Help For families in Crisis By Pastor Sunday Adebamiro

SUNDAY SERVICE   (2nd Service)
May 22, 2022
Mark 5: 1-10
As we established in the First Service, one of the salient ways of discovering a person or family in crisis includes finding oneself in a place one was not meant to be.
As in the context of this text, any of such misplacement of location is like the Gadarene man, living in a tomb or cemetery. Most things you will do outside the will of God for you and for your life equates living in a cemetery, equates being in a place you are not meant to be. The effect of the living residing with the dead is noticeably clear, and it is a sign you really need help.


Another thing about people who are in crisis and in need of help is similar to the situation of the Gadarene man in our text is that a person like that is usually out of control. Like the Gadarene man, such a person can neither be tamed nor bound. Mark 5:3 This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. It also means no man can counsel or give you advise. It means no one can correct you when you go wrong. Not only do are you all-knowing and confident in yourself, you can never be wrong. It is a sign you are in a crisis, and you need help. Every human being needs someone who can talk sense into us, whose counsel is highly treasured in your life. If you are someone who cannot be tamed, advised, the implication is that like King Saul in the Bible, you may soon lose your throne.



Families go through the same thing over and over again. Down the generations are examples of families in crises. In the text, the Bible says he was always in the tomb. Mark 5:5  And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones. There are families dealing with patterns, the same battle or situation the grandfather dealt with, the father dealt with is also dealing with the son, the family or person is in crisis and definitely needs help. With Abraham’s family in the Bible, the issue of famine repeated itself down the generations. Abraham experienced famine, Jacob had to relocate the whole family to Egypt because of famine. Same way Abraham lied about the identity of his wife Sarah, so did Isaac lied that his wife was his sister. There are some families listening to me, your own is delay, in some families, it is mental illness.



Then also, there are families that are attacking themselves. The Bible says about this man that he was cutting himself with stones and continually crying. Mark 5:5 And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones. Some families have become toxic, they may not even be physical, but with their words, they will cut you with words down to the bone. It is a symptom that the family is in crisis and seriously needs the help of God. Some of you are the ones cutting yourself, you are so critical of yourself. You are allowing the devil to use you against yourself.

How do you get help?
Admit that you need help, admit that you have a problem, that you need help. To get help, you seek for help.
Seek for help at the right place. This is as important as admitting that one needs help. Getting help from the wrong place would complicate your life further. The Gadarene demoniac had been in that state for a long time and no one could help him until Jesus came. What I am telling you is that Jesus is the only right help you need and the only kind that you need to look for.

Release your faith for help. Without leveraging your faith, you may not be able to access the help you need. Even the demoniac in our text was described as running to meet Jesus and he received help.

Have a bigger picture for what you are going through. You have to understand that the devil is not after you for nothing. Look at the exploit of this man after his deliverance. Thieves will never knowingly attack an empty house. Mark 5:20 And he departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all marveled. The devil is not attacking you for now, he is attacking you for where you are going to. He is not attacking you for you, he is attacking you for the people you are sent to help and influence