Jesus makes it clear that no "strongman" leaves voluntarily in Mt 12:29 "Or else how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house (replace him as master)."
This evil spirit had been bound & cast out; the house had been "emptied" (purged, evacuated!), "swept" (cleaned & purified), and "garnished" (adorned with festal, wedding preparations)!
It was now "prepared" for the Lord ("prepare ye the way of the Lord!"). All was in readiness for His Majesty, the New Lord of the "house" (NewLife) to take up Residence & Lordship!
But it remained "empty"! This "emptiness" is an abomination unto the Lord if it is not "given unto" Him! (This could be called "the abomination of desolations"!).
By Repentance, we "render (give up) unto" "Caesar" (Satan) that which belongs to him, (our death from this carnal life), and are "cut off" (circumcised) at the Cross of Christ.
At this point, the "strongman" ("old man") has been bound & kicked out! But we're "empty"! We've been "saved" (past tense!) from "Pharaoh" as the children of Israel were in the wilderness! But to be "saved" from Pharaoh is not the same as "sanctified" ("weaned") from the grip of Egypt (the flesh, or self)!
It's one thing to die to the Devil, and another to "come alive", or "render unto God"! The Lord has been showing me that the "Blaspheme of the Holy Spirit" (the "unforgivable sin") is to deny the Holy Spirit His Rightful Lordship of a life given to Christ! [We GAVE it up... then TURN LOOSE!, "Repentance/Letting"]
On the contrary, we are to deny self, die to the world, and follow Him as we see in Mt 10:33 "But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.", and in Lk 9:23 "And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross (of self-denial) daily, and [to] follow me."
Indeed, we are told HOW & BY WHAT MEANS we are saved in Rev 12:11 "And they overcame him (AntiChrist)(and were saved!) by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; ==>and they loved not their lives unto the death."
Lk 9:24,25 "For whosoever will save his life (by denying Lordship [control] of it) shall lose it: but whosoever will lose (yield up) his life for my sake (Will), the same shall save it. For what is a man advantaged, if he gain (or "save") the whole world, and (then, by dying) lose himself (his soul), or be cast away?"
At some point, an "empty house" (soul) becomes an "abomination of desolation"! Technically, Jesus tells us this is impossible in Mt 12:33 "Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit."
No such thing as a "mug-wump" (an animal "wif his mug on one side, and wump on tuther"). That's why "luke-warm" makes God sick to His Stomach! It's a lie!; just like someone saying "Yes Saviour, but no Lord!"... is a lie!
Green fruit are good for nothing! [except to make you sick to your stomache] Jesus died & rose & sent His Holy Spirit to Indwell us to bring us to the same "finish" (Grk="teleos") or "perfection" or "fruitfulness" or "Paradise" He achieved! Without such maturity-in-Christ we cannot "please" God as He did!
And without total submission to the Lordship of the Holy Spirit in our lives, thoughts, motives, choices, words & deeds - how can we bear the Fruit of the Holy Spirit?
Surely ONLY the Fruit of the Holy Spirit [in-us] is acceptable (Holy) unto God (& "pleases Him")!
Webster defines "desolate" as: "lifeless, disconsolate, to lay waste; given up by owner/occupant, causing or marked by gloom, derelict, abandoned, deserted, forsaken, solitary, bleak, cheerless, cold, depressant, discouraging, to ravage, depredate, desecrate, despoil, devastate, devour, harry, havoc, pillage, plunder, sack, scourge, spoil, waste"!
Jesus uses the word "spoil his house" (R.V. uses "plunder") - both mean to desolate, or lay it waste! Why? Because it was "empty", that's why!
God did not make the soul of man to be "empty, void, vain"; ...but to be "filled" with HIM!
The soul of man is likened unto many things in scripture, not the least of which are "vessels" and "mirrors"! In both cases, we were designed to be "filled" with God, Who made us for just that purpose! [so, God Gives His Mirror; His WORD!]
We do not function alone or "empty! But we do seem to be as capable of being "filled" with & "reflecting" Death (or Satan), as Life & God! It merely depends on Which "Lord" or "Master" we face (or "choose", or "focus on")!
There was no "Way" ("other than") but Satan's way for man till Christ "made a Way where there was no Way (other)". Becauseof His Re-Creation of Righteousness ("Right-Standing before God") on man's behalf, man now has the opportunity of a "Lifetime" (Eternity!) with GOD!
But for man to accept the Salvation (Help) of God (Which was at God's expense!), and then reject His Friend- & Lord- "-ship" (Relationship!) is tantamount to the prodigal son demanding what was his Father's-for-him, NOW, so he could "enjoy" (squander!) it ALONE (without the Father)! [Relationship-DENIAL!] [This is, "to ME with the GIFT: to HELL! with the GIVER!"]
There's only one small (but very significant!) difference: the prodigal Repents & Returns after the "squandering" and is then saved!
But for those of us who are Saved first and THEN reject the benefits of our Heavenly Relationship with our Father God... is an unforgivable "ABOMINATION"!
The prodigal's immature squandering & lack of appreciation of the value of his inheritance is not to be confused with (for instance) Essau's out-&-out contempt for a heritage he despised, but, (after he sold it in contempt!), later changed his mind... and sought NOT to repent himself, but, rather, that his father should repent!... as in:
He 12:15-17 "Looking diligently ("See to it!"-R.V.) lest any man fail of ("to obtain"-R.V.) the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness (unbelief!) springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found ==>no place ("chance"-R.V.) of [his father's] repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears."
God will not "squander" His Repentance, nor the Precious Blood of Jesus Christ! Nor will He Forgive those who will not Receive HIS Repentance (from His Curse), or, (having Received it), He will not forgive (receive with Love) those who then reject His Loving-Lordship!
Those who refuse to "accept" this, reject God at His Word! God has plainly Showed and Told us Who and How He Is! And He's festooned our heritage with constant reminders lest we forget!
His Nature will as surely KILL as CURE; CURSE as BLESS; DAMN as HONOR! We forget this at our peril!
If we have Received from Christ His Salvation in the "wilderness" of this carnal world, then let us "feed" on Him as Manna from Heaven and "Walk" His "Talk" WITH Him as He Guides us to Fruition-In-Him (Promised Land).
God Leads to Feed to Lead us Home! Without such Shepherding, we are lost indeed in this "wilderness of Sin"! Now we say, "Yes LORD!", and follow the Holy Spirit Home!
...add a 
BOOKMARK?
| Hymns | Essays | SEARCH | Bible F.A.Q.'S | Journal | Salt-Licks | Soul Food | Poems | Quotes |
| Books | Links | Testimony | Daygleans | Read-E-Mail | God's Names | Proverbs | AUDIO-INDEX | Home |