PT-3“The Maniac Who Became a Missionary” (Luke 8:26-39)

 SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 9/25/2026 9:38 AM

My Worship Time                                Focus:  PT-3“The Maniac Who Became a Missionary”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                Reference:  Luke 8:26-39

            Message of the verses:  “²⁶ Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. ²⁷ And when He came out onto the land, He was met by a man from the city who was possessed with demons; and who had not put on any clothing for a long time, and was not living in a house, but in the tombs. ²⁸ Seeing Jesus, he cried out and fell before Him, and said in a loud voice, "What business do we have with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me." ²⁹ For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For it had seized him many times; and he was bound with chains and shackles and kept under guard, and yet he would break his bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert. ³⁰ And Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Legion"; for many demons had entered him. ³¹ They were imploring Him not to command them to go away into the abyss. ³² Now there was a herd of many swine feeding there on the mountain; and the demons implored Him to permit them to enter the swine. And He gave them permission. ³³ And the demons came out of the man and entered the swine; and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.

³⁴ When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they ran away and reported it in the city and out in the country. ³⁵ The people went out to see what had happened; and they came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting down at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind; and they became frightened. ³⁶ Those who had seen it reported to them how the man who was demon-possessed had been made well. ³⁷ And all the people of the country of the Gerasenes and the surrounding district asked Him to leave them, for they were gripped with great fear; and He got into a boat and returned. ³⁸ But the man from whom the demons had gone out was begging Him that he might accompany Him; but He sent him away, saying, ³⁹ "Return to your house and describe what great things God has done for you." So he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.”

            John MacArthur writes:  The rarity of overt demonic manifestation does not mean that the forces of hell are not always active.  Those ‘deceitful spirits’ (1 Tim. 4:1) prefer to remain anonymous working behind the scenes disguised as angels of light (2 Cor. 11:14-15).”

(1 Tim. 4:1)

“1 ¶  Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons,”

(2 Cor. 11:14-15)

“14  And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15  So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.”

“But so great was their terror in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ that they could not help revealing themselves.  Earlier in Luke’s account Jesus entered a synagogue in Capernaum and a demon-possessed man was there.  Unable to control his fear, the demon blurted out, ‘Let us along!  What business do we have with each other, Jesus of Nazareth?  Have You come to destroy us?  I know who You are—the Holy One of God!’ (Luke 4:34).  Paul stated that the Lord Jesus Christ is ‘far above all rule and authority and power and dominion [angels]’ (Eph. 1:21).

            As God incarnate, Jesus Christ displayed the power to vanquish Satan that only God possesses.  To the Jewish religious authorities, who blasphemously tried to explain away that power by claiming He was in league with the devil.  Jesus replied

I I cast out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.  When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are undisturbed.  But when someone stronger than he attacks him and overpowers him, he takes away from him all his armor on which he had relied and distributes his plunder. (Luke 11:20-22)

“As the Messiah and Son of God, Jesus defeated Satan and delivered His people from their bondage to him (Eph. 2:1-3; Col. 1:13; 1 John 5:19).”

(Eph. 2:1-3; Col. 1:13; 1 John 5:19)

“1 ¶  And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2  in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3  among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.”

“13  He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,”

“19  We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.”

“The Lord demonstrated His power over the devil throughout His earthly ministry.  The incident in this passage, presented by all three Synoptic Gospel writers, is the most dramatic and extreme encounter between Jesus and the forces of hell recorded in the Gospels.  It tells the miraculous story of Christ’s deliverance of a demon-plagued manic, who became a most unlikely missionary.  As the account unfolds, three forces are revealed:  the destructive power of demons, the delivering power of Jesus, and the damming power of sin.”

Spiritual Meaning for my life today:  I am thankful for learning about the awesome power of the Lord Jesus Christ, knowing that He has power over everything, for He is God incarnate.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Trusting that the Lord will continue to see me through the great trials that I am facing since my wife passed away on the 29^th of July.

