“When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ 25 And when he comes, he finds it swept and put in order. 26 Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first.” Luke 11:24–26 (NKJV)
A mentoring voice in my life has taught me some essential facts to remain aware of:
God CREATES, the enemy COUNTERFEITS.
God BUILDS, the enemy BREAKS.
God works through VISION; the enemy works through DIVISION.
God makes things BETTER & BETTER; the enemy makes things WORSE & WORSE.
In this vein, the teaching ministry of Jesus, as recorded in Luke 11:24-26, reveals that when it comes to the enemy, Satan intends to practice this measure of attack towards us:
What doesn’t kill you the first time will mutate and try again.
Jesus taught, anytime the enemy is cast out, our assailant will eventually come back seven times stronger for Round 2. This onslaught happens because the enemy has one thing on his mind, destruction. And, according to Jesus, our foe wants our end to be worse than the beginning! So, to prevent his plot from prevailing, we must walk in the awareness that the enemy preys on a clean but empty house. Meaning you can not settle for deliverance from the enemy. You must also fill your house with the presence of God so that you are ready when your spiritual nemesis and his more wicked friends come back.
In Luke 11, I think Jesus was relaying to us, we must invite God to be something more than a helicopter parent. Here’s what I mean, Genesis 1:1–2 shows us what it looks like when we allow God to just hover over our life:
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” Genesis 1:1-2
If your relationship with God resembles the initial stages of Creation -- hovering over the Earth but not in the Earth -- then your life may mirror that of the Creation’s original state: without form, empty, and dark in the deep places.
Are there places in your life without form or order?
Are there places in your life where you are empty?
Are there places in your life where you have become dark in the deep places?
If you answered “Yes,” to any of those questions, you must allow God’s Word to work in you. Because...
When you allow God’s Word to go to work, He can MAKE something of your life!
It was only after God’s Word had gone to work in the Earth that He chose to put His hands on the Earth and make something out of it. Something He would call, “Very good.” And, that ‘something’ was a ‘someone’; the first man.
"Let US make man in our image..." (Genesis 1:26)
All of Heaven was about to show up and MAKE something in the Earth. And, if there is one thing you learn in Scripture, it is you don't mess with US...
There is life-transforming revelation available in the Book Genesis. I would love to share more of it with you! So dive into this message with me, Don’t Mess With Us.