Clean, But Empty I Courteney Bence

0:31 If you'll turn with me in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 12, we'll start reading in verse 43. When an impure spirit, a demon, comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest, and it does not find it. Then it says, I will return to the house I left. When it arrives, the demon spirit, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean, and put in order. Then it goes and it takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and they live there. And just, this is Jesus speaking. These are red letters. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first. This is how it will be in this wicked generation. The message version of the Bible says it this way.

1:27 On return, the demon spirit finds the person spotlessly clean, but vacant. that's what I want to preach on today clean but empty and as a church we're going in to the final week of our fast and our faith is strong and we've been hearing some powerful messages and we've been sitting in some anointed times of worship and I hope you've been reading the word of God like we've all been doing collectively as a church and you know God is setting people free from some addictions, some things that have held you bound and held you down for a long time, things that you couldn't quite break. Your mental health is feeling clear. Your ability to put aside that nicotine, that vapor, that alcohol, it's become a little bit easier while we're fasting.

2:24 And you can be completely set free from anything that's trying to confuse you, bring division or hurt your identity in Christ. Some of the things that might be haunting you in your life during this fast, you can be set free. And I believe as we go into the last week of this fast, if you haven't been set free, then I'm gonna go ahead and declare and prophesy over you that you're not gonna walk out of those doors the same way that you walked in them. And anything that's holding you bound will have to let you go in the mighty name of Jesus. And you know, during this fast, we're feeling different and special types of freedom, right? I mean, what else would you feel? We don't have anything else to do but read the word of God. We're hungry, right?

3:17 But what about in February and in March when the divorce is finalized? What about in April and May when that healing of cancer that you were praying for, it doesn't happen and you start your chemo treatments? What about when the bills are still due in June and July? What about when that direction that you've really been looking for in that specific situation, you still just don't feel like you know which way to go? So a psychic or some tarot cards are sounding a lot more like an easier route to get to what you want, right? What about in November when depression and loneliness and grief begin to creep back in and tell you life's really not worth living anymore? I know you were feeling good in January when you were on the fast and you were denying your flesh, but what about in the months to come? What about when you've prayed and asked God for a baby, but you flip over another negative pregnancy test in June?

4:25 What then? Deliverance sweeps the house clean, but the enemy comes to check on you in a few months, and you can't just be swept clean and look good on the outside. The enemy isn't the least but worried about you looking good on the outside if you aren't full of anything on the inside that can sustain your deliverance. Deliverance sweeps the house clean, but you need to fill your house back up in order to stay delivered. Because the Bible says that demon spirit, he's coming back. And if he finds you clean but empty, he says, I'm going to find seven more wicked spirits. And the significance of that, biblically, seven is the number of completion in the Bible. Means he's coming back to completely devastate and destroy your life.

5:24 He comes only to kill, steal, and destroy. And see, this is where I would challenge you today. I would say clean but empty is not enough. But the gospel of Jesus Christ, it's a participation gospel. We don't do anything to earn or deserve our salvation. But in order for us to sustain deliverance in our life, it is a participation gospel. He says in Jeremiah 29, 13, if you seek me, you will find me. He said in Matthew 11, 28, come to me if you're weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. He said in Matthew 4, 9, come, follow me, and I will make you disciples of fishers of men. He will deliver us always.

6:21 Salvation is accessible to all. It's a free gift. But we have to fill our lives with some things in order to sustain our deliverance, in order for us to walk out the God-given calling that he has put on your life. You weren't meant to just meet Jesus and then continue to struggle with the same things for decades and years. He's a chain breaker. He's not interested in leaving you where you are. He's interested in giving you a purpose and a future for your life. Because the temptation is inevitable. Genesis chapter 4 and 7 says, Sin is crouching at your door. It desires to have you, but you must rule over it. I want to speak for a few minutes today to the young people.

7:16 Are there any young people in the house? Okay, so y'all are fasting. You sound pitiful. Are there young people in the house? I feel like I heard a 70-year-old scream louder than you. She's like, I'm young at heart. You are. That's what matters.