9/25/2026 9:57 AM

 

    

PT-2“The Maniac Who Became a Missionary” (Luke 8:26-39)

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 9/24/2026 8:51 PM

My Worship Time                                    Focus:  PT-2“The Maniac Who Became a Missionary”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                Reference:  Luke 8:26-39

            Message of the verses:  “²⁶ Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. ²⁷ And when He came out onto the land, He was met by a man from the city who was possessed with demons; and who had not put on any clothing for a long time, and was not living in a house, but in the tombs. ²⁸ Seeing Jesus, he cried out and fell before Him, and said in a loud voice, "What business do we have with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me." ²⁹ For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For it had seized him many times; and he was bound with chains and shackles and kept under guard, and yet he would break his bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert. ³⁰ And Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Legion"; for many demons had entered him. ³¹ They were imploring Him not to command them to go away into the abyss. ³² Now there was a herd of many swine feeding there on the mountain; and the demons implored Him to permit them to enter the swine. And He gave them permission. ³³ And the demons came out of the man and entered the swine; and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.

³⁴ When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they ran away and reported it in the city and out in the country. ³⁵ The people went out to see what had happened; and they came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting down at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind; and they became frightened. ³⁶ Those who had seen it reported to them how the man who was demon-possessed had been made well. ³⁷ And all the people of the country of the Gerasenes and the surrounding district asked Him to leave them, for they were gripped with great fear; and He got into a boat and returned. ³⁸ But the man from whom the demons had gone out was begging Him that he might accompany Him; but He sent him away, saying, ³⁹ "Return to your house and describe what great things God has done for you." So he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.”

            “Christ’s coming to earth to ‘save His people from their sins’ (Matt. 1:21) and to ‘destroy the works of the devil’ (1 John 3:8; cf. Gen. 3:15; John 12:31; 16:11; Rom. 16:20; Col. 2:15; Heb. 2:14) touched off a frenzied outburst of demonic activity unlike anything that had come before.”

(1 John 3:8; cf. Gen. 3:15; John 12:31; 16:11; Rom. 16:20; Col. 2:15; Heb. 2:14)

“8  Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.”

“15  I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel."

“31 ¶  When he had gone out, Jesus said, "Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him.”

“11  concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.”

20  The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.”

“15  He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.”

“14 ¶  Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil,”

“It should be noted, however, that the demons were not attacking Jesus; He was attacking them.  There is only one recorded instance of demonic activity in the Old Testament (along with a few allusions to demons; e. g., Lev. 17:7; Deut. 32:17; Ps. 106:37), Genesis 6:1-4, where demon-posed men cohabitated with women (cf. 2 Peter 2:4-5; Jude 6).

(Lev. 17:7; Deut. 32:17; Ps. 106:37)

“7  So they shall no more sacrifice their sacrifices to goat demons, after whom they whore. This shall be a statute forever for them throughout their generations.”

“17  They sacrificed to demons that were no gods, to gods they had never known, to new gods that had come recently, whom your fathers had never dreaded.”

“37  They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons;”

(Genesis 6:1-4)

“1 ¶  When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, 2  the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose.  3 ¶  Then the LORD said, "My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years."  4 ¶  The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown.”

(cf. 2 Peter 2:4-5; Jude 6)

“4  For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment; 5  if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly;”

“6  And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day”

“Outside of the gospels and Acts, there are no references to demon possession in the New Testament.  Only during the future time of the great tribulation will global, open demonic activity exceed that of the time of Christ’s earthly ministry.”

9/24/2026 9:52 PM

 

 

PT-1“The Maniac Who Became a Missionary” (Luke 8:26-39)

 

MORNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 9/24/2026 9:47 AM

My Worship Time                                    Focus:  PT-1“The Maniac Who Became a Missionary”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                 Reference:  Luke 8:26-39

            Message of the verses:  “²⁶ Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. ²⁷ And when He came out onto the land, He was met by a man from the city who was possessed with demons; and who had not put on any clothing for a long time, and was not living in a house, but in the tombs. ²⁸ Seeing Jesus, he cried out and fell before Him, and said in a loud voice, "What business do we have with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me." ²⁹ For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For it had seized him many times; and he was bound with chains and shackles and kept under guard, and yet he would break his bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert. ³⁰ And Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Legion"; for many demons had entered him. ³¹ They were imploring Him not to command them to go away into the abyss. ³² Now there was a herd of many swine feeding there on the mountain; and the demons implored Him to permit them to enter the swine. And He gave them permission. ³³ And the demons came out of the man and entered the swine; and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.

