Faithfully Find Shelter

eMoment by Laurie Aker

Focus Scripture: Luke 11:24-28

24 “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person,

 it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and finding none it says, 

‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ 25 And when it comes, 

it finds the house swept and put in order. 26 Then it goes 

and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they

 enter and dwell there. And the last state of that person 

is worse than the first.”

27  As he said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice 

and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts 

at which you nursed!”  28 But he said, “Blessed rather are those who 

hear the word of God and keep it!”

The demonic spirit passes through the desert

in search of a place to reside,

finding none, it returns to its previous abode.

The desert was a place thought to be inhabited by demons.

In the Old Testament book of Leviticus God commanded

that each year on the day of Atonement,

before Aaron, the High Priest, could enter the Holy of Holies,

he must give several offerings for sin:

for himself, his family, and for all the people.

He was also to choose one goat to be the “scape goat.”

Ceremonially, he would lay the sins of the people

upon that goat and it would be sent into the desert.

The desert came to be known as

a place where sin was taken and demons resided.

When King David found himself in the desert,

seeking refuge from his enemies,

he knew his true habitation was in his God.

No matter where he wandered in the barren wilderness,

he found shelter in the sanctuary of his Lord

and refreshment in heavenly waters.

Psalm 63:1

O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;

my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you,

as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. 

David lifts his eyes to God,

he sequesters his mind and heart in the sanctuary of the Lord

placing all of his hope and trust in God.

Psalm 63:2-4

So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, 

beholding your power and glory. 

Because your steadfast love is better than life,

my lips will praise you. 

So I will bless you as long as I live;

in your name I will lift up my hands. 

Faithfully finding shelter in the name of the Lord,

he abides in the steadfast love of the Lord.

Regardless of his circumstances he resides in God’s presence

and waits in confident expectation.

Demons may circle, taunt, and threaten,

but David is safe within in his heavenly sanctuary.

The Spirit of God watches over His people and never fails

them in the time of testing.

David dwelt in the shelter of His Almighty God.

No unclean spirit could enter, no demon could dwell.

When the Spirit of God resides within us we are never empty,

never forsaken, and never without hope…

Psalm 91:9-10

Because you have made the LORD your dwelling place-

the Most High, who is my refuge-no evil shall be allowed to befall you,

no plague come near your tent.

Remember God’s promises and claim them

regardless of what the tongue of the accuser is saying.

Flee the vanity of the fleeting and temporal.

Stand in faith in the midst of His sanctuary,

away from the chiding of the enemy.

Take shelter in the shadow of your Almighty God.

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Valley of Sin

eMoment by Laurie Aker

Focus Scripture: Luke 11:24-28

24 “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person,

it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and finding none it says,

‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ 25 And when it comes,

it finds the house swept and put in order. 26 Then it goes

and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they

enter and dwell there. And the last state of that person

is worse than the first.”

27  As he said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice

and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts

at which you nursed!”  28 But he said, “Blessed rather are those who

hear the word of God and keep it!”

____________________________________

Jesus is clear:

We must hate our own life, die to self,

pick up our cross and follow Him.

We must truly lose our own life

and walk forward in His.

John 12:25

Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever

hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

For most, this doesn’t happen overnight.

We will become more and more like Him.

But we will walk in the Spirit and

no longer live in the valley of sin.

Romans 8:10-14

10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is

dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you,

he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your

mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

12 So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh,

to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according

to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death

the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are

led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

What are some valleys of sin in your life?

What dwells in you, apart from Christ?

In what ways do you live according to the flesh?

Confess these to God. He longs for us to rue our sin, to be sorrowful and

broken, so that we may find rest in Him, our Great Comforter.

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Lord—not just a label

eMoment by Laurie Aker
Focus Scripture: Luke 11:24-28
“When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, 
it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and finding none it says, 
‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ 25 And when it comes, 
it finds the house swept and put in order. 26 Then it goes 
and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they 
enter and dwell there. And the last state of that person 
is worse than the first.” 
27  As he said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice 
and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts 
at which you nursed!”  28 But he said, “Blessed rather are those 
who hear the word of God and keep it!” 
____________________________________

 

The unclean spirit that Jesus is referring to is a demon.
Only those who are outside of Christ are susceptible to having 
an unclean spirit dwell within them.
When the Spirit of God dwells within the heart of a man,
He is Lord of that man.
He rules and reigns – no demon can enter.
But when someone is outside of Christ, there is no one to guard 
the heart and the unclean spirit can enter.
We want to make sure that we are truly Christian,
because someone can believe in God without truly being His.  
James 2:19 
You believe that God is one; you do well. 
Even the demons believe-and shudder!  
Many have been baptized at birth or dedicated to God as infants
who have not confessed their sin and turned towards God in repentance.
There are those who walked an aisle, prayed a prayer,
and have been baptized, but there was no true heart change.
There are those who may think because they believe in God, 
go to church, or do good deeds,
that they have a place in heaven, but the Bible is clear:
Being truly Christian means that Christ is Lord, not merely a label. 
Only those who hear the word of God and keep it will enter 
the kingdom of heaven. You may think, who can keep the whole Word of God? 
None of us can. In fact, none of us can go even one day without sinning.
So what does Jesus mean?  
We all are sinners. No one is without sin.
Christ came and obeyed the law perfectly for us because we couldn’t.
When we come to Christ, we no longer live, but Christ lives within us.
He has fulfilled all the law for us and He gives us His power to overcome 
sin and keep His Word. When God sees us He sees Christ.
We will still sin, however, it will not define us.
It will not be our way of life.
The life we now live, we will live out by faith in Christ. (Galatians 2:20).
The Spirit of God dwells within us and enables us to walk forward in 
obedience to His word. Therefore, if we say that we love Christ
but we aren’t living according to His word, something needs to change.
Those who are in Christ love Him and keep His Word. 
So, do you love Him?
Do you obey Him?
Are you IN Christ?
Is He your Lord? 
Think about this today.
Ask the Lord to stir in your heart a new passion for Him.
Ask Him to increase your trust in Him and His power to enable you to 
believe and keep His Word. 
Do you need to confess any disobedience, apathy, or unbelief?
Do you need to cry out to Him for mercy and ask Him to be Lord?
Is there someone you know and love who says that they are a Christian
but they are not living according to God’s Word? 
Close in prayer.
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