7:38 See, the enemy, he's not a creative enemy. He has the same schemes and he has the same things that he's done from the beginning of time. But see, we create, we serve a God who's a creator. A creator who makes things new, who is continually changing to make things into what they need to be. But the enemy has to stick to his same old schemes. And so the Bible tells us in Mark 9 and 14, it tells us a story. It's one of the only ones in the Bible that I can find where there was a young boy, the Bible says, who was demon possessed. We aren't told and I don't know what doors he opened or maybe what doors were opened on him by the adults in his life. But the Bible says that he was overcome by a demonic spirit. And I think that this is an interesting thing.

8:33 I think we need to read the word of God and look to see these parallels. It's interesting to me the two abilities that the demon took from the young boy, from the young person. He, number one, made the young boy deaf. He could not hear. His ears were closed. And he made the boy mute. He could not speak. I believe one of the greatest demonic attacks of the enemy on this generation and in our world today is, number one, he wants your ears closed up so that you are deaf to hear the truth of the word of God spoken over your life. And number two, he wants to keep you silent and keep you mute. There's nothing more that the enemy wants than for you to sit under anointed services every single week, hearing the truth of the word of God spoken over you and you to think that's not really applicable to me. It doesn't work for me.

9:32 That's not for me. See, you don't know what I've done. See, you don't know how bad I've messed up. See, you don't know what was done to me by the people who were supposed to protect me. But I've come to tell you today that we overcome by the blood of the Lamb. And this is an interesting word that they chose, that the Bible says, and the word of our testimony. The enemy wants to keep you silent, but we overcome by the blood of the lamb and the word of our testimony. The word of our testimony doesn't just mean my story. What the word of my testimony means is my testimony is, well, I did this and then this, and yes, that is your testimony. But more importantly, the testimony is, I have seen the goodness of God in the land of the living.

10:27 He is faithful. He is holy. He is mighty. He is worthy of all praise. He's an on-time God. He always shows up. He's always there to rescue me. That is how we overcome, by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony. And you are being lied to every single day by this broken world and told you are not enough. You're a mistake. You're too far gone. You aren't capable. You're not loved. You're a victim and you will be forever. You're used up. You were born into the wrong body. But I've come to tell you today the truth that will set you completely free. And that is this, is that you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood. You've been called out of darkness into his marvelous light. He has good plans for you, plans for a hope and a future that no scheme in hell can stand against. Nothing can pluck you out of his nail-pierced hands.

11:28 No weapon formed against you shall prosper. You are more than a conqueror through Christ Jesus. By his stripes, you are healed. Healing is yours. By his chastisement, peace is yours. He has called you by name. He has redeemed you and you are mine, saith the Lord. If his eye is on the sparrow, surely he watches over you. Nothing is impossible with God. I'm not just saying things to rile you up. I'm speaking the promises of God over your ears today. And I right now ask the Lord to crack open and break some broken ears that have not been able to hear the truth. I am talking to you. I'm talking to someone in Alpharetta. I'm talking to someone in Gwinnett. I'm talking to someone sitting in a prison. He's not done with you yet. He's not finished with you yet. These promises are not just applicable to those sitting in this room. They're applicable to you, Whether you're watching this online or in a jail cell, he is still more than able to keep you from falling.

12:46 And all we hear is the doom and gloom all the time. But my Bible says, this is the promise, that in the last days I will pour out my spirit on all flesh. And your sons and your daughters, where are you young people? Your sons and your daughters, they shall prophesy. They shall not be mute. They shall not be quiet. They shall prophesy in the name of Jesus. The reason the enemy wants to keep you shut up is because there's a prophetic promise over your mouth. And he knows this is how you overcome.