³⁴ When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they ran away and reported it in the city and out in the country. ³⁵ The people went out to see what had happened; and they came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting down at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind; and they became frightened. ³⁶ Those who had seen it reported to them how the man who was demon-possessed had been made well. ³⁷ And all the people of the country of the Gerasenes and the surrounding district asked Him to leave them, for they were gripped with great fear; and He got into a boat and returned. ³⁸ But the man from whom the demons had gone out was begging Him that he might accompany Him; but He sent him away, saying, ³⁹ "Return to your house and describe what great things God has done for you." So he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.”

            This morning I begin what is a familiar part of Scripture, and as I usually do I will quote from John MacArthur’s introduction to his commentary.

            “A saying attributed to G. K. Chesterton, whose apologetic writings were instrumental in C.S. Lewis’s conversion to Christianity, is that when people cease to believe in God they do not believe in nothing; they believe in anything.  Having rejected the only true God, people today are fascinated with transcendent, alternative realities, science fiction, the legends of pagan mythology, or fictional beings with superhuman powers.

            “On a more sinister note, many are obsessed with the occult.  Witchcraft, seances, Ouija boards, astrology, spiritism, fortune telling, palm reading, seers who allegedly predict the future, and even open worship of the devil are increasingly popular.  The rise of interest in alternative realities, the paranormal, and the occult coincide with the declining influence of biblical Christianity in Western culture, as Os Guinness notes”

Early hunters on safari in Africa used to build their fires high at night in order to keep away the animals in the bush.  But when the fires burned low in the early hours of the morning, they would see all around them the approaching outlined shapes of animals and a ring of encircling eyes in the darkness.  When the fire was high they were far off, but when the fire was low they approached again.

As we have witnessed the erosion of breakdown of the Christian culture of the West, so we have seen the vacuum filled by an upsurge of ideas that would have been unthinkable when the fires of the Christian culture were high. (The Dust of Death [Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity, 1973], 277)

            “People are inevitably drawn to the power and mystery that is just beyond their comprehension.  But the fallen human race, compelled by demons, will never arrive at an accurate understanding of the supernatural realm.  People on their own cannot get outside the space-time continuum and can only fantasize about it, while demons will only add their hellish deceptions to those fantasies.  The Bible is the only source of accurate knowledge about the supernatural realm, and it is foolish and futile to seek such knowledge elsewhere.

When they say to you, “Consult the mediums and the spiritists who whisper and mutter,’ should not a people consult their God?  Should they consult the dead on behalf of the living?  To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn. (Isa. 8:19-20)

“The Bible features insights into the character, purposes, and plan of God.  It reveals His supernatural power to create and His purpose eventually to destroy the universe.  But the primary supernatural event in Scripture is not God’s creation or destruction of everything, as stupendous as that is.  The central supernatural event in the Bible is the incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ, God in human flesh, the one who perfectly reveals God to man (John 1:18; 14:9; Col. 1:15; Heb. 1:3).”

(John 1:18; 14:9; Col. 1:15; Heb. 1:3)

“18  No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.”

“9  Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?

“15  He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.”

“3  He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,”

            Spiritual Meaning for my life today:  I believe that this section shows that it is not good to mess with the occult because it can really mess your spiritual walk with the Lord up.  Only Jesus could do this in the proper way.

            My Steps of Faith for Today:  I am trusting the Lord to get help with my high BP, which to me is caused by a broken heart over the death of my wife, and also the terrible motorcycle wreck of my grandson.  I pray that the doctor’s appointment today will be what will help me get the help I need to lower my BP.

9/24/2026 10:31 AM

 

 

 

 

“Epilogue: The Storm After the Calm” (Luke 8:25b)

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 9/23/2026 8:55 PM

My Worship Time                                                 Focus:  “Epilogue: The Storm After the Calm”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                     Reference:  Luke 8:25b

            Message of the verse:  “They were fearful and amazed, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him?”

