Brain crunch

"When an evil ^[a] spirit comes out of anyone, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. 44 Then it says, 'I will return to the house I left.' When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. 45 Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation." - Matthew 12:43-45 (NIV)

When a defiling evil spirit is expelled from someone, it drifts along through the desert looking for an oasis, some unsuspecting soul it can bedevil. When it doesn't find anyone, it says, 'I'll go back to my old haunt.' On return it finds the person spotlessly clean, but vacant. It then runs out and rounds up seven other spirits more evil than itself and they all move in, whooping it up. That person ends up far worse off than if he'd never gotten cleaned up in the first place.

"That's what this generation is like: You may think you have cleaned out the junk from your lives and gotten ready for God, but you weren't hospitable to my kingdom message, and now all the devils are moving back in." - Matthew 12:43-45 (The Message)

I realized after reading Isaiah 58 how often I do what Jesus warned against in Matthew 12 - I try and clean up my own act all by myself...I try and make it happen on my own strength, with my own will power, by sheer determination...but what is that? That's ME believing I can do anything worthwhile for MYSELF... (not the same as the fruit of the Spirit self-control). Why do I do that? Do you do that?

I am commited to giving up thinking I can make it happen on my own accord, on my own strength. Jon Foreman wrote another song that fits here - "Lord, save me from myself". Much love

Wayne

James 1:22