love that Mark points out that all of the crowd was listening to Jesus. He certainly had a great opportunity to build His leadership team with some fine fellows. But Jesus goes out of His way to ask someone from the most hated profession around to follow Him to be His disciple. Tax collectors were hated by everyone because they had one foot in with their people and one foot in with the Roman government. Mostly they were reviled because they were cheats.

Why on earth would Jesus pick someone like Levi to lead. I love His answer to the Pharisees. Jesus picked him because He came to heal the broken and the sick, not for those that are already so proud of there religious lives that they think they are well.

Today let it be a great comfort to you that Jesus chose Levi and He is choosing you to lead on His team! It doesn’t matter your past or your qualifications. God loves taking us where we are and redeeming us so His story is what really shines.

We know Levi better by his other name, Matthew. Jesus took him as he was and changed his life. He went on to write the gospel of Matthew! Never let your past sin or your present hurts disqualify your future with Jesus! He is inviting all of us as imperfect and sick people to be changed and healed and doctored, so He can use us to change the world.

Have you ever had something that was part of your life that immediately set you apart from everyone else? A thing that made you feel different and ostracized? I can remember feeling that way when my dad passed away when I was thirteen. Instantly, there was a distinction between myself and the people around me.

Whatever the things are that emotionally separate us and make us feel different pale in comparison to the physical and emotional separation this man had to face. To be a leper in the time of Jesus was a slow and agonizing death sentence. You were relegated to a life of separation from everyone that you knew and loved. Lepers were forced to live in colonies and from the time of diagnosis, were unable to have human contact ever again, except from someone else who was already suffering from the disease. You basically waited for your flesh to rot and enough parts of your body to fall off until you died. That was the life of a leper.

This man, however, has such bold faith in Jesus. Notice that he says, “If you will, you can make me clean.” He has complete faith that Jesus can do it, but he knows it isn’t always the will of God to do it. Sometimes the Father is more glorified in leaving us in a position of weakness than He would be in our healing. I love Jesus, the God of the Impossible, in His reaction. He has pity, like everyone else who saw a leper, but His pity moves Him to a place of action! So many times, we see a situation and we are moved to compassion, but our compassion never moves us farther to action. But Jesus acted! He reached out and touched him! Do you know that was the first touch he had from anyone other than a leper in so long! What did that touch mean to someone in his condition?

Jesus moves and heals him and orders him to keep it a secret, but the man is so overcome by this impossible healing from the Lord that he just can’t contain it! This one man stirs up enough interest in Jesus and what the Lord did for him that Jesus can’t even enter a city any more. This guy has spread the word and a huge crowd is waiting.

This story reminds me of an old song I used to sing growing up, “He Touched Me”. The words say, “He touched me! Whoa, He touched me! And oh, the joy that floods my soul, something happened, and now I know, He touched me and made me whole.” If you are a believer today, He has healed you through His love and compassion, through His touch when He chose to offer you His great gift of salvation. He healed you from much more than leprosy. He healed you from sin! Let’s be like the man and stir up a crowd for Jesus to spread His name and His fame today! We have been healed and made new creations because of Him.

Do you need a touch from Jesus today? He has compassion on you, He sees you when no one else does. He wants to meet your spiritual need today. Pray right now and ask Him to move.

I love this story. Have you ever had a friend that you have felt so deeply
needed Jesus that you would literally do anything to get him/her connected
with Him? This man was paralyzed and had no hope from any doctors of the day about making a recovery. I love that the friends believed that Jesus could heal him if He chose to do so. Isn’t it interesting that the Bible
never tells us if the man had faith and asked to be carried to Jesus?

These friends were determined that no barrier would get in their way! These
people literally ripped off a roof and scattered the crowd below because
nothing was more important to them at that moment than to seeing their
friend meet Jesus. I can only imagine what it must have been like in that
crowded house as Jesus was teaching and then a speck of the ceiling falls
down, then another, and another until there is a hole big enough for the man
to fit. What if that was your house? Wouldn’t you be saying, “Stop! What
are you doing? I will ask Jesus to stick around after everyone leaves, just
quit ripping my roof!” But to the friends, there was a sense of urgency.
Nothing was more important.

