A Nugget from New Life Network
(by Chris Musgrove of Future Now Ministries)
Scripture for the Day – April 15, 2019
Mark 16:17: And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons;
Sometimes while reading our Bibles we read over scriptures like Mark 16:17 thinking it doesn’t really apply to us. Well, if it’s God’s Word, it does apply to us. I found this out first hand one Sunday night many years ago.
As youth pastor of the church, I was sitting in the front row listening to the Pastor’s message when a parent of one of our youth tapped me on the shoulder and said I was needed. I proceeded to follow her to where a group of girls were huddled around another girl who seemed to be upset about something. As I got closer I could see she was nervously scratching the ends of her fingers with her fingernails as if she were trying to rip her fingernails out.
The first thing we had to do was get her out of the sanctuary because she was starting to make noise and getting louder by the second. It was disrupting the congregation. One of my youth and I, along with the girl’s friend that had brought her to church, took the girl into a side office. As we got into the office the girl began to scream uncontrollably which could still be heard in the sanctuary. Knowing I had to get her quiet I began to tell her to shut up but she only got louder. Finally, in desperation I yelled out, “I said shut up in Jesus’ name” and to my surprise, she immediately got completely quiet and still.
I got to thinking to myself that if I could get that demon to shut up in Jesus’ name, that I should be able to tell it to come out in Jesus’ name. I commanded that demon to come out of her in Jesus’ name. When I said those words she fell to the floor as if someone had hit her in the head with a baseball bat. Then through tears, she began to say the words, “Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus!” I looked over at the two other girls in the room and we all began to say “Yes, thank you, Jesus!”
That girl became an active member of our youth ministry and eventually ministered to others.
Luke 10:19: 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. It’s not that I didn’t believe in casting out demons: it’s just that I had never had a demon manifest itself before. So I really had no experience to learn from.
Luke 10:17: The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.” That’s exactly how I felt after that night. I thank my God that He has made available to all His children, the power in Jesus’ name to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons (Mark 3:15).
Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. (James :19)
