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| The Hills of Galilee where Mary Magdalene battled her demons. |
Mary M. battled seven demons. We don’t know how these demons manifested themselves, but it is almost certain they caused mental turmoil and drove Magdalene to lonely places of depression and darkness. Some of us can relate to such places even as Christians because the battle is great, and it still wages even after we’ve trusted in Christ. If you find yourself or someone you love in such turmoil I pray this will bless you.
excerpt from A Mary Like Me…
“Please take these truths to heart:
1. There are no demons Jesus is not willing to cast out. It’s the will of our Savior to free us from the darkness of confusion—a dark life to a life of light and peace.
2. It is not God’s will to leave us alone in the tombs.
3. He came to set all men and women free from the bondage of sin and demons, death and destruction.
We know this truth. Jesus was and is victorious, so why do we still suffer such darkness, even those who have received Christ? The answer is found in one of the best books I’ve read on spiritual warfare: The Three Battlegrounds, by Francis Frangipane. Listen to what he says regarding Satan’s authority:
The devil and the fallen angels with him have been relegated to live in darkness. This darkness does not simply mean ‘lightless regions’ or areas void of visible light. The eternal darkness to which this Scripture (Jude 6) refers is essentially a moral darkness, which does ultimately degenerate to literal darkness. However, its cause is not simply the absence of light; it is the absence of God, who is light….Unlike those who do not know Jesus, however, we have been delivered out of the domain or ‘authority’ of darkness (Col. 1:13). We are not trapped in darkness if we have been born of light. But if we tolerate darkness through tolerance of sin, we leave ourselves vulnerable for satanic assault. For wherever there is willful disobedience to the Word of God, there is spiritual darkness and the potential for demonic activity….We must grasp the point: The devil can traffic in any area of darkness, even the darkness that still exists in a Christian heart.
Moral darkness doesn’t refer only to outward sins. This darkness is found in any rebellion against God, any agreement we’ve made with the lies of the enemy. Worrying and trying to control our lives or the lives of others is one such place of darkness because it demonstrates lack of trust in the wisdom and faithfulness of God.
Other sins may include unforgiveness, envy, self-pity, and jealousy. The Spirit of Light cannot live in these dark places. And as long as we entertain such sin, we won’t know the entire abundant life Jesus promised.
Many of us will continue to struggle and ask why we haven’t become new creatures as Magdalene became. But the Word of God doesn’t lie. If there isn’t evidence of these two foundational promises of our faith, abundant life (a life of peace and purpose) and a new creation, it isn’t God’s fault.
It’s ours.
We must ask God to reveal those dark places, repent of our sin, and surrender to His Truth. We will then find freedom.”
Praying for your weekend to be one of worship and if need be, one of healing. Perhaps you are a Mary Magdalene fighting “demons” of depression or maybe you’re in the trenches of ministry faithfully loving the Magdalenes in your life. Wherever you are…seek His light. Hold onto the promise of Mary M.’s restoration and her honor of being the first to proclaim a risen Christ.
“You are my lamp O Lord; the Lord turns my darkness into light” (2 Sam. 22:29).
