*To hear this inspiration on Dianna’s podcast—an audio companion to the written devotion—click here to listen.

I have a vivid memory of my father from when I was a young girl growing up in church. I just love when memories come back to me, especially nowadays. I told you before, I lost so many memories after my mini stroke and seizures in 2019.

Years’ worth of precious moments and countless names, faces, and relationships that I once held dear have been wiped clean from my brain’s memory center. It’s still kind of sad for me, but I’m grateful that I’m here to make new memories. So, I try to focus on that.

I didn’t mean to go off on a tangent, but the memory I have of Daddy, who just celebrated his 86th birthday on May 20th, is set in a church sanctuary. In my mind’s eye, I can see him preaching and shouting his favorite saying into a microphone. He’s commanding church attendees to repeat after him, “Tell the devil, say, ‘Devil, you can’t stop me!’”

In this memory, Daily Cup family, my daddy had the Jheri curl. What you know about that? Ha! The Jheri curl used to be everything, hear me?

When Daddy got to preaching and shaking his head, his Jheri curl would shake too, and he was dressed in a long black robe.

When he said, “Devil, you can’t stop me!” there was this way Daddy would move his head, frown up his face, and project his voice that screamed boldness, courage, and fearlessness. I would just get so excited when he said this phrase. And when he told us to say it, you should have seen my four-foot-nothing self. With all the sassiness, faith, and authority I could muster up—along with others at church—I would put my hand on my little hip and say, “Devil, you can’t stop me!”

My father taught me never to be afraid of Satan, no matter how intimidating his attacks might be. “Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world,” Daddy told me many times, quoting 1 John 4:4. And it stuck with me all these years.

You know, I grew up Pentecostal and witnessed miracles, signs, and wonders. So, the supernatural, though extraordinary in and of itself, was not out of the ordinary for me to experience. That’s why when I got older and heard some preachers say that miracles don’t happen, or demons don’t reveal themselves present day, I was like, what?

Perhaps if they had said, I have never witnessed it, then I would have been like, oh, okay—because everybody’s experiences are not the same, right?

But for them to say that miraculous and demonic manifestations simply don’t happen because they had not witnessed such things was just mind-blowing to me. I would always think, you need to come to one of my daddy’s revivals!

I have personally seen people be healed. I have been healed. I have also seen people set free from demonic possession. Some folks call it exorcism. But where I’m from, we just call it casting the devil out—something that we still have the power to do by the authority of Christ.

I was reading John 8:26-38 as well as Mark 5:1-20 about a man who was possessed by demons. He was running around stark naked in the graveyard. He was tormented, deranged and couldn’t be contained. Scripture said, folks tried to restrain the demon-possessed man with chains, but he would break the shackles and run off into the desert.

As I was studying this, it struck me that the man was able to break his physical chains, but his spiritual chains remained unbreakable—that is, until Jesus showed up. When Jesus stepped on the scene, the demonic spokesperson immediately recognized who the savior was, spoke through the man and said, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God’s name don’t torture me!”

This also reminds me of something my dad told me. One time, when he was at a church (I think he was running a revival or something like that.), there was a woman on the altar where Daddy was praying for people.  And every time he would get close to her, she would holler out, “Leave me alone! Leave me alone!”

My dad said, she was possessed by a demon, and the demon didn’t want to come out. It recognized the presence of Jesus and began to cry out, “Leave me alone!” Before that night was over, Daddy commanded that devil to release her in Jesus’ name, and the demon came on out despite not wanting to.

In our Bible story today, we learn that the demon inhabiting this man had a name. It was Legion, meaning many, because the man was not possessed with just one but a whole bunch of demons! When Jesus commanded the demons to let that man go, they had no choice but to evacuate. So, the demons begged Jesus to send them into the pigs. According to Mark 5:13, Jesus gave them permission.

I often tell you that Satan can only do what God permits. If the Lord doesn’t allow it, it can’t happen. And if God commands your deliverance, it must happen. Once Jesus authorized the demons’ transfer into the pigs, the impure spirits came out and went into the herd of about two thousand. When that happened, the pigs threw themselves off a cliff and drowned.