I love Jesus’ reaction to look at the friends’ faith and grant forgiveness
to the paralytic. Jesus uses this opportunity not just to heal, but also to
show the crowd that He is the God of the Impossible. The crowd’s reaction
is a right one, because only God Himself can forgive sins. Jesus takes the friends’ faith as an opportunity to teach the crowd that not only is He a
divine healer, but He is the Son of God, the God of the Impossible!

What friends are in your life needing to be rushed to Jesus’ side? Maybe
they are dealing with physical ailments or maybe it’s emotional or spiritual. Whatever the case, don’t let any barrier hinder you today from bringing them to Jesus both in prayer, and in conversation, even if it means
ripping off a roof to introduce them to the God of the Impossible who heals
and forgives!

29 And immediately he left the synagogue and entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 30 Now Simon’s mother-in-law lay ill with a fever, and immediately they told him about her. 31 And he came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and the fever left her, and she began to serve them.

32 That evening at sundown they brought to him all who were sick or oppressed by demons. 33 And the whole city was gathered together at the door. 34 And he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons. And he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.

35 And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed. 36 And Simon and those who were with him searched for him, 37 and they found him and said to him, Everyone is looking for you. 38 And he said to them, Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out. 39 And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons.” – Mark 1:21-39.

When is the last time you sat in silence? When have you’ve gotten away from it all and the only sound you could hear was the chirps of nature, God’s creation all around you?

Jesus’ actions here remind me of playing hide-and-seek as a kid. The disciples wake up and He’s gone. They have just seen Him teach and heal and rescue the night before and no doubt they were ready for another full day of crowd-building. But Jesus had other plans.

Jesus is living the dream of any young Rabbi or teacher. He is teaching with authority and people’s lives are being transformed both physically and spiritually before His very eyes. Word is spreading so quickly that even a visit to one of His disciple’s homes turns into an all night long healing and intercession fest.

Now don’t get me wrong. The people were the exact reason He came. He had compassion on them and healed their disease and cast out demons and the people knew there had never been anyone like Him.

The thing I notice about Jesus though is that although He desired the huge crowd and following so He could transform lives, you consistently see Him slipping away from the crowd and even His own followers to spend alone time with the Father.

Jesus leaves the crowds for silence and solitude with the Father and to ensure the Gospel was launched in every town.

Today, do you feel like you have permission to get away from everyone and everything. You may not be able to get away for time alone and time with God for the whole day, but you can be like Jesus. Steal away today before anyone else gets up and slip outside for a moment with God. Take your lunch to a park and nurture the relationship from which you draw strength to to be fully present in every other one. Turn off the tv and venture outside and look at the creation He has made.

Sometimes the best thing you can do for the “crowd” in your life is go steal away to be with your Heavenly Father! Sneak away today!

Hosea was one of God’s last messengers to the northern kingdom of Israel to warn them of the upcoming punishment of God that would be doled out by the nation of Assyria. The people of Israel were at a time of peace, comfort, and relative prosperity. This condition made them lax in their relationship with God so gradually the began to worship idols and the created things of life rather than the Creator.

God told Hosea to marry a prostitute that would continue in her ways even after her marriage to show Israel that He still wanted to redeem them even after their spiritual adultery.

But one thing is central to this book that is brought up in every study written about it. It is the idea that “God loves His people so much, He will allow no rivals!”.

Today take a few minutes like I was prompted to by the Holy Spirit and ask yourself, “Are there any rivals to the importance and preeminnce of my relationship with God?”. As I listened here were a few of my rivals the Lord revealed to me that needed to be surrendered…my wife, kids, church, even tv. What rivals do you hve today? Surrender them and thank God for His love that is so encompassing it won’t allow any rivals!

 I bet you came up with some funny things about which people could be afraid.  Some of the things people are afraid of just doesn’t make sense.  But did you know that Jesus looks at all fear the same way?

 Read Matthew 8:23-27 as a family.

