And so does the human spirit!  As we saw during the message on Sunday, It isn't enough to NOT do things we shouldn't do.  It isn't enough to just say NO to drugs.   It isn't enough to get rid of an evil spirit.  If you weren't in worship at New Life on Sunday, you're wondering what I'm saying right now.  Jesus told a parable that makes it clear:  ²⁴“When an evil^£ spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ ²⁵When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. ²⁶Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first.”  Luke 11:24-26 NIV

When the evil spirit left the man, he must have thought his troubles had ended.  Just as you or I may assume our troubles are over if we overcome an addiction to a drug such as alcohol or cocaine, or an addiction to a sin such as unrighteous anger or gossip.  Actually, getting rid of the bad is just the beginning of wholeness in our lives.  The man with the evil spirit found that out the really hard way.  His "house" was "swept clean and put in order," but EMPTY.  He hadn't replaced the evil with good.  His spirit was ready for the Holy Spirit, but he never took the step of filling it with the Spirit, so instead he was "repossessed." (Pun intended.)  More tomorrow, about how important it is to go beyond eliminating the bad in our lives.  For today, remember:  Nature abhors a vacuum, and so does the human spirit!

Let's pray:  Heavenly Father, Thank You for showing us in Your word that eliminating evil isn't the end of our quest for wholeness in life.  Fill us anew with Your Holy Spirit that we may not only avoid evil, but live the abundant life You alone can offer.  This we pray in Jesus' name.  Amen.