5 Minute Read
Prepare Your Heart
To the best of your ability, get rid of all distractions. Take a few minutes to breathe deeply and quiet yourself in the Lord’s presence. Then, ask the Lord to speak to you in this time. Let Him know that you will listen and make whatever adjustments He will reveal to you.
Read God’s Word
A Verse for Today
Slowly and reflectively read the following verse(s) and listen to what God will say to you through His written Word. Consider writing down any insights He reveals to you.
Luke 11:24-26 (CSB): “When an unclean spirit comes out of a person, it roams through waterless places looking for rest, and not finding rest, it then says, ‘I’ll go back to my house that I came from.’ Returning, it finds the house swept and put in order. Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and settle down there. As a result, that person’s last condition is worse than the first.”
Reflecting on God’s Word
There have been many times in my ministry when I have said something like: “Forgiven people can’t get into Heaven.” I get blank stares that sometimes turn inquisitive, with a small group of people even shaking their heads in disagreement.
Yet, I’m completely right when I say that … and biblical (which is the only thing that matters).
You see, to get into a right relationship with God and into Heaven when you die, you need more than to be forgiven. You need more than to simply have your sin record wiped clean. You must also be fully righteous, fully perfect according to God’s law.
The Bible says that both of these things (and so much more) happen to those of us who are genuinely trusting in Jesus alone to make us right in God’s eyes. He forgives us of our sins and credits us with His righteousness. Read this next verse very slowly to see that salvation is the “great swap.” Jesus takes our sins, and we get credited with His righteousness, both of which are necessary to be born again.
2 Corinthians 5:21 (CSB): “He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
Do you understand what the previous verse just told us? We aren’t merely forgiven. If that were the case, we would be emptied of our sin record but left empty. That emptiness needs to be filled, and we are told that it is filled with Jesus’ righteousness.
This is the principle of the verse I have chosen for today. It is a powerful life principle that applies in so many different scenarios. We can’t merely get rid of the bad stuff. We must immediately replace it with something good, or the bad will eventually come back with a vengeance. Listen again as Jesus speaks the following words…
Luke 11:24-26 (CSB): “When an unclean spirit comes out of a person, it roams through waterless places looking for rest, and not finding rest, it then says, ‘I’ll go back to my house that I came from.’ Returning, it finds the house swept and put in order. Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and settle down there. As a result, that person’s last condition is worse than the first.”
Again, this is an overarching life principle. Learn it and put it to work in your life. Here are a couple of ways that it can be applied:
Suppose you were struggling with a sinful thought (anger, jealousy, lust, etc.). If you simply tried to get that thought out of your head, it would almost certainly be a losing battle. Nature abhors a vacuum, and that bad thought will come back, maybe with a vengeance. So, to get rid of it, you’ve got to chase it out and then immediately fill the vacuum with good thoughts (sing a song, recite Scripture, express gratitude to the Lord, etc.).
Here is the principle again: You can’t merely get rid of the bad thing. You must immediately fill the void with a good thing to keep the bad thing out.
Now, suppose you had a really sinful habit. Let’s say you struggle with talking badly about people behind their backs. You’re a gossip. So, the Holy Spirit convicts you, and you stop gossiping. But sooner or later, you will probably start gossiping about people again. The reason is that you didn’t replace the sinful habit of gossiping with something good that would take its place. So, let’s say you pray and ask for the Lord’s help in conquering the sin of gossip … and ask Him to help you replace the bad thing (gossip) with a good thing (praising other people). Instead of talking badly about people, you determine that you will say only things that build other people up (Ephesians 4:29). When you are tempted to say something bad, you intentionally focus on praising that person. You are much less likely to settle back into gossiping because you have chased out the bad thing and filled the void with something else that is good.
I could challenge you to put this simple principle into practice the next time you need to get rid of something bad/sinful. And that will probably be today.
Spend Time in Prayer
- Ask God to point out sinful thoughts or behaviors in your life that need to go.
- Ask God to help you determine what good thing to replace those sins with.
- Ask God to give you the strength and determination to get rid of the bad and replace it with good.
Going Deeper
If you want to dig a little deeper into what evil spirits are, consider reading the following GotQuestions article, which briefly speaks about the verses I have chosen for today:
Sharing
If this post has been helpful to you or if you think it could help others, please consider tapping one of the social media buttons below to share it on your favorite platform.
____________________
Matt Ellis is the pastor of First Baptist Church in Polk City, Florida (fbcpolkcity.com)
Matt’s Musings 