October 7 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Devotional

After Jesus had taught the multitudes that it was his mission to cast out the old enemy, the devil, he told the people a parable. There was a man with an evil spirit. This spirit was cast out. But since no one else moved into him, and since a demon is always restless, the demon came back with seven other evil spirits to bring complete destruction to this poor fellow. "The final condition of that person is worse than the first." And that's what happens to such people ("this wicked generation"), said Jesus.

"Today this type of thing is happening to entire countries and continents. For centuries they have been strongholds of demons and victims of old superstitions. Then the evil spirit is cast out. But what next? Freedom is incomplete when the unholy power is broken. If no new, holy power comes to rule that house, a legion of evil spirits more destructive than the first will take over. And the final condition of that country—or continent, or generation—is worse than the first.

Such things also happen to people individually. A person can belong to different masters, but a person is never a house that can be vacant. He or she is like a store in the business section of the city. The store may change hands, but the business is continued "under new management."

Christ did not come merely to break the power of the devil; he came to establish the kingship of God. He saves us from the bondage of sin to the lordship of Christ.

If we want to clean our house—and only the most conceited person does not want to get rid of some evil in his life—but refuse to let Christ take complete control, the damage will be progressively worse.

We cannot keep our house clean and empty. It won't work. We can't stay out of the hands of the devil if we are unwilling to fall into the hands of the Lord. Only when we begin to obey the Lord do we stop being a pawn of the devil.

REFLECTIONS

Consider the various aspects of your life—work, leisure, relationships, possessions. In which of these or other areas would you like to give more control to the Lord?

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published by Paideia Press in 1977. This updated edition is copyright 2009 by Faith Alive Christian Resources. You can order a copy of this revised version of the book directly from the publisher.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this updated edition of Daylight are from the Holy Bible: Today's New International Version copyright 2001, 2005 by the International Bible Society.