America: An Empty House
Our only hope as a nation is in the transforming work of the Holy Spirit. Let us be a house aware, vigilant, and spiritually prepared for the battles ahead.
Just five years ago, America seemed to be on a perilous path. It appeared that evil might win out, with deepening racial divisions, violence in the streets, and widespread sexual perversion becoming the norm. Men were not only competing in women’s sports but getting undressed in girls’ locker rooms. A growing number of young people began to identify as transgender. Abortions increased with unrestricted access to the abortion pill. Politicians and media outlets openly advocated for anti-biblical agendas while pundits and comedians mocked Christian values.
There was a concern that labeling good as evil and evil as good would prevail in our society. Many believed there was no hope to be found in the White House, Congress, or the courts. Even more troubling, the Church seemed weak and anemic. Many felt hopeless in finding a strong, uncompromising church that was contending for the faith against the prevailing powers of darkness. Churches were losing members, with attendance reaching all-time lows. Young adults were identifying as “none” regarding their faith. Things were looking quite dim.
Yet now we are seeing a slight but noticeable change in our land. There have been significant advancements in policy and judicial decisions. Students are increasingly advocating on moral and biblical principles. Revivals are occurring on college campuses, and there’s a surge in church attendance and Bible reading among Gen Z and Millennials. Light appears to be breaking through the once closed doors. There seems to be a pushback against the darkness. Has a sleeping giant of reason and truth been awakened?
A Message of Warning
While things appear to be getting better, appearances can be deceiving. America needs a change at the root level to see sustained godliness in our actions. Jesus warned the religious leaders, “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none. Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this evil generation” (Matthew 12:43-45, ESV).
The warning is that America is like an empty house! While our nation may seem orderly, the deeper issue is that true hearts are not being transformed. In other words, we are merely hiding the wickedness in our hearts instead of pursuing the genuine repentance and transformation that is truly necessary.
A recent study indicates a decline in the number of young adults who identify as transgender compared to just a few years ago. However, I believe this does not reflect a genuine change of heart but rather a shift influenced by external social pressures. Although the house has undergone significant changes, the unclean spirit says, “I will return to my house” because, although the house is swept clean and put in order, it remains empty.
The Greek word for “swept” is saroō, meaning to brush off. If only we were experiencing a deep cleansing, yet I fear we are simply brushing off the wickedness for a short season. The Greek phrase “put in order” is kosmeō, meaning to adorn or decorate. The house may be a bit cleaner, but much of it is merely decorative, a more external than internal correction. Scholazō is the word “empty,” meaning unoccupied or at leisure. Emptiness is a house without proper defense. It is an open invitation for the enemy to see that the empty house is his.
Jesus’s teaching warns us that moral reformation is insufficient without the genuine indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Sweeping the house merely leaves it exposed. Lasting deliverance finds its protection not in emptiness but in the Lord’s occupancy. A house full of God’s Holy Spirit will never be called “his house” by the evil one. The devil and his demons will know that the house belongs to the Lord and that they have no access to it.
Much of the rampant evil is being put in order, yet it is being swept under the rug. It still exists within our homes and hearts. Without the house being filled with God’s Word, his truth, and the Holy Spirit, it remains empty. You can sweep problems under the rug by imposing morals and establishing government controls, but these will only provide temporary relief. Evil will eventually return, bringing with it a flood of greater filth. Jesus mentions that seven other spirits will come, and the last state of that house will be worse than the first. “So also it will be with this evil generation” (Matthew 12:45).
A House Aware
It may seem untimely to call this an evil generation, despite the good signs we are witnessing, but the words of Jesus ring true for our time. Already, we are seeing the first signs of the enemy positioning himself to come back with vengeance. Just look at the people we are now electing. They are a direct pushback on the progress, as if saying, “I will return to my house.” There is an agenda now being forged in the pit of hell to not only recapture what has been lost but bring the sevenfold increase of filth and evil upon our land.
God is allowing a season of reprieve, but evil seems to be on its heels. While I believe campuses will continue to experience revivals and churches will undergo a spiritual awakening, they will simultaneously face an overwhelming and broad backlash. There will be “other spirits, more evil…” Darkness will not go quietly into the night; evil will not dwell at rest. It will return with greater force. I pray that the church will not grow lethargic, comfortable, or even haughty. I pray that we are aware of the schemes of the evil one. I pray that we are aligned with Jesus’s teaching on what happens to a house that is not filled with the presence and glory of God. A house morally swept and put in order is no threat to the evil spirits ready to return and pounce on an unaware house.
A Holy Generation
How are we to live in this critical hour? First, the Church must experience what it teaches. If we teach that the house of America is empty, but we are not filled with the presence of the Holy Spirit, we are hypocrites. We must do more than brush off our own tendencies to pride and selfishness, to compromise and complacency, to fear and faithlessness. We must do more than put our theology and ministry practice in order. We must have a fresh fire of God’s Spirit and a profound spiritual awakening. We must let God fill our house so there is no room for the enemy.
We must clean the house of compromised pastors, watered-down sermons, and worldly pop-psychology. We must demonstrate God’s power through acts of love, mercy, and strong contention for our faith. We must awaken our nation to the reality that our faith is more than words; it is the power of God!
Secondly, we must fast and pray for our nation. When the disciples were unable to cast out a demon, Jesus told them that such demons could only be cast out through prayer and fasting (see Mark 9:28-29). The demonic stronghold so desirous of making a sevenfold return to our nation can only be thwarted by an aggressive faith fueled by prayer and fasting as described in Isaiah 58.
Will there be a backlash that reverses a reprieve? Will the unclean spirits return with seven other spirits more evil than before in this house we call America? Will politicians be more brazen in evil? Will the media double down on its intentions to promote wickedness? Will wickedness return with a vengeance in our universities?
The answer to these questions relies on Christ’s Church. Will church leaders imbue their congregations with such fullness of God that it will flood our nation? Will revival be a short-lived footnote, or will it be the new face of our land? Will there be a season like the one Josiah experienced in Israel with a people who had lived in ungodliness for generations, and he rose to bring about a generational change?
The question of whether the church will arise is whether you and I will arise. We often want the government, the media, and the church to change; however, change starts with you and me. Let us be so quick to personal repentance that we, like Nehemiah, repent on behalf of our nation. Is our house only swept and in order, or are we filled with the Holy Spirit more than ever? Are we a holy generation? Are we the people that when the evil one returns, he finds that “He has no claim on me” (John 14:30).
When the unclean spirits attempt to return in mass to our nation, let us put on the armor of God, ready to stand against their attempted return, so their plans are thwarted and their return is ended. Let our nation see the most mighty and lasting move of God it has ever known. Let us be an active part in this great movement. Amen! ▉