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