April 20, 2026 -- Matthew 12:43-45 -- Is your house swept and clean? Who is taking up residence?

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People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

43 “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none. 44 Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order. 45 Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this evil generation.”
Matthew 12:43-45 ESV
 
Though a man may be cleansed of an unclean spirit, if he is not immediately filled with the Spirit of God, will he be open and vulnerable to all kinds of grosser uncleanness. It is important to note that the original language calls the spirits ‘unclean’.
 
Here are marks, evidences, that people are hosting an unclean spirit, or spirits.

  • They are morally unclean. They are spiritually unclean. It is not necessarily what would immediately spring to mind when you think of demons. They are utterly blind to their own wickedness. As such, it is spiritually discerned.

  • The uncleanness of the spirits infests a person in such a way that they are unacceptable to God, though the world may find such a person good company and a fine person. The point is there is no moral, nor spiritual neutrality. One is for God or against Him.

  • The uncleanness of the spirit will always draw darker forces and greater uncleanness to itself. Many of us, who wrestle with addictions, know this to be true. An addict may be clean for a day, a month, a year, but if the infinite power of Jesus does not guard his heart against repossession, the fall back into addiction will be deeper, darker and deadlier.

  • Uncleanness can become standards of acceptable behavior in our society. Think of the various kinds of uncleanness that hardly raises an eyebrow in our world today: gay marriage (which is not marriage at all). Abortion. Medical Assistance in Dying. Governmental corruption (which I have heard excused by statements like “well, at least it is not as bad as the corruption is in Nigeria”). The uncleanness of our world is so pervasive, so common, so accepted, that one requires the discernment of the Holy Spirit to truly detect it and hate it.

 
However, when one is indwelt by the power of the Holy Spirit, the infinite power of God guards him against the raging forces of the enemy. Evidence of such mighty power within you: a desire to read the Bible, joy in spending time with fellow Christians, evident growth in one’s walk with God—for example, the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control) are becoming increasingly part of one’s life. A holy desire for more of God is evidence of Jesus’ mighty power taking hold of you. If you are lacking such signs of Jesus’ power: ask me. Ask a Christian you know, about walking with God.
 
Spirit of love, make me like the loving Jesus;
give me his benevolent temper,
his beneficent actions,
that I may shine before men to thy glory.
The more thou doest in love in me and by me,
humble me the more;
keep me meek, lowly,
and always ready to give thee honour.
(Quoted from CHRISTIAN LOVE, Valley of Vision. page 250
 
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