13:28 Prophesy your promise to your situation right now. It might not look good. It might not make sense. But when you begin to open up your mouth and prophesy, Lord, I'm listening to what you're saying. I'm not listening to what the doctor said. I'm not listening to what the tarot card is saying, that this is not going to be my day today. No, today, this is the day the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it. He has good plans for me today. Don't allow the enemy, because we have full authority over him, by the way, to steal your ears to hear and stop your voice from declaring the goodness of God. The Bible says this, that the boy, the young man would throw himself into the fire and burn his body, which is an example of self-harm and spirit of suicide.

14:33 One out of six of you in this room, statistics say, have engaged in self-harm. One out of four of you have thought about harming yourself. Suicide is the second leading cause of death for young people today. one out of five school students down to the age of nine have reported serious thoughts of suicide. It's a spirit of self-harm. It's a spirit of suicide. It's a demonic spirit of depression. The Bible actually calls him fierce, is the name of the demon. It's a fierce demon that's after our young people, after our children, after our families. But, ooh, this gets me excited. And the demons couldn't cast, or the disciples couldn't cast this demon out.

15:26 So they went to Jesus and they said, Jesus, why can't we cast this demon out of this boy? And Jesus said, because this kind cometh out only by prayer and fasting. And I don't know about you, but I've been praying this week and I've been fasting and I've come to tell a demon of self-harm and suicide if you are in this room and I know you are with those statistics. You are coming out today. This is you being put on notice. It's your eviction notice. You're gonna come on out of that young person, of that adult. You can no longer hold them captive. In the mighty name of Jesus, I ask that you break open ears right now to hear the truth. I ask that you loose tongues to speak of the goodness of God. And I thank you that this kind cometh out only by prayer and fasting. I don't know what has been done to you.

16:25 What kind of abuse or crippling moment has taken effect into your life? That the Bible says that Jesus reached down. The boy was laying on the ground. Reached down, picked him up by the hand and put him on his feet. Some of you are going to get up today. Jesus said to that demon, you deaf and mute spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again. You can be set free from thoughts of suicide today and they will never enter your mind again. Not by anything that I'm up here saying, but by the blood of Jesus Christ that's more powerful than any demon in hell. that's more powerful than a spirit of suicide, depression, and anxiety, and fear. There's nothing that has been done to you that God can't redeem and give you a purpose for in your life. Some of you are going to come back to life today.

17:27 The Bible says that the boy's body looked like a corpse. They thought he was dead. But Jesus reached down, picked him up, and put his feet on solid ground. We serve a good God. We serve a well-able God. We serve a God who can bring dead things back to life. We serve a miracle working God. We serve a God who is still the God who healeth thee. He is still sitting on the throne. He's not Allah. He's not Muhammad. He's not Buddha. He's not Shiva. He's not a tarot card. He is the king of kings. He is the name above all names. He is the chain breaker. He is the one that can set you completely free. The mention of his name, demons begin to tremble. Hell would have never shed his blood had they known what it was gonna unleash for you and for me.

18:25 Stop living bound up in things you were never made for. Jesus has called you out of that darkness into his light. He has a plan and a purpose for your life that hell cannot stop. Open your ears to hear it. Living with an empty, clean house and soul isn't the goal. It will not keep you safe from the plans of the enemy. The enemy isn't scared of a fake surface level religion. He's not scared of you showing up and just going through the motions. No, what he's terrified of is you having an encounter with the living God. is you putting some disciplines into your life and saying, I'm gonna make you my number one priority, God. And when I put you first, all the other things are gonna fall in line.

19:20 He fears what you replace that addiction with. He fears what you start feeding your spirit on. He fears you learning what your identity is. And it was never broken, addicted, or too far gone. It was chosen, redeemed, and called. Clean but empty is an open invitation for destruction in your life. Being swept clean isn't an issue for the enemy. It's what you decide to fill your life back up with that denies his plans. James 4 says this, submit yourself then to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from you. you need to decide today I'm going to fill my house back up my soul back up with some things that are going to deny the plans that the enemy has in February and April and March in December he's coming he's coming back are you going to be ready you're going to be spotlessly clean are you going to be full we need to become a house of the word if you want to learn who you are and whose you are. It can't be done by songs and worship. It can't be done by sermons. It can't be done by anything else except for you learning to pick up this book and reading what he says about you. This is the most powerful, unstoppable thing that you can access and begin to put into your life. It changes everything. Hell cannot stand against the mighty word of God. I need someone to understand this today. Even if you don't believe what this book says about you, the enemy does.