            I will copy this section from John MacArthur’s commentary, but will also quote the verses that he uses to help explain it.

            “Having witnessed an astonishing, unparalleled display of super-natural divine power, the disciples understandably were fearful and amazed.  The only thing they found more terrifying than the storm outside their boat was having the Creator and controller of the storm in it. The trauma of realizing that only God could do such a miracle caused them to say to one another, “Who then is this, that He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him?”  (cf. 8:37, 47, 56).”

(cf. 8:37, 47, 56)

“37  Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned.”

“47  And when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling, and falling down before him declared in the presence of all the people why she had touched him, and how she had been immediately healed.”

“56  And her parents were amazed, but he charged them to tell no one what had happened.’

“The obvious and only answer to that rhetorical question is the one they gave later after Jesus stilled another storm on the Sea of Galilee: “Those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, ‘You are certainly God’s Son!’ (Matt. 14:33). By then they had a firm answer to their question here.

            “In response to Christ’s earlier miracle on the lake, Peter had exclaimed, ‘Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!’ (Luke 5:8)—a response that is typical of those who experience God’s presence.  Abraham described himself as ‘dust and ashes’ (Gen. 18:27; Job humbly said, ‘I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; but now my eyes sees You; therefore I retract, and I repent in dust and ashes’ (Job 42:5-6); after encountering the preincarnate Christ in the person of the Angel of the Lord, Samson’s father ‘Manoah said to his wife, ‘We will surely die, for we have seen God’’ (Judges13:22); exposed to God’s presence on Mt. Sinai, the Israelites ‘trembled and stood at a distance.  Then they said to Moses, ‘Speak to us yourself and we will listen; but let not God speak to us, or we will die’’(Ex. 20:18-19); overwhelmed by a vision of God in His heavenly temple, Isaiah cried, ‘Woe is me, for I am ruined!  Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts’ (Isa. 6:5); Ezekiel fell on his face when he saw a vision of God (Ezek. 1:28); after seeing the glorified, exalted Christ the apostle John ‘fell at his feet lie a dead man’ (Rev. 1:17).

            “This brief vignette of Christ’s life reveals Him in His divine glory as the One who controls all of the natural forces of the universe.  But not only does it reveal His power, but also His compassionate care for those who are His.  This storm, as do all of life’s storms for believers, served to increase the disciples’ faith in His willingness and ability to deliver them from any situation, no matter how hopeless it may seem.  Having experienced God’s gracious care for him throughout his long and difficult ministry, the apostle Paul could say confidently as his life drew to a close, ‘The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed, and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever.  Amen’ (2 Tim. 4:18).”

9/23/2026 9:22 PM

 

“The Calm After the Storm” (Luke 24b-25a)

 

MORNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 9/23/2026 2:03 PM

My Worship Time                                                                  Focus:  “The Calm After the Storm”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                              Reference:  Luke 8:24b-25a

            Message of the verses:  “And He got up and rebuked the wind and the surging waves, and they stopped, and it became calm.  And He said to them, “Where is your faith?”

            I wrote this SD earlier and did not save it in the right way and so I want to write it again, and I will use John MacArthur’s commentary where I will quote from it.

            “Awakened by the disciples’ desperate pleas, Jesus go up and rebuke the wind and the surging waves.  His exact words according to Mark 4:39 were ‘Hush, be still.’  Instantly obeying the voice of the Creator, the wind and the waves stopped, and it became calm.  Skeptics, determined,  to deny the miraculous at all costs, have pointed out that storms on the Sea of Galilee often stop as rapidly as they start. But while the wind might have died down almost at once, it would have taken much longer for the waves to subside.  When Jesus commanded the wind and waves to stop, both did so instantly, and it became absolutely calm (both Matthew and Mark use the adjective megas [‘great’] to describe the glass calm).

