May 31, 2025 • 12 mins
In this episode of the Confidence in God podcast, host Julie McGhghy delves into the story of the man in the Gadarenes from Mark 5:1-20 to explore how individuals can recognize and worship Jesus despite life's challenges. Julie explains how deceptive thoughts from the enemy can be overcome through the power within us. She offers practical steps including worship music, scriptural guidance, and prayer to help listeners draw closer to God and resist negative influences. The episode underscores the importance of having confidence in God's promises and provides resources for strengthening faith and self-assurance.
00:00 Introduction and Purpose
00:50 Resource for Building Confidence in God
01:20 The Story of the Man in the Gadarenes
03:04 Recognizing and Worshiping Jesus Despite Struggles
04:02 The Deception of the Enemy
05:17 Overcoming Through God's Power
07:01 Practical Steps to Draw Close to God
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:01):
Hello and welcome to theConfidence in God podcast.
I am your host, Julie McGhghy,and our goal today is to help
you walk with confidence in God.
I'm so excited to share with youa new perspective I recently
learned about the power we havewithin us to recognize Jesus and
worship him even when we may bestruggling with the issues of
(00:23):
this life.
If you are a person whostruggles with trusting people
because of things that havehappened in your past or with
negative thinking or evendestructive habits and
addictions, you can find hopefrom the story of the man in the
Gadarenes, as told in Mark fiveverses one through 20.
(00:44):
So please stay with me for a fewminutes to hear how you can
overcome these things.
Before we jump into the story,if you are a person who finds
you lack confidence in God, havefaith that he is all he says he
is and will do all he says hewill do, but not being confident
he will do those things for orthrough you, then I have a
(01:06):
wonderful resource.
It's called Five Steps toExperience More Confidence in
God.
You can get instant access bygoing to confidenceingod.com or
clicking the link in the shownotes.
As I sat in church one Sundaynot long ago, listening to F Joe
Ellis, a man I have come to havegreat respect for, I found
(01:29):
myself encouraged by a smalldetail I have overlooked in the
story about the man living inthe country of the Gadarenes.
Although I have walked with Godfor many years, I still
sometimes struggle with negativethoughts and distrust due to
painful experiences in my past.
(01:49):
Today, I will summarize piecesof the story you can find in
Mark chapter five, verses onethrough 20, and reveal to you a
great deception many of us havecome to believe is true.
Jesus had finished a day ofteaching the multitude by the
seaside.
(02:09):
When the evening had come, heinstructed his disciples, those
who he would later callapostles, to cross to the other
side of the sea.
Immediately upon arriving on theother side, in the country of
the Gadarenes, Jesus met a manwho had been living among the
tombs and had many uncleanspirits within him.
(02:33):
This man is an example of how aperson can submit to extreme
wickedness.
He had a legion of uncleanspirits living within him.
A legion is between 2000 and3000.
That's a huge number of uncleanspirits inhabiting one man.
(02:55):
Most of us know from the storythat Jesus has the power to cast
out demons.
There's no deception in that.
So where is that deception?
Well, it's in verse six, whichexplains that while Jesus was
still afar off, the man with theunclean spirit saw him and ran
and worshiped him.
(03:16):
These are the things I had neverconsidered before.
First, the man with the legionof unclean spirits recognized
Jesus from afar off.
No matter how much the man hadsubmitted to the unclean spirits
who inhabited him, he stillrecognized Jesus.
(03:37):
The unclean spirits could notstop him from recognizing the
Lord.
Second, the man ran to Jesus andworshiped him even while still
full of the Legion of Spirits.
The man worshiped Jesus.
He still had the legion ofspirits inside him, but they
(03:58):
could not stop him fromworshiping Jesus.
And here's the deception of ourenemy.
How often do we feel like wehave no power over the things
the enemy traps us in?
I can't quit this habit oraddiction.
I can't quit thinking this way.
My past is so painful, I cannottrust anyone anymore.
(04:24):
It's all a lie of the enemy.
The enemy and spirits could notkeep the man in the Gadarenes
from recognizing Jesus and fromrunning to him and worshiping
him.
The enemy does not have thepower he has convinced us that
he has.
(04:44):
The enemy cannot bind us toharmful ungodly habits and
addictions.
He cannot hold us in thinking weare not loved.
We are not lovable.
God does not love us.
We are not trapped indepression, anxiety,
disillusionment.
We are not continued victims ofour pasts.
