Making Room for the Holy Spirit

I went to a class on Saturday, “Introduction to Christian Healing” and the speaker was wonderful. He talked about the Holy Spirit. In Luke’s gospel, Jesus tells us, “When an unclean spirit goes out of someone, it roams through arid regions searching for rest but, finding none, it says, ‘I shall return to my home from which I came.’ But upon returning, it finds it swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and brings back seven other spirits more wicked than itself who move in and dwell there, and the last condition of that person is worse than the first.” (Matthew 11:24-26)

I have heard this gospel many times and didn’t really understand the part about the seven spirits moving in until yesterday. The speaker mentioned that sometimes we try to overcome sin with pride. We think we can overcome it by ourselves, driving it out of us by sheer will. And we may be able to stop the action for a while but without the Holy Spirit, those seven spirits will come and that sin is even more difficult to overcome. Rather than the unclean spirit finding our hearts swept clean, it needs to find our hearts filled with the Holy Spirit. It is only with the strength of the Holy Spirit that we are able to overcome the sin once and for all. We all have a sin or sins that we seem to repeat over and over. I know for myself I have tried to be like the person in this story. I think by my own will I can resist the temptations of my particular sin that I struggle with but it never works. And then I am angry at myself for being weak. But I know that when I call upon the Holy Spirit for strength that I am able to resist the temptation. I haven’t been successful in overcoming this sin once and for all, yet, but I know that when I call upon the Holy Spirit, I am moving in the right direction.

He spoke about the Holy Spirit anointing us, and with any anointing there is oil. This oil is poured over us and makes it harder for the enemy to take hold of us. Our heavenly Father is so powerful and majestic, beyond our comprehension, Jesus walks beside us in his humanity but God the Holy Spirit dwells within us. If we allow him to settle in our hearts, than there is no room for unclean spirits.

“The love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.” (Romans 5:5)