Recently, I was watching a movie with the kids based on a true story. A boy was possessed with a demon, and a couple was trying to cast the demon out but couldn’t do it. That evil spirit wore that poor boy out, tormented the couple, tore up the house, and just wreaked havoc on everybody and everything. I was thinking, somebody needs to call on Jesus, because sprinkling that Holy Water and looking scared ain’t working!

But what happened in Scripture is nothing like what happened in that movie depiction. Jesus expelled the demons with one command. By His authority, He spoke a word, and everything changed for that formerly tormented man. The next time folks in the town saw this man, instead of being naked, he was clothed. Instead of running around screeching, he was sitting down. Instead of being out of his mind, he was in his right mind.

Those who had seen this man’s condition previously could not comprehend what was happening presently. The Bible says, they were “afraid.” And the word “afraid” here is the Greek word phobeō (pronounced fob-eh'-o), meaning to be terrified, scared away, startled by strange sights or occurrences, but also to be struck with amazement.

Those folks probably didn’t know what to think or how to feel. The contrast in the man was so stark, they were terrified and awed at the same time. They had never seen anything like this before! They had never met someone with power to break spiritual chains, reverse curses, loose shackles, restore sanity, destroy every yoke, and cause demons to tremble.

Jesus, who came to destroy the works of the devil, demonstrated that He was the fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah 61:1 which is referenced in Luke 4:18. It says of Jesus, “The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed.”

Friend, Jesus, the Anointed One, is still liberating the oppressed and setting captives free. He is still doing the miraculous and leaving others in awe. His power still works. His word yet prevails. Things still shift at His command. Demons still tremble at the name of Jesus. There is and forever will be power in that name.

The same Jesus who shut down a legion of demons with one command still has power to command the enemy to flee. To command your circumstances to change. To command the storm to cease. To command the disease to leave your body. To command that you be made whole.

And today, He sent me to tell you to trust in His word. Believe in His power. Recognize His authority. And know that Satan can only do what He allows.

Like a child that comes home from school needing a parent’s or guardian’s signature on their permission slip to be allowed to go on a field trip, the enemy must get God’s co-sign before he can even come against your house.

But know this: If God allowed it, He already has a plan to cause it to work together for your good.

The man who was set free from demonic possession in our story today, according to Mark 5:18, begged Jesus to go with Him when Jesus was getting into His boat preparing to leave. But Jesus didn’t let the man come with Him on the boat. Instead, Jesus told the liberated man in verse 19, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you.”

Jesus said, go on and testify, man. Tell the people how God transformed you (as one preacher said) from a maniac into a missionary. I love that. Jesus turned this man’s life around and foiled the whole plan of the enemy. He neutralized Satan’s attack. What the devil meant for evil God turned around for good. Jesus used the man’s bondage to show forth His power to set captives free. And that power is at work right now.

God is going to turn things around for you, too. He’s going to bless you and deliver you so spectacularly, He will leave others in awe. He has commanded your deliverance. Just remember, when God does what He does for you, do what Jesus told the formerly possessed man to do: Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you.

Tell them how He brought you out. Tell them how He healed your body. Tell them how He gave you another chance. Tell them how you should have been dead and gone, but God showed you mercy. Tell them, if it had not been for the Lord on your side, you don’t know where you would be. Tell them how you could have lost your mind, but God spoke a word over you.

Psalm 107:20 NIV, which is what I’m stirring into your cup of inspiration says, “He sent out his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave.”

As you drink down the contents of your cup, know that God has already sent forth His word. He has commanded your deliverance. And you’re about to have your own dynamic, awe-inspiring, jaw-dropping testimony of the power of God.

Now, let’s pray.

God, thank You for sending this word to remind me that when You speak, change happens. When You show up, demons tremble. When You command a thing, it must be so. Thank You for speaking blessings, deliverance, and favor over me. Because You have spoken, I know it shall manifest. And I praise You for it right now. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

If you desire prayer, please allow me, along with my intercessory prayer team, to stand in faith with you for breakthrough. We would be so honored. We have seen God work over and over again. There is power in agreement. Click here to request prayer now.

As always, thanks for reading and until next time... may today's cup of inspiration uplift, encourage, and empower you!