Here’s Today’s Devotional from The Vine..
He called the twelve together, and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases. - Luke 9:1
The first thing is always to come to Christ Himself. We can do nothing until we have been to Him. Everything we do should be as if Jesus Himself instructed us to do it, and sent us on our way with His blessing. There is nothing too dangerous, no work too hard, no job too responsible, that can’t be done, if, from the outset, we have Christ’s hand of encouragement on our shoulder and his words of inspiration.
Christ alone can give power for the work He asks us to do. His followers are to have authority over demons. Any one who tries to cast out demons in his own strength, whether the demon be in himself of in someone else, will only meet miserable failure. A man may rule nations and conquer kingdoms, and yet be unable to rid himself of a demon. Alexander The Great conquered the world, but he was overthrown by the demons of appetite and passion. Men are forever foolishly trying to battle the evil of their own natures without help and they always fail in the struggle.
The same is true of power over demons in others. Once the disciples, in Christ’s absence, tried to cast out an evil spirit, and could not do it. Yet they ought to have been able in Christ’s name to cast out the demon. Jesus told them that the reason they could not do it was because they didn’t have faith. He wants every follower of his to have power over all forms of evil in this world; not miraculous power, such as he gave the apostles, but real power. If we have faith in Him, He will always give us power.
