I did a post on spiritual house cleaning and afterward, a question came up. Why would you need to do a cleansing of your house if you're a Christian? I suppose the idea being that Christians have some kind of protection automatically just because we're Christians.Let's play a game. Imagine that life is a train station. And people from all over the world come into this train station with their luggage planning to get on a train. Let's say your train pulls into the station and 20 people pick up their bags and march onto your train. They take their seats and everybody gets comfortable and the train takes off. You have 20 people and all their baggage on your train. You don't know what's in their bags. Perhaps they'll have clothes, toiletries, books, or bombs. You just don't know but they're on your train.
Now suppose that at the next stop, five of those people get off to the train but they leave some of their baggage. You still don't know what's in their baggage and you won't know until it's too late. And you still have 15 people on the train. You simply can't predict what is in the bags on your train or how it will affect you and everyone else on that train. You trust that you are all safe and no one will be hurt.
What you don't know is that one of those 20 people just killed his wife and his bloody clothes are in that suitcase. Another of those 20 people is a child molester and has the evidence in the bag under the seat and is planning their next crime. Twelve people have nothing in their bags but the stuff they need on their trip. Three of them have guns. One has a woman tied in his basement. And they've all been on your train.
Let's move the action closer. Your house contains you and your family. Now, someone knocks at the front door and when you answer, a salesman greets you. The salesman hands you a flier. You take the flier glance at it but tell them you'll think about it and call him back. He goes away and you close the door, flyer in hand. You didn't read the flier so you don't know what it's about but you lay off on the table and forget about it.
Next day, another person knocks on the door of your house. When you open the door it's a friend you haven't seen in several months, or perhaps a few days. You invite them in. You don't know what is going on in their lives. You don't know where they've been or what they've been doing. You have no clue what they are going through. You spend some time together and they leave. On their way out they pick up the flyer and you tell them they can take it with them if they like. They shove it into their pocket.
You don't know that your friend has been practicing a dangerous religion in order to put a spell on someone she is angry with.
What you should have noticed in these vignettes is that something was left in every situation. Baggage of some sort is left in every case. Suitcases filled with evil, a flyer from an unknown person, a friend you invited in along with all her personal baggage. They all left something behind.
Every person you meet has baggage. You have baggage. Everywhere you go you run the risk of leaving your baggage or getting someone else's baggage.
So, cleansing my house is very important. Not just my spiritual house but the place I live, eat, and sleep. I don't want to be stumbling over someone's left luggage.
Let's move the action closer. Your house contains you and your family. Now, someone knocks at the front door and when you answer, a salesman greets you. The salesman hands you a flier. You take the flier glance at it but tell them you'll think about it and call him back. He goes away and you close the door, flyer in hand. You didn't read the flier so you don't know what it's about but you lay off on the table and forget about it.
Next day, another person knocks on the door of your house. When you open the door it's a friend you haven't seen in several months, or perhaps a few days. You invite them in. You don't know what is going on in their lives. You don't know where they've been or what they've been doing. You have no clue what they are going through. You spend some time together and they leave. On their way out they pick up the flyer and you tell them they can take it with them if they like. They shove it into their pocket.
You don't know that your friend has been practicing a dangerous religion in order to put a spell on someone she is angry with.
What you should have noticed in these vignettes is that something was left in every situation. Baggage of some sort is left in every case. Suitcases filled with evil, a flyer from an unknown person, a friend you invited in along with all her personal baggage. They all left something behind.
Every person you meet has baggage. You have baggage. Everywhere you go you run the risk of leaving your baggage or getting someone else's baggage.
So, cleansing my house is very important. Not just my spiritual house but the place I live, eat, and sleep. I don't want to be stumbling over someone's left luggage.
