Replacements

 “When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’  When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order.  Then it goes and takes 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.” – Luke 11:24-26

I was watching a woman at a small store the other day taking inventory of some t-shirts on a display rack. It got me thinking about how important it is to take an inventory of ourselves to see what changes have been made and which ones still need to happen, always being mindful of the enemies attempts to gain back lost ground.

Something I discovered in my self review was that I had replaced my usual after dinner treat with popcorn. That might seem unimportant but what I discovered was that I had only replaced one vice with another and today’s verse warns us about where that kind of logic leads. No wonder my progress has stalled.

In my mind I was doing something better than I had been doing before, but what I really was doing was just getting cosy with something just as unhelpful but in a different package. Those times of after dinner munching are times that I need to be mindful of the temptations that surround me . It’s in the blank moments that the enemy attacks and isn’t afraid to use every tactic he has to keep us from relying on God as he attempts to take back the ground that he has lost.

When we make that decision to make a clean sweep in our lives, the bible tells us to be mindful of what we allow back in. When those late night temptations come, instead of rationalizing and entertaining them, I can speak words of truth like, “Everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial.” Or how about, “In Christ, I am more than a conqueror!” And one of my favorites, “Do not become weary in doing good for in the proper season you will reap a harvest if you do not give up.”

That’s what Godly replacements look like and they are guaranteed not to bring the regret and disappointment that falling for a temptation does. Filling your house (your mind, body & soul) with the things of God will make the enemy flee and give you power to overcome. Taking inventory of where you were, were you are and where you desire to be will keep you on the path to real change when you make the necessary corrections along the way.