“No one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods unless he first binds the strong man. And then he will plunder his house.” (Mark 3:27)
Story Time: One of the most profound memories is when I was around 11, growing up in Liberia, West Africa. A friend of my grandma’s was a minister of a small deliverance church community that housed women with special needs or, should I say, under demonic influence whose families and society had ostracized them. I don’t remember her name because it’s been 36 years since our encounter, but she visited with my grandma, and the moment she looked at me, she saw something special. I didn’t know what prophecy was about then, but I overheard her telling my grandmother that God would use me mightily and that His hedge of protection was all around me. Looking back over my life and all I’ve been through; I can only say BUT GOD!!!
It was a while later when Grandma took me to visit her church. It was what I now understand as a mighty move of God. I witnessed women who knew how to evoke the presence of God with their worship experience because they spent time with Him. In the service, from adults to children, all prostrated and soaked in their tears in the presence of God. After spending the day with her, she asked if I would like to help her around the church sometimes, and without hesitation, I excitedly hinted at my grandma’s yes. Not long after our visit, my grandma agreed that I would stay with her for a week. Grandma was our only parent figure then, and my parents were in the US trying to establish a better life for their three daughters.
Meanwhile, I was excited to be in a new environment that allowed my curiosity to explore and learn new things. To learn more, I wanted to get familiar with and understand the different women who lived there and the type of care that the church provided daily. Of all the women with special needs, one exceptional lady constantly made weird squeaking sounds without eye contact and refused to leave her room. I took a particular interest in her and wanted to know her story. I was made aware she was once the town’s beauty queen and loved by everyone. However, some jealous friends tried destroying her life by poisoning her food; instead of killing her, she survived but lost her mind. Hearing her story forever changed my life, and even now, I’m still impacted by how one misguided move can change the trajectory of our entire lives. You may ask how the story relates to the above verse; be patient and keep reading because the revelation will blow your mind.
In context, to lay out the background, the book of Mark, chapter 3, starts with observing the Jewish Sabbath, the day of rest and holy sacrament to cease all labor. Jesus went into the synagogue and immediately noticed a man with a shriveled hand. The religious leaders, as always, watched Him to see if He would keep the Sabbath. Without hesitation, Jesus posed the scenario with these questions by telling the man to stand up in front of everyone and ask them “if it is lawful on the Sabbath to do good or evil, to save life or kill.” With complete silence, they angered Him; He told the man to stretch out his hand, and He healed him.
As we go further into the chapter, the scribes were angry with Jesus for disobeying the Sabbath and called Him Beelzebub, the spirit of a demon. You see, Jesus is always aware and concerned about our infirmities and sufferings. He is willing to go to great lengths for our healing and deliverance. Foundationally, as we travel through the text before we get to verse 27, Jesus, in His infinite wisdom, addressed the accusation of Him having the spirit of the devil, which is why He can cast out devils. Responded with this, “How can Satan cast out Satan?” in other words, make it make sense. Again, He said, “If a kingdom is divided against itself or a house divided against itself, it cannot stand.” Point exactly! Let the church say Amen. In verse 27, for more context, Jesus continues to elaborate without further due.
On the other hand, here comes our verse of the hour. In Mark 3:27, Jesus continues to elaborate that a thief cannot break into a strong man’s house without ensuring he is not a threat by first binding him up and then stealing what he has. Let’s go deeper: To overtake someone physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually strong. It will require finding a way in which strength is not dominant to restrict the capacity to resist but place a restraint that overpowers their strength. Owoo, I feel my help is coming; catch this revelation. We are good actors in showing our strengths but are great at masquerading our weaknesses. Here goes another revelation: The enemy is after what is hidden, not what is seen. Satan’s strategy is to tie or bind us up where we are weak to access our possessions or the gifts and blessings that God has given us for success. For example, our strength is our shield of protection, and our weakness is the key to our prison or bondage.
Can I preach to you? Let’s look at another example of a familiar story of Samson in the book of Judges: Just like Samson, his enemies, the Philistines, were after his secret bind him up. Undoubtedly, no one could overpower Samson; he was the strongest man of his time, so the enemy pursued his weakness. Again, like Samson, the devil is not after your strength but your weakness. Now, let’s return to the story of the exceptional lady I mentioned earlier. I often wonder how she went from being the most popular to being stripped of her beauty and existence.
As has been noted, the revelation that I gathered from these stories is that our strength is only sustainable by God’s wisdom and guidance. In essence, let’s give God room where we are vulnerable or weak and allow Him to perfect those areas that give the enemy a foothold in our lives.
Making the old new again