“No Trespassing”

Read the scripture below slowly and carefully…maybe more than once.

“Now when the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and does not find it. Then it says, 'I will return to my house from which I came'; and when it comes, it finds it unoccupied, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and takes along with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first. That is the way it will also be with this evil generation." Matt 12:43-45

That’s Jesus warning us that it’s not enough to get rid of wrong thoughts—we must keep the door locked so our enemy can’t return. Not only does evil come back, but it comes back worse than before.
One way to keep wrong thoughts out of your mind is to keep the mind active and alert and full of right things. You can cast out the devil, but then you must remain alert, always aware of his tricks.

“Finally, my friends, keep your minds on whatever is true, pure, right, holy, friendly, and proper. Don’t ever stop thinking about what is truly worthwhile and worthy of praise” Philippians 4:8

There are aggressive sins (or sins of commission) and there are passive sins (sins of omission). Example, there are things we do that hurt a relationship, such as speaking careless words. But it is just as true that we hurt relationships by the omission (not saying) of kind words, those thoughtful words that express appreciation, affection, or awareness of kind deeds others have done.

When confronted, passive individuals yell, “But I didn’t do anything!” That’s exactly the point. It’s what they don’t do.

The lack of action actually invites the devil back into our lives.

You win any time you take action and push away the thoughts and desires that don’t come from God. You may do this on your own through prayer, reading the Bible, or even by resisting the passivity that may be natural for you.

But once you’ve been set free, that’s only the beginning. It’s not just one victory that lasts forever. It’s an ongoing battle—it’s constantly rebuking the devil.

The best, easiest, and most effective way to rebuke the devil is to fill your mind and your heart with praises to God. When you worship and praise God, you’ve slammed the door in the enemy’s face and put up a “No Trespassing” sign. Focus your mind on the good and you will have no space left for the passive or the bad.