This strange but true story shows how people were afraid of Someone who healed a very sick man. You will discover why that was, and why His healing powers are still rejected and despised today! ^1*.

Local people lived in constant fear of a very sick man. "Though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demons into solitary places." ^2*.

You cannot always judge illnesses just by appearances or feelings. Perhaps you don't know of anyone who needs to be kept chained hand and foot because of their illness; but you do know many people who are seriously ill with the same disease that this man had! Everybody has got the horrible disease that God calls SIN. ^3*. In God's Word, the Holy Bible, we are told, "He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning." ^4*. The Lord Jesus Christ described the devil for us as the one who seeks "to steal and kill and destroy" the lives and souls of mankind. ^5*.

When a life is completely controlled by demon power, as this man's was, it is a frightful thing. "Jesus asked him, ‘What is your name?' "‘Legion,' he replied, because many demons had gone into him." No wonder no one could control him - no one, until Jesus came to him! "Jesus .. commanded the evil spirits to come out of the man….And they begged Him repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss." "A large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into them, and he gave them permission. When the demons came out of the man, they went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned." ^6*. Jesus considered one man's healing of much greater value that the lives of a large herd of animals! Those demons were moved on by the power of Jesus, but there were still many other evil spirits present in that area! "When the people went out to see what had happened they found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus' feet, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid"! ^7*.

The evil spirits that had made this man insane had at first screamed out against the coming of Jesus. ^8*.

Now that he has been healed, "all the people of the region.. asked Jesus to leave them because they were overcome with fear." ^9*.

The evil spirits in the hearts of the people cried out for Jesus to leave! The people were obviously content with their evil lifestyles and did not want the one who could control and subdue evil to stay in their area! What about you today? Do you want this great Healer, Jesus Christ, to put away all evil out of your life? Or are you like these people in Luke chapter 8, verses 26-37, thinking you will be better off if you do not allow Jesus to take away your sin^10*.and have control in your life?!^1*.

I hope you will want to trust in Jesus as your Priest and Saviour right now!

Bye for now,

John Nixon, Ballincollig, Cork, Ireland. P31HD98.        Contact:  jnixonj@gmail.com

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Bible quotations from N.I.V.

1 John 3:16-21.
2 Luke 8:29.
3 Romans 3:19-26.
4 1st John 3:8.
5 John 10:10. 2nd Timothy 2:26. 1st Peter 5:8.
6 Luke 8:30-33.
7 Luke 8:34-35
8 Luke 8:28.
9 Luke 8:37.
10 John 1:29.

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