All Ashore

“When Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man…For a long time this man … had lived in tombs…For Jesus had commanded the evil spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was chained…the man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him… ‘Return home and tell how much God has done for you.’” Luke 8:26-39

This was an encounter between good and evil, perfection and imperfection, Christ and Satan. This is the story of sin in the heart of man. We all have it, we all live among it and we all struggle within our own sin. We all have an appetite of sin for which we have struggled many times throughout our life. We each know within us our appetite of sin which reappears without notice, and ‘seizes us’ over and over again. It is the habitual practice for which Satan uses time and time again due to its past successes. Our sins live in those private and shameful places in our hearts.

But then Christ docks on our shore of sin and steps out of the boat. He faces our sin head on as He exposes, commands and convicts. Satan knows that God is greater than our sin and that He will not be satisfied until our surrender and repentance.

Our sins wrap their chains around us and before we know it we are firmly bound by them. We live in shame and fear of the exposure of these sins. We relegate ourselves to tombs fearful of letting anyone too close. We can be assured that as long as we live in our unconfessed sin, much like this man, ‘we will have not.’ We will be without the peace and contentment that is offered through the cleansing of our heart. We will be without the joy that is found in Him. We will be without a song in our heart testifying of Christ’s great and marvelous forgiveness and deliverance. We will live in tombs!

It is guaranteed that Christ will step ashore on all of our little islands. Meet Him at the water’s edge and welcome Him on your knees. Then return home to that place where shame and fear no longer reside and tell how much God has done for you!