What’s Filling Your House?
Matthew 12:43-45 (KJV)
43 – When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none.
44 – Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished.
45 – Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.
In the verses above, we are drawn into the words of Jesus, describing the deliverance of a man from an inward perspective. The unclean spirit goes out of a man and when he returns, he finds the man empty. So, he then gathers seven other evil spirits, and they enter into the man.
After reading this excerpt, one can’t help but ask themselves, “How does a man, after getting rid of an unclean spirit, manage to let that same spirit back inside?” That question then leads you to ask the more important question, “How does he manage to house seven more?” If you take a close look at verse 44, you’ll notice that when the unclean spirit comes back, he finds the man “empty, swept, and garnished.”
Imagine, for a moment, that the couch in your living room is spotless. You could, if you want, fit as many people as your couch can hold. Now imagine you’re getting ready to move into a new house and, because you’re moving, that same couch is cluttered with boxes filled with your belongings. In this scenario your couch can only hold a limited number of people because your couch doesn’t have as much seating space as it had before.
Using this analogy, the answer to the previously asked question becomes clear. Because the man was empty, swept and garnished there was space available for the unclean spirits to enter in and dwell there. It is very possible to be set free and later be put back in the same chains you were once delivered from because there was an emptying, but never a filling. You can be emptied of an addiction, but if your house is empty, then that same addiction and seven more like it can just as easily enter your home. The problem with the man is that he never finished the process.
Figuratively speaking, the man’s house (heart-spirit-soul) was empty of uncleanness, but it was never full of godliness. Removing ungodliness is only the first step. There must be a removing, but there must also be a replacing. Unclean spirits have no problem with entering a vacant home. But unclean spirits will never, and can never, enter a home that’s occupied with God’s spirit. It’s not enough for God to own us; He must occupy us. Filling your home with godliness, righteousness and holiness is the only way to keep ungodliness, unrighteousness and unholiness out. You cannot be filled with both, just as you cannot serve two masters.
The question you must ask yourself today is, “Who or what is filling my home?” If doubt, then ask God to fill you with faith. If worldly distractions, then ask God to fill you with spiritual desires. If sin, then ask God to fill you with a hunger for holiness. Only you and God know what’s in your house, so take the time today to read and reflect on the words of David in Psalms 26:2, “Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my reins and my heart.”
Jesus, I thank You today for Your Word that not only challenges but corrects. Would You search me, O God, and empty me of everything that is not of You? But God, I don’t want to be emptied if I’m not filled. So, would You not only empty me, but would You fill me today with everything that is of You? Help me, Jesus, to be a living sacrifice that testifies of Your greatness. Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Written by Cole Blackford for The Pentecostals of Gainesville
