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Healing of the Soul
55
to another, “‘What is this? What new doctrine is this? For with
authority He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey
Him.’”
Mark 1:27
Multitudes today are as truly under the power of evil spirits as
was the demoniac of Capernaum. All who willfully depart from
God’s commandments are placing themselves under the control of
Satan. Many tamper with evil, thinking that they can break away
whenever they please, but they are lured on and on until they find
themselves controlled by a will stronger than their own. They cannot
escape its mysterious power. Secret sin or master passion may hold
them captive as helpless as was the demoniac of Capernaum.
Yet their condition is not hopeless. God does not control our
minds without our consent, but all are free to choose what power
they want to rule over them. None have fallen so low, none are so
vile, but that they may find deliverance in Christ. The demoniac, in
place of prayer, could utter only the words of Satan, yet the heart’s
unspoken appeal was heard. No cry from a soul in need, though it
fail of utterance in words, will be unheeded. Those who consent to
enter into covenant with God are not left to the power of Satan or to
the infirmity of their own nature.
“Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the captives of the
righteous be delivered? ... Thus says the Lord: ‘Even the captives
of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible be
delivered; for I will contend with him who contends with you, and I
will save your children.’”
Isaiah 49:24, 25
.
Marvelous will be the transformation made in anyone who by
faith opens the door of the heart to the Savior.
Christ Gives Power
Like the twelve apostles, the seventy disciples whom Christ
later sent forth received supernatural endowments as a seal of their
mission. When their work was completed, they returned with joy,
saying, “‘Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.’”
Jesus answered, “‘I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.’”
Luke
10:17, 18
.
Henceforth Christ’s followers are to consider Satan as a con-
quered foe. Upon the cross, Jesus was to gain the victory for them.