Matthew 12:43-45 (MSG)
43-45 “When a defiling evil spirit is expelled from someone, it drifts along through the desert looking for an oasis, some unsuspecting soul it can bedevil. When it doesn’t find anyone, it says, ‘I’ll go back to my old haunt.’ On return it finds the person spotlessly clean, but vacant. It then runs out and rounds up seven other spirits more evil than itself and they all move in, whooping it up. That person ends up far worse off than if he’d never gotten cleaned up in the first place.
“That’s what this generation is like: You may think you have cleaned out the junk from your lives and gotten ready for God, but you weren’t hospitable to my kingdom message, and now all the devils are moving back in.”

Doesn’t that last paragraph sound kinda prophetic? Hmmm, something prophetic from Christ – go figure. How many generations has this seeped into and where are we now? It ain’t pretty and we’ve walked away from (run away? are openly hostile to?) the tools to best deal with it.

Matthew 12:46-50 (MSG)
46-47 While he was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers showed up. They were outside trying to get a message to him. Someone told Jesus, “Your mother and brothers are out here, wanting to speak with you.”
48-50 Jesus didn’t respond directly, but said, “Who do you think my mother and brothers are?” He then stretched out his hand toward his disciples. “Look closely. These are my mother and brothers. Obedience is thicker than blood. The person who obeys my heavenly Father’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”

Obedience to God is thicker than blood. Put God first, others second, yourself last. It seems harsh when you tell your family that they come second, but it is what it is, that’s how it should be for one simple reason – a life dedicated to God will produce a life dedicated to family like nothing else.

I look around and see the hostility toward God and cry. I read about a 24 year old dying when the 88 year old victim he gut shot (so he’d be easier to rob) shot him back. How freaking wrong is this? How typical has this become? Why is this the new norm? How is this even somewhat acceptable?

What we’re doing isn’t working – sorry secular humanists. We need to fill in the space we’ve cleaned out with the one thing we’re designed for.