            “Having calmed the storm, Jesus used the incident to teach His shocked and astonished disciples the lesson He wanted them to learn.  As they sat in their boats on the now perfectly still surface of the lake, He said to them, ‘Where is your faith?’  (cf. 12:28; Matt. 6:30; 14:31; 16:8; 17:20).  They had seen Him perform countless miracles, so their lack of faith on this occasion was distressing and inexcusable.  On the other hand, this was the first time that one of the Lord’s miracles had directly involved them, and beyond that reality their lives were at stake.  That made it far more difficult for them to remain detached and objectively analyze the situation.  Paul, in contrast, was able to remain calm throughout the two-week-long storm that ended in shipwreck (Acts 27:14-44).  But he had already faced persecution and death many times before and been delivered by the Lord (cf. 2 Cor. 11:11-33).”

(cf. 2 Cor. 11:11-33)

“22 ¶  Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they offspring of Abraham? So am I. 23  Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. 24  Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. 25  Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; 26  on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; 27  in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. 28  And, apart from other things, there is the daily, pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. 29  Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant? 30  If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. 31  The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, he who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying. 32  At Damascus, the governor under King Aretas was guarding the city of Damascus in order to seize me, 33  but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped his hands.”

            “The lesson for the disciples was clear: they were to trust the Lord even in the most severe and threatening circumstances.  They were, as Peter would later write, to cast all their anxiety on Him, knowing that He cared for them (1 Peter 5:7).  Paul expressed his confident trust in the Lord’s care when he wrote triumphantly, ‘For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord’ (Rom 8:38-39). Summing up the lesson Jesus wants all believers to take from this incident, David Gooding writes,

“We live in a universe that is lethally hostile to human life:  only the miracle of creation and divine maintenance preserves our planet and its wonderful adaptations and provisions for the propagation of human life.  Within our earth itself wind, wave, lightning, storm, flood, drought, avalanche, earthquake, fire, heat, cold, germ, virus, epidemic, all from time to time threaten and destroy life.  Sooner or later one of them may destroy us.  The story of the stiling of the storms is not, of course, meant to tell us that “Christ will never allow any believer to perish by drowning, or by any other natural disaster.  Many believers have so perished.  It does demonstrate that he is Lord of the physical forces in the universe, that for him nothing happens by accident, and that no force in all creation can destroy his plan for our eternal salvation or separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord (see Rom. 8:38-39).  (According to Luke [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans. 1987], 143)

            “Sometimes the Lord will bring a storm into believers’ lives for chastening; other times to increase their faith.  Jonah ended up in a storm because of his disobedience, while in this incident the disciples’ obedience put them into the storm.  In both cases God was there to deliver them.”

            Spiritual Meaning for my life today:  God has brought this section that I am studying today to help me in the storm that I find myself in at this time.  I have mentioned that I had to go to the ER two times because of high blood pressure, and this was caused because of the death of my wife in July and the terrible motorcycle wreck my grandson had where he lost an arm and a leg.  The only other real issue that I went through before the death of my wife was when my son had to have surgery to put a patch in his heart and open of a valve when he was 18 months old.  Oh yes my wife had great emotional issues that I had to deal with long hospital stays.  But what I am going through now is the very worst issues I have ever faced, and I am trying to trust the Lord to get me through it and get the meds to get my bp down.

            My Steps of Faith for Today:  Trust the Lord to guide me through what is going on in my life so it will bring glory to His name.

9/23/2026 2:49 PM

 

 

 

“The Calm During The Storm” (Luke 8:23b-24a)

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 9/22/2026 8:17 PM

My Worship Time                                                             Focus:  “The Calm During The Storm”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                               Reference: Luke 8:23b-24a

            Message of the verses:  “and a fierce gale of wind descended on the lake, and they began to be swamped and to be in danger.  They came to Jesus and woke Him up, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!”

            I will see how far we can get on this SD.  Prayers needed for me to help the doctors figure out how to lower my BP.

