Gennesarenes Vs Gerasenes
There is an important truth we can draw from the response of two different communities to the presence of Jesus in their location.
“After they had crossed the lake, they landed at Gennesaret. When the people recognized Jesus, the news of his arrival spread quickly throughout the whole area, and soon people were bringing all their sick to be healed. They begged him to let the sick touch at least the fringe of his robe, and all who touched him were healed.” Matthew 14:34-36 NLT
“When Jesus arrived on the other side of the lake, in the region of the Gadarenes, two men who were possessed by demons met him. They came out of the tombs and were so violent that no one could go through that area...Then the entire town came out to meet Jesus, but they begged him to go away and leave them alone.” Matthew 8:28, 34 NLT
I will like to read Mark's account also.
“The herdsmen fled to the nearby town and the surrounding countryside, spreading the news as they ran. People rushed out to see what had happened. A crowd soon gathered around Jesus, and they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons. He was sitting there fully clothed and perfectly sane, and they were all afraid. Then those who had seen what happened told the others about the demon-possessed man and the pigs. And the crowd began pleading with Jesus to go away and leave them alone.” Mark 5:14-17 NLT
Both communities begged Jesus. One community received Jesus but the other community rejected Him. One community begged Him to let the sick touch at least the fringe of his robe, the other begged Him to leave. One community acted based on recognizing but the other community acted based on what they were told. They could see that a miracle had taken place, it was clear to them that the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons was now sitting there fully clothed and perfectly sane. The Bible did not tell us what the herdsmen told the people verbatim but we are told that those who had seen what happened told the others about the demon-possessed man and the pigs. Their perspective and eye witness account did not include conversations about Jesus. What happens when we take Jesus out of our conversations?
Who and what are you listening to? Just as faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word (Romans 10:17), fear, doubt and unbelief also come by hearing from sources that communicate such. Do you recognize the workings of God in circumstances? Do you recognize and acknowledge His presence in your life? Do you take advantage of the anointing of the Holy Spirit that resides in you? Or are you avoiding God because you’ve been told that He’s the One causing troubles and disasters in the so called ‘acts of God.’ Have you been told that the crises in your life were orchestrated by God to teach you some lessons? The devil who was referred to as the accuser of brethren before God in Revelation 12:10 is also the false accuser of God before brethren. Don’t take his lies. How can you trust in a God that brings troubles your way to deliver you from the troubles?
The enemy will do everything possible to hinder you from fellowshipping with God and his greatest weapon is the power of suggestion which can come through any source that is not God. Quit giving yourself totally to man’s point of view and analysis of circumstances, get God’s point of view, hear it, hear it again by reading/saying it to yourself. God’s perspective is His Word, that is His account of the story of your life and whatever is going on around you and in the world as a whole. There is a story God has written about your life (Hebrews 10:7, Psalm 139:16) and that is the report you should believe. Be very intentional about choosing what enters your ears or other channels of access to your heart (Proverbs 4:23). Let nothing dissuade you from the practice of His presence. Remember that without Him, we are nothing and can do nothing John 15:5&6.
Say, “I have come to know and believe the love God has for me, His perfected love for and in me casts out all fear. His thoughts towards me are always good, never evil, to bring me prosperity, not disaster, to bring me into the beautiful future He has planned and prepared for me.” I John 4:16, 17, Jeremiah 29:11. The more you acknowledge the good things God has spoken concerning you by saying them to yourself, the more you begin to recognize His workings in your life and the more you are drawn to the consciousness of His presence. This will make it easy for you to release yourself to His plans for you rather than resist Him like the Gerasenes.
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