Someone Stronger

“But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away the armor in which the man trusted and divided up the spoils…When an evil spirit comes out of a man, 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 man is worse than the first.” Luke 11: 21, 24-26

I have witnessed this passage being lived out in my own life on several occasions. Many years ago early in my marriage, I secretly mounted up debt. Upon my husband’s realization he put in place a plan to pay off these debts. It felt good to have a clean slate as I faced life with him again instead of secretly against him. Fast forward a few more years and I ended up being in the same state of circumstances with a greater debt. In an effort to show me his forgiveness and support he allowed me to continue being in charge of the bills. Satan came in with a force to a home he knew would be open to his attack. He was fully armed and knew where all of the chinks in my armor could be found. He knew where I was most vulnerable and went in for the kill very early in ‘the clean house.’ This time the debt that I mounted was so substantial it threatened the financial future of the entire family.

‘Someone stronger’ awoke me at 4:00 one morning exhorting me to tell my husband the complete truth. This was the scariest moment of my life but someone stronger brought us through this trial. Someone stronger placed amazing forgiveness and wisdom at the base of my husband’s heart. Someone stronger filled me with strength and protection against Satan through accountability and discipline. Someone stronger is God, my Savior and my help in times of trouble.

Satan will return to areas of weakness that plague our lives. He knows us better than we know ourselves and will control our minds through successes he has experienced in the past. Obvious areas are addictions which is why AA/NA are such wonderful programs. They give successful tools of fighting against the darkness of the disease. They replace the ‘clean house’ with new weapons and keen awareness. Once we have cleaned up past sins in our lives we must fill that void with the armor of God. This armor includes staying in His Word, praying and meditating on His revelations. We must put in place the things of God if we are to be successful when Satan wages war in familiar territories.

Satan will return to our newly cleaned homes so all of us had better change the locks on the door!