👹 Demons in waterless places

The Book of TREE 1.44

Here’s a thing Jesus said:

“When an unclean spirit goes out of a person, it passes through waterless places looking for rest but not finding any. Then it says, ‘I will return to the home I left.’ When it returns, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in and live there, so the last state of that person is worse than the first.” (Luke 11:24–26, NET)

Whether or not you believe in demons and demon possession, you’ve got to appreciate the vivid picture Jesus gives us of why only getting rid of harmful behaviour isn’t enough.

I’ve written before about shutting off the feed. When shut off the feed, I deleted the social media apps from my phone. I unsubscribed from a bunch of emails that were clogging my inbox and my brain. I created a mental environment that was “swept clean and put in order”. But if I hadn’t intentionally filled the space I cleared, it would have been filled mindlessly and put me back where I started. Or somewhere worse.

What’s more powerful:

I really should stop wasting so much time scrolling through this feed

or

Sorry, I don’t have time for the feed. I’m busy [positive thing you are doing]

?

It’s less work to pursue a good thing than it is to maintain a clean, orderly absence of a negative thing.

Grow slowly
Jeff