            John MacArthur writes “All of a sudden the lake’s tranquility was shattered as a fierce gale of wind descended on it.  Lailaps (fierce gale) describes a powerful storm, potentially one with hurricane force winds. Katabaino (descended) is the root of the meteorological term ‘katabatic,’ which refers to winds created by air flowing downhill.  The term accurately describes the storm-producing winds that plunge down the surrounding heights to strike the low-lying Sea of Galilee, as noted above.  Mark added the adjective megas (‘great’) to the noun lailaps (Mark 4:37 ESV), while Matthew described the storm as literally  ‘a great shaking [seismos, from which the English word ‘seismology’ derives on the sea’ (Matt. 8:24).”

( Mark 4:37)

“37  And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling.”

(Matt. 8:24)

“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.”

            “Clearly, this was no ordinary storm, but one so severe as to be life threatening.  The massive waves churned up by the powerful winds were breaking over the boat (Mark 4:37) and covering it (Matt. 8:24).”

(Mark 4:37)

““37  And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling.”

(Matt. 8:24)

“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.”

“As a result, the boat was filling up with water (Mark 4:37) to the point that it began to be swamped, putting the disciples in grave danger.  Despite the raging storm, with its howling winds and towering waves, Jesus was still peacefully sleeping the rest of complete exhaustion and confident sovereignty in the stern (Matt. 8:24; Mark 4:38).”

(Matt. 8:24; Mark 4:38)

“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.”

“38  But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”

“While chaos and pandemonium raged all about Him, He remained untroubled in the storm, calmly asleep.

            “The disciples, on the other hand, were panic stricken.  Since many of them were fishermen, used to the lake and its treacherous weather, they understood how strong a storm their boats could endure and knew that their survival was threatened by this one.  Desperate and terrified, fearing for their lives, they came to Jesus and wok Him up, saying ‘master, Master, we are perishing!’  Matthew’s account says they called Jesus ‘Lord’ (Matt. 8:25, while Mark notes that they addressed Him as ‘Teacher’ (Mark 4:38). Far from being contradictory, as some skeptics imagine, the gospel writers’ accounts accurately reflect the chaos and confusion that reigned on that stormy night.  This was not orderly, organized delegation calmly presenting their petition to Jesus, but rather a panicked mob facing imminent death.  Thus some cried out, ‘Lord,’ some ‘Teacher,’ and others Master.  The disciples had witnessed the Lord’s power over disease, demons, and death.  Some of them had seen His power to control the fish in the Sea of Galilee (Luke 5:5-9). But could He control the enormous power of wind and water?”

(Luke 5:5-9)

“5  And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” 6  And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. 7  They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. 8  But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” 9  For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken,”

            “With no human solution available, they came to the One who had demonstrated divine power in the past.  Perhaps some of the disciples remembered Psalm 65:5-7:

“O God of our salvation,

You who are the trust of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest sea;

Who establishes the mountains by His strength,

Being girded with might;

Who stills the roaring of the seas,

The roaring of their waves.

Or Psalm 89:9:

You rule the swelling of the sea;

When its waves rise, You still them.

Surely someone recalled Psalm 107:23-31:

23 ¶  Some went down to the sea in ships, doing business on the great waters; 24  they saw the deeds of the LORD, his wondrous works in the deep. 25  For he commanded and raised the stormy wind, which lifted up the waves of the sea. 26  They mounted up to heaven; they went down to the depths; their courage melted away in their evil plight; 27  they reeled and staggered like drunken men and were at their wits’ end. 28  Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. 29  He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. 30  Then they were glad that the waters were quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven. 31  Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!”

“In their time of desperate need, the disciples appealed to the One who alone could save them.”

Spiritual Meaning for my Life today:  That is exactly what I am doing with the high blood pressure that I am expressing.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Trusting the Lord will answer the many prayers that are going up to Him about the difficult things that me and my family are facing at this time.

9/22/2026 9:07 PM

 

 

MORNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 9/22/2026 8:57 AM

My Worship Time                                                             Focus:  “The Calm During The Storm”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                               Reference: Luke 8:23b-24a

            Message of the verses:  “and a fierce gale of wind descended on the lake, and they began to be swamped and to be in danger.  They came to Jesus and woke Him up, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!”

            I will have to work on this SD later as I have to go to the ER because of very high blood pressure.