Read and reflect on the following article by Ven. Peter Omondi
(Download this article as a PDF).

Jesus Our Deliverer

In this reflection, I am not going to give much attention to evil, or even demons and demon possession. Instead I would like us to look to the deliverance of God who can rescue us from evil and all life threatening situations and issues. In a world of great uncertainty and great fear, we must always choose to stand in the assurance that Jesus is our Deliverer.

The basis of my reflection is that;

• God can use every adversity or situation as an opportunity to draw us nearer to Him.
• We must always live in the promise of Christ that nothing, not even demons or any evil, can ever separate us from the love of God.

In Luke 8:26-39 the Gerasene demoniac is bound in chains. Occasionally he would break away, but he would remain possessed, and evil remained his master. Eventually, the Gerasene demoniac repulsed anything about God, and that is why he shouts to Jesus to leave him alone.

Brothers and sisters, God`s intention is that we live in freedom and experience life in abundance. Any person or anything that denies such life is evil.

Freedom from Bondage

Jesus desires to be the resident King in our lives. But we often choose to replace God with things in our lives and allow evil to reign instead. Some of these conditions include; worldliness, self-exaltation, greed for wealth and power, pride, prayerlessness, nominalism, idolatry, or self-destructive tendencies like drug and substance abuse or sexual immorality. Each of these conditions can hold us captive. The good news is that Jesus Christ can deliver us from all of these evils.

Evil is like both a sickness and a prison. It defiles people physically, mentally, and spiritually. It holds them in captivity, but it also causes them to wander restlessly. The Gerasene demoniac was separated from a normal life and sent to live in the grave yards.
A critical reflection of this text reveals that anything or any person that separates us from God’s design for life in our families (both church and kinsmen) is intentionally evil.

Like this man, there are instances today where one may run away from the family set up, strategically destroying the unity of a family. This kind of disintegration opens up the family for easy attack by evil forces. The good news is that at the place of separation and isolation the love of God can reach out to us like it happened to the Gerasene man.

Deliverance and Reconnection

The story ends with two powerful things: Deliverance and Reconnection (vs. 39). Jesus delivered the demonized man from evil, and he reconnected him to God and to his community. And Jesus can deliver us from evil too and restore our relationships.

May Jesus find you in that place where the enemy has isolated you to finish you. May He reconnect you back to Himself, to your own self, to the family of believers and back to your own family.

In conclusion, what then shall we do? Let go, and let God. After Jesus calmed the storm, the disciples asked “who is this man that even the waves and the water listen to and obey.”

You could be in a situation where you are asking: Who will deliver me, who will come through for me, who will rescue me? There is an answer dearly beloved, ONLY JESUS SON OF THE MOST HIGH GOD CAN DO IT. Let go of everything else, let go your own way of fixing yourself, and LET GOD DO IT for you through Jesus Christ. In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit! Amen.