READ Mark 5
Jesus casts demons out of a Gadarene man and raises a girl from the dead.

INSIGHT
When Jesus takes over a life, He makes a difference. The worse the life, the greater the change. When the demoniac from Gadarene rushes at the disciples with evil intent, Jesus exercises divine power, banishing Satan’s minions from their victim’s soul. Later, the man who had run naked among the tombs, howling and cutting himself, is sitting beside Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. Wherever we are in our spiritual journey, the Lord will continue the work He has begun. He will keep changing us, ever into the image of Christ.

PRAYER
As you consider God’s power to make sinners into saints, offer Him praise:
Lord, you light my lamp;
my God illuminates my darkness.  
With you I can attack a barricade,  
and with my God I can leap over a wall.  
God—his way is perfect;  
the word of the Lord is pure.  
He is a shield to all who take refuge in him
(Psalm 18:28-30).

As you seek to keep your life free from sin, pray this confession:
For I do not understand what I am doing, because I do not practice what I want to do, but I do what I hate. Now if I do what I do not want to do, I agree with the law that it is good. So now I am no longer the one doing it, but it is sin living in me (Romans 7:15-17).

Pause to pray this affirmation to the Lord:
For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38-39).

As you make your requests known to the Lord, pray for:

• Your continued sanctification by the power of God’s Spirit
• A greater willingness to share what Christ has done for you
• Your activities for the day

Finally, offer this closing prayer:
You turned my lament into dancing;
you removed my sackcloth
and clothed me with gladness,  
so that I can sing to you and not be silent.
Lord my God, I will praise you forever
(Psalm 30:11-12).