Mark 1

My commentator mildly rebukes modern prayer ministry saying Jesus did not "pray for" people. Jesus commanded spirits and fevers (v.31) to leave people.

I admit I certainly do not have faith for such commanding. Most of us do not. If God calls you to command sickness to leave then do it. I have heard people praying for people using the words of Jesus but even as they do it I sense they have doubts.

We are not Jesus. But Jesus told his disciples that "greater things would they do" when he would go away and send the Holy Spirit. I believe it is right to accept that encouragement for us today. Do I not experience it because I do not have enough faith or am not righteous enough? I do not know.

But it may not be all the time. It may happen only on special occasions that God only truly understands. Still I pray and leave the results to God.

Even that attitude seems wrong. That sounds like I am implicitly blaming God for my failures. Is that what I am doing?

There is a man in my office building who I have decided must have a demon. I'm afraid a lot of the men who come for a free lunch an counseling are "twitterpated". Does anyone remember what movie that comes from? Any twitterpated may very well involve demon possession of some kind.

But this one man singles me out for a weird sort of harassment. When he sees me he gets sort of aggressive about being friendly. He says "hi". I say hi back. Then he begins to barrage me with questions. If I start answering it never stops and it comes in a rush. He'll say, "How are you?" Then "How's your wife?" "Are you feeling well?" Then when I disengage and head off he keeps on asking questions an when I am getting out of earshot he'll say, "Have a nice day!" "I hope your day is nice!"

Call me crazy but the whole thing makes me uncomfortable. I have seen him do this with one other person a lot time ago. But I am the only one he singles out for this behavior. There are plenty of other office workers here but he seems to ignore them. Why me? Do I look like his father?

I wonder if I should command the spirit to leave. Isn't that what Paul did? He finally got tired of this man following him around. He got impatient and finally commanded the spirit to leave this man. Now he was Paul and I am nobody. This man was distracting people from listening to Paul's message. I am not proclaiming a message. It's quite different. And yet I think in both cases there is an evil spirit working.

But I am afraid of looking like a fool. And I certainly have no clear word from God that this man has a demon. Perhaps the spirit will beat me as one did the sons of Sceva. Yet I have the Holy Spirit and they did not.

Stay tuned. Maybe something will happen. I will report back if it does.