(05:09):
The enemy has no power to stopus from recognizing Jesus and
worshiping him.
If our enemy has deceived us,then what is the truth?
First John, chapter four, versesthree and four explains that if
any spirit does not confess thatJesus Christ is come in the
(05:30):
flesh, that spirit is not ofGod.
But we, the children of God,have overcome every such spirit.
We have done so because thespirit that is in us is greater
than the spirits in this world.
We have already overcome.
(05:54):
We have overcome those spiritsthat do not confess Jesus Christ
is Lord.
We have overcome by the spiritthat is within us because the
Holy Spirit is greater than thespirits of this world.
But what do we do when we cravethe habit?
Encounter the wrong, harmfulthinking?
(06:16):
Or shy away from trustinganyone?
We just remember Jeremiah 17verse nine, which tells us the
heart is deceitful above allthings.
Also, first John, chapter three,verse 20 reminds us that if our
heart condemns us, God isgreater than our heart and knows
(06:38):
all things.
When we are struggling andfeeling trapped by our habits,
addictions, harmful thinking,our past, then remember that it
is our hearts that arecondemning us.
It is our hearts that are beingdeceitful.
God does not condemn us.
God is greater than our hearts.
(07:01):
James gives us practical ways toovercome.
In James chapter four, versesseven and eight, he tells us
when we submit ourselves to Godand resist the devil, he will
flee from us.
It is during these battles withour flesh and the enemy that we
must resist the enemy bysubmitting to God and drawing
(07:23):
very close to him.
As we resist him in this way,the enemy will flee.
So how do you draw close to God,especially in those private
alone times that we allexperience.
My first go-to is worship music.
I put on worship music that willusher God's presence into my
(07:45):
home and into my heart.
If you don't know any worshipmusic, but have access to a
computer, do a search on worshipmusic, you'll find a list of
worship music likely on YouTubethat you can put on and help you
focus your mind and heart onGod.
After listening to worshipmusic, I reach for God's word.
(08:09):
If I don't know where to turn inGod's word, I do a search, an
internet search for the promisesof God in scripture, or I search
for God's overcoming power.
Whatever you feel like you needto hear from God, do an internet
search to find scriptures thataddress exactly what you are
(08:29):
looking for, and then read andpray those scriptures.
As the music and the scriptureslift your spirit, lose yourself
in prayer.
Praise God for all he has done,is doing and will do.
Express your love for him.
(08:50):
Pray in the spirit.
Our enemy cannot continue totorment us when we draw close to
God.
When we worship and praise him,he cannot keep us bound to him.
Consider the example of Paul andSilas in Acts 16, verses 25 and
26.
(09:11):
They were thrust into the innerpart of the prison with their
feet secured in stocks.
At midnight, they began prayingand singing praises.
What happened?
A great earthquake shook theearth so that all the prison
doors were opened and their feetwere freed.
(09:31):
As they drew close to God, theywere freed from the bondage of
their enemy.
As we resist the enemy and drawclose to God, the enemy will
flee from us, and the strugglewill be over.
No matter how bound we are.
The enemy does not have thepower to stop us from
(09:53):
recognizing Jesus and worshipinghim.
Just as Paul and Silas werefreed from the bondage of their
enemy, we can be freed.
We've covered a lot in a shortperiod of time.
Let me quickly pull it alltogether in a summary.
Each of us has the power withinus to recognize Jesus and
(10:15):
worship him even when we arestruggling with the issues of
this life.
Even when Jesus seems far away,you can recognize him and run to
him even if you have beentricked by the enemy into
thinking you can't quit aparticular habit or addiction,
(10:35):
that you can't quit thinkingpainful things, or that your
past is so painful, you can'ttrust anyone anymore, you still
have the power within you torecognize Jesus, run to him and
worship him.
When we struggle with thesethings, draw close to God
(10:56):
through worship, music, readinghis word and praying.
Doing these things will help youresist the enemy and he will
flee.
Pull this all together and youcan be confident that God has
given you the power to recognizehim from afar off and to worship
(11:16):
him.
No matter what you are facing inlife.
Do you have other verses thathelp you draw close to God and
resist the enemy?
Let us know and feel free toshare how you have been impacted
by this new perspective on thestory of the man in the
Gadarenes.
Now, as I mentioned earlier, ifyou are a person who finds you
(11:37):
lack confidence in God, havingfaith that he is all he says he
is and will do all he says hewill do, but not being confident
that he will do those thingsthrough you, then I have a
wonderful resource.
