Luke 11:24-26

Luke 11:24-26 “When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first.”

Sometimes people "find God." They realize their lives are a mess, so they turn around, sweep themselves clean of some bad habits and compulsive ways, but still do not allow God to fully inhabit their lives. These people are in danger of having other spirits affect their existence. Jesus implies people might do the right thing by cleaning their houses (lives), organizing and straightening them out, but without the dynamic Spirit of God in control, THE STRONGMAN, they are in danger of foul spirits taking over their homes to an even greater degree.

Sometimes spiritually inconsistent people go into religious cults. They clean their houses, live better or more wholesome lives, but their unwillingness to allow Jesus Christ to control everything makes them susceptible to other spirits. Oftentimes, people even start attending church and getting involved with Christian things, but their lives still exhibit fleshly, defeating ways. They still long for worldly pleasures, still look for success, still seek satisfaction from the things of this world. Sometimes they hang onto their old friends and their old lifestyles. People with this attitude face the possibility of corrupting spirits inhabiting their lives. Jesus says, those who are not totally with me, committed to me, are against me. They are scattering, not gathering. They are doing the devil's work, not mine, and even their children will not follow them.

We who are cleansed by the blood of Jesus must turn to him wholeheartedly, allowing the Holy Spirit to abide fully within us, to control our lives. Anything less is a dangerous situation. Spirits of some kind will always inhabit your house, either Gods' spirit or spirits of the flesh. Some anti-Christ spirits are religious spirits that hang onto answers to life other than Jesus Christ. These ideas range from mystical religious philosophies to cultish beliefs or even atheistic doctrines. Such spirits come in the guise of light, but they are darkness and bring destruction from the pit of hell. Jesus says the final condition is worse than the first.

The Holy Spirit, the Strongman of God, keeps your house safe from evil influences when you commit wholeheartedly to Jesus. He will give you light rather than darkness. The Holy Spirit will enlighten God's Word to your heart. He will give you a drink when you thirst, food when you are famished, and rest when you are weary. He will make your life worth living by being your constant companion and guide. As you allow the Holy Spirit to complete the work Jesus has done in you, He will cleanse you of all your old habits, your old haunts, your old patterns of living. I love this chorus to an old gospel song: Leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all alarms; leaning, learning, leaning on the everlasting arms. Today, by faith chose to live in an orderly house, a clean house, one that gathers and does not scatter. Your children and your children's children will call you blessed.