Café Terrace at Night, 1888 by Vincent van Gogh
I hope you are having a good week! I always look forward to our time together in the Word.
Let’s be real—everyone is dealing with something. Whether it’s addictions, anxiety, financial burdens, grief, heartache, health issues, loneliness, social media fatigue, or just stress, these struggles often go unspoken, yet they linger in our daily lives.
What does your Spiritual Battlefield Look Like?
Have you ever felt that your workplace was more of a battlefield than a sanctuary? It certainly felt that way during my time at a Fortune 1000 company.
After over two years in Human Resources at a smaller organization, I was recruited by a headhunter for a larger company. They offered a significantly higher salary and the promise of working with a team of about twenty professionals. It seemed like the right move financially, but little did I know it would become one of my worst professional mistakes. However, the lessons I learned may prove valuable to someone else—perhaps you!
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A Cold Welcome
On my first day, I was greeted by a corporate department head whose demeanor felt as welcoming as a prison guard. The atmosphere was unkind, and within two weeks, my boss and several others were either fired or had quit. I wondered, “What have I walked into?”
The Hidden Warfare
To illustrate this battlefield, all my co-workers were highly educated—most held master’s degrees, and some even had PhDs. Yet, only one other person in our department shared a common faith in Christ.
One day, while dropping off a document on a colleague’s desk, I caught a glimpse of an email she was writing. It was filled with curse words and slander about the company and her colleagues. This shocked me, given her professional demeanor. In front of others, she projected one image; in her email, she revealed another.
This stark contrast reminded me how public personas often mask true character.
More Office Examples
In another instance, while working on a corporate project with tight deadlines, I encountered supply chain issues. A supplier informed me of a delay, and I quickly communicated this to my boss and the team. Minutes later, I was confronted by the same corporate head and my boss about the delay, unaware I had already sent the update.
After voicing their complaints, I explained the situation. They felt embarrassed, but this only fostered animosity toward me for exposing their judgmental nature. A few months later, I was let go.
These experiences led me to pivot my career from Human Resources to sales, spending several months unemployed seeking God’s direction. I realized the hostility I faced stemmed largely from my boldness in sharing my faith in Christ. My boss and colleagues didn't appreciate my youth or beliefs; they asked me to keep it quiet in the workplace.
Lessons Learned:
Throughout my corporate journey, I learned a vital lesson: spiritual warfare is real, and I was ill-prepared for it. This experience opened my eyes to the challenges of living out my faith in a hostile environment and the importance of being ready for such battles.
Devotional: Luke 8:26-39
Reading by Morgan with Words to Worship
They sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is across the lake from Galilee. When Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet, shouting at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torture me!” For Jesus had commanded the impure spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demon into solitary places.
Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”
“Legion,” he replied, because many demons had gone into him. And they begged Jesus 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 the pigs, 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.
When those tending the pigs saw what had happened, they ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. When they came to Jesus, 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. Those who had seen it told the people how the demon-possessed man had been cured. Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, because they were overcome with fear. So he got into the boat and left.
The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, “Return home and tell how much God has done for you.” So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him. - Luke 8:26-39
A Spiritual Battlefield
The story of the healing of the demon-possessed man is told in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, each providing unique details. Let us be thankful, as Titus reminds us, that the Gospel message is for all people, even those chained by whatever forces are at work.
“For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people.” - Titus 2:11
When Jesus walked into that spiritual battlefield, Truth and Grace (John 1:14) also entered the situation. Let’s define a few key terms as we break down the passage together and gain an overview of this spiritual battlefield.
Legion is Roman Military Term
Names in the Bible reveal character, and it’s interesting to note that demons are always referred to in the plural throughout the scriptures. Remember, spiritual warfare is a different kind of battle. Was the military name chosen by these demons to intimidate others? Obviously, when they encountered Christ, they ‘begged him repeatedly' not to order their destruction.
Demons:
Fallen angels promoting destruction and chaos (Revelation 12:3-9). Like angels, they are spirit beings; however, they promote destruction. “The activities of demons are diverse but always directed toward the promotion of unrighteousness and the ultimate destruction of what is good.” - Dickason, C. Fred, Angels Elect & Evil.
Pigs:
Mark informs us that the herd of nearby pigs numbered 2,000 (Mark 5:13). Pigs were considered unclean animals in the Old Testament (Leviticus 11:7-8) and are referred to negatively throughout scripture (Proverbs 11:22, Matthew 7:6, Luke 15:15-16). This story highlights that the Gerasenes region had a different value system; they valued pigs, while the people of Israel did not.
The Man
We do not know the name of the demon-possessed man. We don’t know how he came to be in this state or how long he was in this bizarre condition. We do know he was chained, dehumanized, and frightening to encounter—lonely, marginalized, and cast out of both family and community. He was lost.
But the Savior came for such men.
“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” - Luke 19:10
It was no accident that Jesus encountered this man. He was marginalized, naked, and lost yet Jesus came for him. Just as he encountered the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:1-26), Beloved, it is no accident that the message of God’s truth has come to you. Christ still seeks the chained, the broken, the conflicted, the lost, and the outcast.
Our you open to the freedom He offers?
Will you allow Truth and Grace to enter your circumstances?
Closing Prayer:
Father, thank you for sending your Son to seek and save the lost. You hear our cries for help, and no person is in a circumstance that Your Truth and Grace cannot touch. Thank you that no matter the chains that bind us, You desire us to be free in a relationship with You. You desire redemption over enslavement. Help us to draw near and call upon the Name that is above every Name. In the Name of Jesus, our Deliverer and Redeemer, I pray. Amen.
References/Resources:
Angel - The Word Angel means “messenger”. There are two-hundred and ninety (x290) references to angels throughout the Bible in the NIV Translation, with the most repeated references in the Book of Revelation (x77), Luke (x24), Matthew (x22) and Acts (x22). “The Bible classifies angels as either good or evil. “The good angels are termed “elect” (1st Timothy 5:21) and “holy” (Matthew 25:31), the good angels worship God and serve Him with unswerving allegiance” (Dickason, C. Fred, Angels Elect & Evil, 1975, Moody Bible Institute).
Demon - There are eighty two (x82) references to demons throughout the Bible, all in the New Testament. The Book of Luke has the most repeated references to demons in the New Testament (x25) highlighting spiritual warfare that exists.
Parallel Passages of this story - Matthew 8:28-34; Mark 5:1-17, & Luke 8:26-39.
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