Matthew 12: 43-45 “When an unclean spirit goes out of a person, it looks for a place to rest. Finding none it says, ‘I will return to the home I left.’ On returning it finds the house swept clean, put in order, but empty. Then it brings with it seven spirits more evil than itself and they move in. So the last state of that person is worse than the first.”
The core teaching from this text is that it isn’t enough to clean up our lives and try to abstain from sin. If we don’t fill the void with something good, our condition can easily fall into a worse state than before.
On the same topic, Paul wrote:
If you have been raised with Christ keep seeking the things that are above, where He is seated at the right hand of God. Put to death the things in your life that belong to this world … Take off such things as anger, rage, malice, slander and abusive speech; and do not lie. Clothe yourselves with a heart of mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Let the peace of Christ control your hearts and … be thankful. (from Col 3:1-15)
After you take off the old clothes remember to put on the new ones! Recently as I was discussing these ideas with my boys, I was hit by that final thought from Paul … be thankful. Thankfulness – for what we have and for what God has done for us – keeps our eyes focused on those things above. It fills our minds with thoughts of Him which, in turn, helps us desire Him all the more. If you are struggling with sin or know someone who is, remember that merely abstaining from sin can feel like rowing a boat upstream. We all need the wind to fill our sails and carry us forward with a power beyond our own. Determine positive actions and let your mind be occupied with thoughts of Jesus. He is our peace, our strength, and the wind that can fill our sails.