Titled "I Can't Leave You Alone," my pastor, Rev. Glenn Shepherd, of First African Methodist Episcopal Church, in Sharon Hill, PA, breaks down Mark 1:21-28.
The passage looks in on a man with an unclean spirit protesting Jesus' teaching at a synagogue, demanding that Jesus leave the crowd alone. Rev. Shepherd encouraged the congregation to not be influenced by those with unclean spirits who might want to pull us away from God's message--within the church and out. Instead, he urges us to tell those people to "leave us alone" so we can be privy to all that God has to offer. He also encourages us to search our own lives for signs of an unclean spirit, to cast out that negativity in us. "When we start thinking about what we're doing, pondering what we're doing, then we can say, 'You know, Lord, I may not have done this the way that you would want me to do it.' And when we understand that, that's when God starts to work in our lives."
Be prepared that it is not an easy task to shake free of an unclean spirit. As the pastor pointed out from the story, the unclean spirit struggled and shook through the man as it was torn away. Nevertheless, "when Jesus speaks with power and authority, it gotta come out." Choose to enable Jesus to work through your life and your spirit ultimately will be cleansed and renewed.
Choice is the important thing to remember: Though it seems hard, we do have to choice to wallow in sin or to rise above it. As the sermon alludes to, communicating the positive choice to the Lord will help us to stay on the right path.
In the music world, one song that really makes me think of this internal struggle and gives me what I need to press on is "Desperate," by Lecrae. As the chorus pleads for, we do need to ask God to create clean hearts in us to counter the negative thoughts about ourselves and others that plague us.
Check out the song right here:
Desperate Ft. Cam - Lecrae
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