21:06 that enemy that you're giving a pep talk to every time you open up your mouth, what he's terrified of is you beginning to open up this book and recognizing and believing what he says about you. Jesus said this when he was in the wilderness fasting for 40 days, 40 days, and we are just doing a puny 21 day. I'm just kidding. It's not puny. I'm hungry. God called me this year. I'm doing a liquid only 21 day fast and I'm on day 15 of 21 days and I felt wonderful. Okay. If you, if I feel great today, haven't felt great every day, but I feel really good today. I can't imagine 40 days. There feels like that's no end in sight. But the Bible says that Jesus went out into the wilderness and he fasted for 40 days. His belly was empty and cleaned out, but he was full of the word of God.

22:11 And when Satan came to tempt him, the Bible says that he wrote, his response to the enemy when he came was, it is written, it is written, it is written that man shall not live on bread alone, but from every word that comes out of the mouth of God. This is the word that came out of the mouth of God. This is how we overcome. This is how we fill our souls back up. This is how we encourage ourselves. Timothy 1 and 18, he said to Timothy, Timothy, my son, here are my instructions for you based on the prophetic words spoken about you earlier. May they help you fight well in the Lord's battle. Who are they? the word of God is who they are. May they help you fight well. I'm in a health battle, but I've got a word. I haven't seen my child.

23:04 They're lost. They're strung out on drugs, but I've got a word. Jeremiah 31 says, my children will return from the land of the enemy. When Paul described the word of God, he depicted it as an offensive weapon used in spiritual warfare against the devil, demons, and their schemes. When we pull out the sword of truth and begin to fight our battles with it, when we begin to consume it, that's when hell flees. And if you don't know how to do that, then guess what? You're a part of a really good church. We have school of discipleship. We have next steps. We have resources to help you get into this book. You're not doing this alone. It doesn't have to be overwhelming. Download an app, listen to the word of God, put it in an earphone as you go to sleep at night and see how well you'll rest. Become a house of the word.

24:00 And when you get his word, I promise you it's a gateway drug to becoming a house of prayer. I don't care how young you are. I don't care how old you are. You need a prayer life. Jesus wants you to talk to him, not just your pretty prayers. He's interested in your ugly prayers too. He's all right with your questions. He's okay with your anger. He's all right when you don't understand. He has an ear to hear you. We hear things like pray without ceasing, and that feels intimidating, right? Do you wanna know what that means? I just talk to Jesus about everything. When I'm riding down the road, God, help me. God, this hurt me today when this happened. And when this person said this to me, that really messed me up. It's that simple.

24:53 It's talking to a friend who hears you. Never stop praying because God is never not listening. The enemy can't come back and find rest in a house of prayer. A lot of people feel intimidated by this, but that's why his word is the gateway drug to prayer, because his word will teach you how to pray. They asked, the disciples asked Jesus, how do we pray? And he said, like this, our father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom. I know sometimes we hear people get up and they start praying and it feels really intimidating. but if you'll just open up this book and start reciting the Lord's prayer every single day, things will start to change. Get some prayers like Psalm 23. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside the still waters.

25:48 When you don't know what to pray, begin to pray his word. Begin to call on his name. The Bible says the prayer of Jabez, Are there any business owners or entrepreneurs? Or maybe you're wanting a promotion at work. You're not satisfied with where you are. Begin to pray the prayer of Jabez. Oh, that you would bless me indeed. That you would enlarge my territory. That your hand would be upon me. And that you would keep me from evil. And the Bible says, so God granted him his request. I don't know about you, but I would like for him to enlarge my territory. I would like for him to do that. Psalms 91 said, I will say of the Lord, he is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust. God said, because you love me, you will rescue me. What if in the middle of your situation and your dark and broken hour, you just begin to say to God, God in Psalm 91, I don't feel it right now.