If you haven't done so already,go to confidenceingod.com or
click the link in the show notesto access Five Steps to
(12:01):
Experience More Confidence inGod.
That's it for today.
Please take a second tosubscribe to our show so you'll
be notified when future episodescome out.
Also, it would mean the world tous if you would rate or review
our show.
That way more people can findout about it.
Until next time, let's beconfident in this that he who
(12:24):
began a good work in you will befaithful to complete it.
Hello and welcome to theConfidence in God podcast.
I am your host, Julie McGhghy,and our goal today is to help
you walk with confidence in God.
I'm so excited to share with youa new perspective I recently
learned about the power we havewithin us to recognize Jesus and
worship him even when we may bestruggling with the issues of
(00:23):
this life.
If you are a person whostruggles with trusting people
because of things that havehappened in your past or with
negative thinking or evendestructive habits and
addictions, you can find hopefrom the story of the man in the
Gadarenes, as told in Mark fiveverses one through 20.
(00:44):
So please stay with me for a fewminutes to hear how you can
overcome these things.
Before we jump into the story,if you are a person who finds
you lack confidence in God, havefaith that he is all he says he
is and will do all he says hewill do, but not being confident
he will do those things for orthrough you, then I have a
(01:06):
wonderful resource.
It's called Five Steps toExperience More Confidence in
God.
You can get instant access bygoing to confidenceingod.com or
clicking the link in the shownotes.
As I sat in church one Sundaynot long ago, listening to F Joe
Ellis, a man I have come to havegreat respect for, I found
(01:29):
myself encouraged by a smalldetail I have overlooked in the
story about the man living inthe country of the Gadarenes.
Although I have walked with Godfor many years, I still
sometimes struggle with negativethoughts and distrust due to
painful experiences in my past.
(01:49):
Today, I will summarize piecesof the story you can find in
Mark chapter five, verses onethrough 20, and reveal to you a
great deception many of us havecome to believe is true.
Jesus had finished a day ofteaching the multitude by the
seaside.
(02:09):
When the evening had come, heinstructed his disciples, those
who he would later callapostles, to cross to the other
side of the sea.
Immediately upon arriving on theother side, in the country of
the Gadarenes, Jesus met a manwho had been living among the
tombs and had many uncleanspirits within him.
(02:33):
This man is an example of how aperson can submit to extreme
wickedness.
He had a legion of uncleanspirits living within him.
A legion is between 2000 and3000.
That's a huge number of uncleanspirits inhabiting one man.
(02:55):
Most of us know from the storythat Jesus has the power to cast
out demons.
There's no deception in that.
So where is that deception?
Well, it's in verse six, whichexplains that while Jesus was
still afar off, the man with theunclean spirit saw him and ran
and worshiped him.
(03:16):
These are the things I had neverconsidered before.
First, the man with the legionof unclean spirits recognized
Jesus from afar off.
No matter how much the man hadsubmitted to the unclean spirits
who inhabited him, he stillrecognized Jesus.
(03:37):
The unclean spirits could notstop him from recognizing the
Lord.
Second, the man ran to Jesus andworshiped him even while still
full of the Legion of Spirits.
The man worshiped Jesus.
He still had the legion ofspirits inside him, but they
(03:58):
could not stop him fromworshiping Jesus.
And here's the deception of ourenemy.
How often do we feel like wehave no power over the things
the enemy traps us in?
I can't quit this habit oraddiction.
I can't quit thinking this way.
My past is so painful, I cannottrust anyone anymore.
(04:24):
It's all a lie of the enemy.
The enemy and spirits could notkeep the man in the Gadarenes
from recognizing Jesus and fromrunning to him and worshiping
him.
The enemy does not have thepower he has convinced us that
he has.
(04:44):
The enemy cannot bind us toharmful ungodly habits and
addictions.
He cannot hold us in thinking weare not loved.
We are not lovable.
God does not love us.
We are not trapped indepression, anxiety,
disillusionment.
We are not continued victims ofour pasts.
(05:09):
The enemy has no power to stopus from recognizing Jesus and
worshiping him.
If our enemy has deceived us,then what is the truth?
First John, chapter four, versesthree and four explains that if
any spirit does not confess thatJesus Christ is come in the
(05:30):
flesh, that spirit is not ofGod.
But we, the children of God,have overcome every such spirit.
We have done so because thespirit that is in us is greater
than the spirits in this world.
We have already overcome.
