Daily Devotions
Friday, June 20, 2025
Luke 8:38-39 – The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with Him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, “Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.”
Years ago, I remember reading a study conducted by a popular pollster, which revealed that more than half of American Christians doubted that Satan was real. These believers even saw him as a personification of evil and not as a real being. Despite these opinions, when we open the Bible we realize that the devil exists, and that he is a serious enemy —a tough one!— and an enemy we should be concerned about and, better yet, trust in the One who cares for us and deals with him.
Scriptures tell us that an important part of Jesus’ ministry was about casting out demons and overcoming the attacks of the evil one, as we read in this week’s Gospel lesson. St. Peter warned us about the devil’s work among us when he says: “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).
However, Jesus—who loves us—knows our struggles and weaknesses, and comes to our rescue and saves us from the evil one, just as He did with the man of the text. Christ, whose power knows no limits, took care of the situation and restored the life of that individual. Just like him, we also live under attack in our spiritual lives. Not only by the devil, but sometimes our own sinful nature keeps us prisoners of actions that harm us or others, of words we say and later regret, of those things that destroy families, friendships, neighborhoods, faith communities, and more. There is also the world, another foe we have, which will always seek to separate us from God and faith in the Lord.
The good news is that Christ already defeated the father of lies once in the wilderness. He defeated him several times during His ministry, He defeated him that day when He freed this Gerasene man, and above all, He defeated him in the sacrifice of the cross and in His resurrection.
When someone is baptized, there is Christ defeating the devil. When people, through the work of the Spirit, confess Jesus and believe His promises, there is another victory of God. Don’t try to attack the devil or defend yourself against him with your own strength. Instead, let the power of the Lord and the armor of God protect you in this spiritual battle, in which we know that Christ has the victory.
At the end of the day, Christ restored this man to demonstrate that His power is unlimited, and then He sent him home to tell everyone about the wonders of what the true God is capable of.
Jesus not only restores you when your sins are forgiven, when by grace you receive saving faith, or when you are made a new creation in the power of God revealed in our Baptism. After working redemption in you, Jesus sends you into the world—not to tell what the devil is capable of, but to proclaim what Jesus Christ has done for you.
WE PRAY: Protect me, Lord, in my struggles and weaknesses, and let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Rev. Germán Novelli, Jr.
Reflection Questions:
- What are the ways and spiritual weapons used by the devil to attack God’s people?
- What tools has God given to all Christians so they can endure the power of Satan?
- How did Jesus defeat the devil and protects us from him?
Today's Readings:
Proverbs 27-29Acts 5:1-21