This morning I read Matthew 12:43-45 and this is what Jesus said:
“When an evil spirit leaves a person, it goes into the desert, seeking rest but finding none. Then it says “I will return to the person I came from” so it returns and finds its former home empty, swept, and in order. Then the spirit finds seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they all enter the person and live there, and so that person is worse off than before. That will be the experience in this evil generation.”
Yikes. If that’s not scary I don’t know what is. The moral of this passage is, if you rid yourself of a sin in your life, you must (MUST) fill it with God, and obedience to God, or the devil will move back in tenfold.
The passage says the “evil spirit” will come back but with seven more spirits even more evil than the first. I don’t know about you, but I want no part of that.
If you begin to make good changes in your life, don’t fall prey to the devil and fill that void you feel with God. He is the ONLY one that can fill it and heal you. If he is calling you to change, then let Him help you every step of the way.
When we turn away from sin, we must turn to God……not just turn away to nothing. That can lead to worse sins.
In my Study Bible this is what it says after those verses:
“Just cleaning up one’s life without filling it with God leaves plenty of room for Satan to enter. The book of Ezra records how the people rid themselves of idolatry but failed to replace it with love for God and obedience to him. Ridding our life of sin is the first step. We must also take the second step: filling our life with God’s Word and the Holy Spirit. Unfilled and complacent people are easy targets for Satan.”
Have you ever quit something or turned away from a sin only to become more tempted and tormented to do that sin? Now you know why. Change is something only God can help us with and through. Without Him leading us, we are vulnerable to even more evil spirits.
