If you open up your news app, turn on your TV, or read a newspaper, it doesn’t take long to realize that spiritual darkness is real, and it’s all around us. And while sinful human beings are prone to do wicked things all by ourselves, Scripture makes clear that behind the scenes inciting greater and greater wickedness are demonic forces as well.

So what is the answer to this situation? Just get rid of the darkness, just get rid of the demonic, just exorcise the demons and rebuke those unclean spirits? Is that the answer? Beloved, that’s not enough. Jesus told the story in Matthew 12 of an unclean spirit who went out of a person and, after a while, decided to come back. And when it came back, it found the person clean and put back into order, but empty. And what did that unclean spirit do? It not only took up residence again but invited seven other wicked spirits to come as well, and the person was worse off than before.

Friend, it’s not enough to just get the unclean spirit out. You have to fill that emptiness with what is good and what is holy. You have to invite Jesus and the Holy Spirit in that they take up residence in your life. Only then will dark forces have no dwelling place in you.

Change begins in you!