(05:54):
We have overcome those spiritsthat do not confess Jesus Christ
is Lord.
We have overcome by the spiritthat is within us because the
Holy Spirit is greater than thespirits of this world.
But what do we do when we cravethe habit?
Encounter the wrong, harmfulthinking?
(06:16):
Or shy away from trustinganyone?
We just remember Jeremiah 17verse nine, which tells us the
heart is deceitful above allthings.
Also, first John, chapter three,verse 20 reminds us that if our
heart condemns us, God isgreater than our heart and knows
(06:38):
all things.
When we are struggling andfeeling trapped by our habits,
addictions, harmful thinking,our past, then remember that it
is our hearts that arecondemning us.
It is our hearts that are beingdeceitful.
God does not condemn us.
God is greater than our hearts.
(07:01):
James gives us practical ways toovercome.
In James chapter four, versesseven and eight, he tells us
when we submit ourselves to Godand resist the devil, he will
flee from us.
It is during these battles withour flesh and the enemy that we
must resist the enemy bysubmitting to God and drawing
(07:23):
very close to him.
As we resist him in this way,the enemy will flee.
So how do you draw close to God,especially in those private
alone times that we allexperience.
My first go-to is worship music.
I put on worship music that willusher God's presence into my
(07:45):
home and into my heart.
If you don't know any worshipmusic, but have access to a
computer, do a search on worshipmusic, you'll find a list of
worship music likely on YouTubethat you can put on and help you
focus your mind and heart onGod.
After listening to worshipmusic, I reach for God's word.
(08:09):
If I don't know where to turn inGod's word, I do a search, an
internet search for the promisesof God in scripture, or I search
for God's overcoming power.
Whatever you feel like you needto hear from God, do an internet
search to find scriptures thataddress exactly what you are
(08:29):
looking for, and then read andpray those scriptures.
As the music and the scriptureslift your spirit, lose yourself
in prayer.
Praise God for all he has done,is doing and will do.
Express your love for him.
(08:50):
Pray in the spirit.
Our enemy cannot continue totorment us when we draw close to
God.
When we worship and praise him,he cannot keep us bound to him.
Consider the example of Paul andSilas in Acts 16, verses 25 and
26.
(09:11):
They were thrust into the innerpart of the prison with their
feet secured in stocks.
At midnight, they began prayingand singing praises.
What happened?
A great earthquake shook theearth so that all the prison
doors were opened and their feetwere freed.
(09:31):
As they drew close to God, theywere freed from the bondage of
their enemy.
As we resist the enemy and drawclose to God, the enemy will
flee from us, and the strugglewill be over.
No matter how bound we are.
The enemy does not have thepower to stop us from
(09:53):
recognizing Jesus and worshipinghim.
Just as Paul and Silas werefreed from the bondage of their
enemy, we can be freed.
We've covered a lot in a shortperiod of time.
Let me quickly pull it alltogether in a summary.
Each of us has the power withinus to recognize Jesus and
(10:15):
worship him even when we arestruggling with the issues of
this life.
Even when Jesus seems far away,you can recognize him and run to
him even if you have beentricked by the enemy into
thinking you can't quit aparticular habit or addiction,
(10:35):
that you can't quit thinkingpainful things, or that your
past is so painful, you can'ttrust anyone anymore, you still
have the power within you torecognize Jesus, run to him and
worship him.
When we struggle with thesethings, draw close to God
(10:56):
through worship, music, readinghis word and praying.
Doing these things will help youresist the enemy and he will
flee.
Pull this all together and youcan be confident that God has
given you the power to recognizehim from afar off and to worship
(11:16):
him.
No matter what you are facing inlife.
Do you have other verses thathelp you draw close to God and
resist the enemy?
Let us know and feel free toshare how you have been impacted
by this new perspective on thestory of the man in the
Gadarenes.
Now, as I mentioned earlier, ifyou are a person who finds you
(11:37):
lack confidence in God, havingfaith that he is all he says he
is and will do all he says hewill do, but not being confident
that he will do those thingsthrough you, then I have a
wonderful resource.
If you haven't done so already,go to confidenceingod.com or
click the link in the show notesto access Five Steps to
(12:01):
Experience More Confidence inGod.
That's it for today.
Please take a second tosubscribe to our show so you'll
be notified when future episodescome out.
Also, it would mean the world tous if you would rate or review
our show.
That way more people can findout about it.
Until next time, let's beconfident in this that he who
(12:24):
began a good work in you will befaithful to complete it.
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