Roger Thrower

The Passion Translation

Romans 12:1-2 - Beloved friends, what should be our proper response to God’s marvelous mercies? To surrender yourselves to God to be his sacred, living sacrifices. And live in holiness, experiencing all that delights his heart. For this becomes your genuine expression of worship.
2 Stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture around you, but be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit through a total reformation of how you think. This will empower you to discern God’s will as you live a beautiful life, satisfying and perfect in his eyes.

Mark 9:14-29
14 And when they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and scribes arguing with them. 15 And immediately all the crowd, when they saw him, were greatly amazed and ran up to him and greeted him. 16 And he asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?”

17 And someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a spirit that makes him mute. 18 And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So, I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able.”

THIS PICTURES MUCH OF WHAT IS GOING ON TODAY.
THE CHILD IS BOUND BY THE DEVIL AND SUFFERING FROM DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, SUICIDAL THOUGHTS AND ATTEMPTS.

THE POINT HERE IS THIS:
1. THE CHILD CAN NOT HELP HIMSELF.
Please get this in your heart for today’s children. If they are bound they cannot help themselves.
2. THE PARENTS, THE FATHER, CANNOT HELP HIS CHILD. He does not have the spiritual authority to cast the demon out.
3. THE DISCIPLES COULD NOT HELP THE CHILD. They would grow into this authority being with Christ and receiving the Holy Spirit’s power.

19 And he answered them, “O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.” 20 And they brought the boy to him. And when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth.

THE EVIL SPIRIT RECOGNIZES JESUS AND THOSE WHO HAVE THE AUTHORITY OF CHRIST TO CAST THE DEVIL OUT.

Acts 19:13-16 - Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.” 14 Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this. 15 But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?” 16 And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.

JESUS GIVES HIS ANOINTING TO US TO DESTROY THE WORKS OF THE DEVIL AND TO CAST OUT DEMONS.

21 And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. 22 And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”
Mark 9:22-24 - And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.” 24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!”

25 And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.” 26 And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, “He is dead.”

27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.

28 And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?”

Mark 9:29 - And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.”

Isaiah 49:24-25
24 Can the prey be taken from the mighty,
or the captives of a tyrant be rescued?

25 For thus says the LORD:
“Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken,
and the prey of the tyrant be rescued,
for I will contend with those who contend with you,
and I will save your children.