Demonic Attacks Before Miraculous Breakthrough

Anytime you are on the frontlines of battle and are doing something significant for the Kingdom of God, the enemy’s attacks against your life will escalate. Even Jesus came under such an attack when He was pre-paring to cast a legion of demons out of the demoniac of Gadara (Mark 4:35-41).Violent and destructive winds seemed to come from out of nowhere to capsize Jesus’ boat and drown Him and His disciples in the middle of the lake. Verse 37 says, “And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.”Notice that it says, “And there arose. ...” The phrase “there arose” is taken from the Greek word ginomai. The word ginomai is used more than 200 times in the New Testament; hence, its primary meaning is well documented. The word ginomai normally describes something that happens unexpectedly or something that catches one off guard.For instance, the word ginomai is used in Acts 10:9,10 to describe how Peter received his vision revealing that salvation had become available for the Gentiles: On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour: and he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready, he FELL INTO a trance.Especially notice the words “fell into.” This phrase is derived from the Greek word ginomai. Because Luke uses the word ginomai, we know that Peter didn’t expect this visitation to occur that afternoon. He was waiting on dinner when suddenly — unexpectedly — he “slipped into” a trance. This was an encounter with God that caught him off guard.When John tells us how he received the book of Revelation in Revelation 1:10, he also uses the word ginomai: “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day….” The phrase “I was” is also taken from the word ginomai. Therefore, we know from the usage of this word that John was not expecting to have a visitation that day. The vision came unexpectedly, taking him completely off guard as he looked up and found himself standing in the realm of the Spirit.Now this same word, which contains an element of surprise, is used in Mark 4:37 to plainly tell us that Jesus and His disciples didn’t expect bad weather that night. These winds overtook them unexpectedly.Many of Jesus’ disciples were fishermen before they were called into the ministry, so they knew the weather of the sea. If a natural storm had been brewing that night, these men would never have taken their little boat out into the middle of that sea.

Therefore, you can be sure that when they began their journey that night, it was a perfect night for sailing. But suddenly and unexpectedly, “there arose” a great storm of wind.

Notice that Mark tells us it was “a great storm of wind.” The word “great” is taken from the word mega, which denotes something of magnificent proportions. It is where we get the idea of “megabills,” “megawork,” “megatired,” and “megaphone.” By using this word, we know that this was a megastorm!And notice what kind of storm it was. Mark doesn’t say that it was a thunderstorm or a rainstorm; he tells us that it was “a great storm of wind.” The word “wind” is taken from the word lalaipsi, and it describes a turbulence or a terribly violent wind. Therefore, the storm that came against Jesus that night was an unseen storm. A person couldn’t see this storm, but he could feel the effects of it.This was an attempt of the enemy to destroy Jesus and His crew before they reached the other side. On the other side, in the country of the Gadarenes, Satan had a prized possession: the demoniac of Gadara. The devil knew that if Jesus’ ship reached the other side, he would lose his prized possession and Jesus would perform one of the greatest miracles of His ministry.So when Jesus was on the edge of a breakthrough, this unexpected attack of violent and destructive turbulence came down upon Him and His disciples to kill and destroy. The devil didn’t want Jesus to arrive at the country of the Gadarenes.

This was a preemptive strike of the devil to undo the work of God.

This was also a great opportunity for the disciples to learn that Jesus Christ is Lord of the wind and the waves! After He exercised authority over this unseen turbulence and spoke to the waves of the sea, the Word says that “…the wind ceased, and there was a great calm” (Mark 4:39).The fact that this attack came just as Jesus was on the brink of a major miracle is not uncommon. In fact, this is normally the time when genuine demonic attacks occur. If such attacks came against Jesus, we can be sure that the enemy will attempt to do this to us as well. Therefore, we must mentally and spiritually prepare ourselves to deal with demonic attacks.

We are to “put on the whole armor of God” and take authority over the wind and the waves that come against our lives, our families, our businesses, or our bodies.

We use our authority just as Jesus took authority over the wind and the waves that came against Him.So what do you do if you come under a demonic attack? First, make sure you know that you have been diligent to cover all your bases by obeying the Holy Spirit’s promptings in the various areas of your life. Make sure also that, to the best of your knowledge, you have left no doors open for an attack. Then just like the Lord Jesus Christ, you must rise up to take authority over the wind and the waves. This is your golden opportunity to see a demonstration of God’s power in your life!Let me also stress another important point: When the wind and the waves ceased that night, the Word says that “…there was a great calm” (v. 39). Verse 37 previously told us that this storm had been a great storm.

So when everything was said and done, Jesus had matched a great storm with a great calm!

If the enemy has created a great financial problem in your life, Jesus Christ wants to match it with a great financial blessing. If the adversary has created a great sickness in your body, Jesus Christ wants to match it with a great healing. If the devil has created a horrible marital mess in your life, the Lord Jesus Christ wants to match that marital crisis with a great marital blessing. Whatever the devil does, Jesus Christ wants to match that attack with an even greater blessing in your life!However, we must be honest with ourselves when it comes to these attacks. The majority of battles that we fight in life do not fall into this category of “surprise attacks.” Most battles are fought because we were unfaithful to heed the Holy Spirit’s warnings to deal with some area of our lives before it got out of control.Spiritual warfare is not a momentary gust of emotion to temporarily frighten away the devil. Quite the opposite! Real spiritual warfare is a specific condition of the mind that involves a lifelong commitment. It is not so much an action as it is a determined and committed attitude of the mind.