In the book today, I wasn’t tracking with the writer. I think she was praying about her husband’s heart condition and allowing “familiar” spirits in his life. So, I am going to go with that. A passage I often think of when talking about our spiritual and mental state is a teaching of Yeshua that is recorded in both Matthew 12 and Luke 11. In this teaching Yeshua discusses what causes a man to continuously fall back into the same sin habits over and over.
Luke 11:14-36
One day Yeshua was driving out a demon that was mute. And when the demon was gone, the man who had been mute spoke. The crowds were amazed, but some of them said, “It is by Beelzebul , the prince of the demons, that He drives out demons.” And others tested Him by demanding a sign from heaven.
Knowing their thoughts, Yeshua said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste, and a house divided against a house will fall. If Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? After all, you say that I drive out demons by Beelzebul. And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
When a strong man, fully armed, guards his house, his possessions are secure. But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away the armor in which the man trusted, and then he divides up his plunder.
He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters.
When an unclean spirit comes out of a man, it passes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ On its return, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and dwell there. And the final plight of that man is worse than the first.”
As Yeshua was saying these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said, “Blessed is the womb that bore You, and blessed are the breasts that nursed You!”
But He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”
As the crowds were increasing, Yeshua said, “This is a wicked generation. It demands a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah. For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so the Son of Man will be a sign to this generation The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them; for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and now One greater than Solomon is here.The men of Nineveh will stand at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now One greater than Jonah is here.
No one lights a lamp and puts it in a cellar or under a basket. Instead, he sets it on a stand, so those who enter can see the light.
Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are good, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are bad, your body is full of darkness.Be careful, then, that the light within you is not darkness. So if your whole body is full of light, with no part of it in darkness, you will be radiant, as though a lamp were shining on you.”
Often this passage is broken up and taught in separate lessons, but Yeshua taught it as one whole lesson. The lesson Yeshua is teaching begins with a miracle. He releases a man from demon possession. Knowing that the hypocrites would accuse him of “witchcraft.” Then when they accused Him of being from the devil, He begins a lesson on how to live without demons overpowering us and entering our lives. First, He says a house divided can not stand. He is saying you CAN NOT have both good and evil in your lives. You can NOT claim to be a child of God and a child of Satan. This sounds strange to us, but it was often a practice to live a Ying/Yang type of life, balancing the good and evil in ones life, like “karma.” He is telling all who are listening it doesn’t work like that. You are either ALL for Him, or you are NOT for Him at ALL.
Yeshua goes on to explain that the only way a man can guard his home is with the proper Armor, and if he loses that armor he is vulnerable to attack. To stand against the attacks of demons we must be fully armored and we must not allow our armor to be removed from us.
If we do not maintain our defenses than our house is vulnerable to attack and being overtaken by them enemy. In fact, Yeshua says, that the demons will return to a house it has left to see if it is unoccupied, and if it is vacant will bring back even more evil spirits to live and dwell in that place again.
Yeshua concludes this teaching by telling us how to fill our homes so that they are not vulnerable to attack and being overtaken. We must fill the home with light. The light of obedience.
Many people ask, “why do I always return to the same bad habits, the same sin addictions?” The answer is you stopped at just cleaning out the house. You can’t just get rid of the temptation, you must also fill your heart, mind, and soul with a desire to obey. You must take action to daily turn from sin, and turn to Truth.
So my prayer for my spouse, and my children today is:
Yehovah,
Give my husband and children a deep desire for righteousness. Cast out any unclean spirit that is in or around them. Fill our home with peace and hope, and protect it from all evil.
Place in each of us a mind that seeks after truth, honor, justice, purity, love, and excellence. Help us put on Your Armor every morning. The helmet of Salvation, that we would start each morning remembering the price that was paid for our salvation. The breastplate of righteousness, that we would guard our heart and the breath of our words in what is right according to You alone. The belt of truth. Let us fasten our pants with Your Truth and not be ashamed. Teach us to use the Sword of the Spirit, which is Your Word, to fight of the lies and tricks of the enemy. Give us the strength to hold the shield of faith high to keep the fiery arrows of evil from wounding us. And fit our feet with the good news of Your Peace. Peace that surpasses all our understanding.
Father, place in my husband the desire to not only live in Your Ways, but to teach them to our children by humble example as a man of integrity. Make him a man that does what is right even when no one is looking, but even more than that Lord, when he fails, and he will for he is human. When he fails let him show his children what confession and repentance looks like. Make him a man who knows when he needs accountability, and ask for it.
Thank you Father that you not only show us how to get rid of “familiar” spirits, but Father you also provide us with Your angels to assist us and minister to us. I ask that you assign angels to my family, my husband, my children, and myself. Angels that will be present in times of need, times of trouble, and times of celebration.
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