 ”23 And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. 24 And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. 25 And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” 26 And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. 27 And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”

 Did you see Jesus’ reaction?  Here are the disciples and their boat is about to sink.  If there was ever a time where it looked ok to be fearful it was then.  But Jesus asked them why they were so afraid. The disciples had just seen Jesus heal people and cure them from their diseases, feed over 5000 people with just a few loaves of bread and a couple of fish, and perform numerous miracles.  They knew Jesus was in charge and that He had ultimate power.  Jesus basically said, why in the world would you be afraid of anything when you know how strong I am and how much you can trust Me.

 Take a minute and talk as a family about some real fears that you have.  Mom and Dad, maybe share what you were afraid of when you were your kids ages.  Then, take a moment to pray together to tell Jesus you won’t be afraid anymore because you trust He is stronger than your fears!

All of you know of the devestation in Haiti after the most recent earthquake. Our church like so many others responded through a special offering for Haiti to meet both physical and spiritual needs.

I wanted you to hear and see some of what the Lord is doing as a result of a country being shaken to her knees and see how God can move in the midst of an sometimes because of a tragedy.

Take two minutes to watch this clip about a national fast in Haiti and imagine if you would see the leadership of our nation respond in the same way. I was blown away! Pray for the Haitian people and that revival would continue to spread, and remember in whatever circumstance you find yourself today, “God works all things together for good to those that love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)”

Click here to view the embedded video.

3 Days of Haitian Fasting & Prayer

His point steps up where the songwriter’s grammar steps out. He is saying that without someone to share your life with, even the “great and prosperous” times can seem desert-like.

I look back at my life with Katie, and I can’t believe how far we have come together. We were married when I was 21 and Katie was 20. She was still in college and I had just graduated. Times were tough financially and tough in a lot of other ways, but I would never change a minute of it. Those times brought us to a great point today and made us appreciate the gift of each other.

The Bible says that a great wife is hard to find, more valuable than precious stones (Proverbs 31:1-31).

So today, if you are seriously dating, engaged, or married, realize how blessed you are that God has placed someone in your life with whom you can share it. Whether it is a great or difficult time, be thankful today that you can “live on love”.

Today, think back about some tough times and some great ones in your relationship and spend some time praying to thank God for your partner. Commit to no longer take this precious relationship for granted. Then if your spouse agrees, take some time to pray for your single friends and your divorced friends together that the Lord in His timing would bring a “precious jewel” of a person to their lives.

One of the greatest ways we can model being a servant-lover is to follow the example of Jesus in meeting people’s needs. Jesus met people’s felt needs and also their spiritual needs!

What does your spouse or the person you are dating really need today? Are they having a tough day and could use some verses of encouragment? Is she tired and needing a break from the kids or a day away? Does he need your encouragement through some physical touch? Do you need to go grocery shopping or tackle that project you’ve been putting off? Does she need someone to pray with and help her through a worry or anxiety?

Today I want to challenge you to be a servant-lover and meet your partner’s felt needs and lead them to Jesus to meet their spiritual needs.

Nothing kills a relationship quicker than apathy. When both partners stop trying, stop growing, stop pursuing, stop pleasing, stop serving, you find yourself in a rut where you’ve become more like roommates than helpmates!

Today, get your relationship out of the same old rut and back onto the highway of growth. Kick apathy out of your way and be a servant-lover today by bringing some variety. Show your partner you still care and want to grow by praying together, do a household chore your spouse hates, sit beside each other at dinner, snuggle and hold hands while you watch tv, write a sexy email to your husband telling him you can’t wait for tonight when you can share God’s gift of intimacy (after all God made sex for marriage). Bring some variety today and spice up your life!

Every battle has casualties becase every battle has an enemy. The problem in relationship conflicts occurs when we forget the true identity of our enemy which causes us to inflict casualties on the wrong person.

Paul said that we “fight and wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against powers and principalities…”. Our war and battle isn’t against our spouse or the person we are dating! We need to war against Satan and make sure any casualties of war through the arena of conflict are against him.

Today, or the next time you have a conflict, make sure you don’t say anything that attacks or wounds the other person. Battle Satan by warring as a team agaisnt the problem. Attack the problem and Satan rather than each other. When you work things out without wounding each other, you thwart our real enemy and go on the offensive against him.