Then they came to Jesus, and saw the one who had been demon-possessed and had the legion, sitting and clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. ~ Mark 5:15

• “sitting and clothed and in his right mind…” This is the work Jesus came to do: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.“ ~ John 10:10.
• And He wants every believer to join the work also, so that God may be glorified in destroying the works of the devil and liberating men.
• Dear friend, there is such a thing as a ‘right mind,’ and it comes from sitting with Jesus and being clothed in righteousness.

If we take the description the Bible gives about the demon-possessed man before and after his encounter with Jesus, we just may find a few clues to help us:

2 And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, 3 who HAD HIS DWELLING among the tombs; and NO ONE COULD BIND HIM, not even with chains,

#1. “Who had his dwelling among the tombs:”

• Dwelling place: As simple and straight as it can be. Where you like to dwell – be, reside or make your home – is an indication of the spirit that controls you.
• Where do you love to be and hang out? What comes to your mind when you’re asked to be in the presence of the Lord or among fellow believers?
• Which ‘dwelling’ sites do you like to visit? Pages to follow, things to watch, things to read, etc. This man was excited to live and flow with skeletons (mercy!)

4 because he had often been bound with shackles and chains. And the chains had been pulled apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces; NEITHER COULD ANYONE TAME HIM.

#2. “no one could bind him… neither could anyone tame him:“

• This is a wild one and I will categorize it under control and submission. What we are controlled by and what/who we are submitted to is an indication of the spirit we are under.
• What controls your life dear friend? If we will analyze our lives, we may find that something other than God controls us (eg. money).

What makes you get up and move or not move? What influences your choice of friends, job, travel or relocation, etc? You'd be surprised that even in the body of Christ, some of us are ultimately controlled by money, lust, fear, etc.
Example: some people make friends with just the 'rich' or 'distinguished' people in Church. 

• What or who are you submitted to? the action of accepting or yielding to the will or authority of another person.
• A disciple of Jesus must be yielded wholly to the Holy Spirit and also under Godly leadership or authority.
• A yielded disciple can be ‘tamed’ – directed, instructed, commanded, rebuked, corrected, etc. Are you one?

Remember Jesus said if we cannot humble ourselves as a little child, we cannot enter the kingdom (Read: The Humble Little Child and Hypocrite Pharisee or Humble Servant).

5 Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.

#3. “he would cry out and cut himself…”

• I will categorise this under decisions. Spirits influence the decisions we make. The evil spirits influenced this man to cry and to cut himself.
• In Isaiah 11:1-5, the Bible talks about the seven spirits of God and the effect or influence they would have on Jesus. The effect was basically about his judgments and decisions.
• A life controlled by the Holy Spirit is seen in the decisions we make.

The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—
3 and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.

He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears;
4 but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.

• We all may be ‘possessed’ (influenced) by one thing or the other: anger, fear, lust, greed, pride, and others, which direct or orient us on a certain path outside God’s will.
• We don’t even realize we are making decisions based on these, and we lose out on what God has planned for our lives as a result.
• This man became a powerful evangelist (v19-20) after He was freed from demonic influences.

Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

• Remember, there is such a thing as a ‘right mind,’ and it comes from sitting with Jesus, being clothed in righteousness, being renewed by His Word, and being influenced by the Holy Spirit.
• Jesus can and He desires to free us from all our strongholds, especially the ones in the mind. Let us choose to sit with Jesus daily. Heyy… You’re blessed!

For who has known or understood the mind (the counsels and purposes) of the Lord so as to guide and instruct Him and give Him knowledge? But we have the mind of Christ (the Messiah) and do hold the thoughts (feelings and purposes) of His heart.

Do share your wisdom lessons from Mark 5. Remember to tag us on 📲:
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