26:47 I don't understand it. None of it's making sense. But in Psalm 91, you said, because you love me, you will rescue me. Because you love me, you will rescue me. That I can find shelter. I can find help in your shadow according to your words. So God, give me that now. If you don't know a book to pray in the Bible, turn to Ephesians.

27:16 Paul wrote this. He said, I pray for the spirit of wisdom and revelation that you might know him better. I pray that over my babies every day, that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you might know the hope to which he has called you. Do you think, I just envision when I first read this scripture, I thought, wow, yes, he was probably sitting on this mountaintop and having this beautiful moment where, I mean, I pray that the eyes of your heart, man, yeah, that feels glorious. He's in a prison cell.

27:50 Paul was in a prison cell in shackles when he wrote that. And so when you're in the middle of your prison moment, when you're in the middle of your hard, difficult moment, when you begin to say, God, enlighten me, open up my eyes to the hope to which you have called me, things begin to change. The enemy comes back and says, hey, I know she overcame cancer once, but that same old demon. Oh, but we gave her the remission diagnosis today. Let's head on back. I guarantee you she's over there having a pity party and falling apart. But when he shows up at your door, when he's crouching at your house and he hears, Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. For thou art with me. Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. O death, where is your sting? O grave, where is your victory? My God has overcome it.

28:43 That's what sends demons fleeing from you. That's where they realize I can't win this war. They understand. They get it. They know how to overcome. I can't take anything from them that Jesus hasn't given to them. Pray when you're questioning. Pray when things don't make sense. Pray when you may not even fully have faith for it. Because no matter if you feel it, believe it, or have faith for it, the enemy knows that the power of prayer, he knows that God's word cannot return void. That is his promise for you today. The power of speaking to the one who holds your past so the enemy can't throw it in your face.

29:30 The one who holds your present and the one who holds your future. We have to become a house of unshakable prayer. Fill yourself back up with prayer. And last but certainly not least, we have to decide today. God, I'm going to clean some things out. you're going to clean some things out. He doesn't, he's not interested in just polishing you up. Jesus said, I'll make you a new creation, brand new. but you can be filled with the Holy Ghost today, with a heavenly language that no demon in hell can interpret or decipher. And the Bible says it's him interceding over you on your behalf, things that you don't even know you need to be praying about. A car accident that might be down the road when you begin to speak in the Holy Spirit, it's him interceding on your behalf for you.

30:29 I don't want you to leave here today clean but empty. You can leave here today clean and full because what God fills, it overflows. He said, don't be drunk with wine because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will guide you and teach you. Romans 15 says, I pray that God, the source of all hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will what? Just be satisfactory? Just have enough? No, you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. I believe today as I've been preaching and as I've been praying all this week, I've felt such a burden.

31:26 for people who have been struggling with addictions in their life. Maybe it's a really glaring addiction. Maybe it's something that everybody can see. But God isn't interested in just dealing with the things that people can see. He's interested in dealing with the addiction to pornography. It's a counterfeit of what God created and it will never satisfy you. I believe there are people in this room today that you have some hidden addictions. Maybe it is the addiction of pornography, or maybe it's an addiction that started with a doctor's prescription, but has taken complete control of your life. And I feel like there are people in this room today, and you are at a crossroads. that thing that maybe you were delivered from once, you're playing with again, you're messing with again.

32:29 Well, it's just the horoscope, right? I'm not going fully to the psychic. The stars were put there by him. He's named all of them. He knows all of them. They don't call you by name. He does. They don't tell you your future. He does. He doesn't need a psychic or a human to tell you. He will. And I believe there's people in this room today that if I could be so bold to say it, this might be your last chance.

33:10 Because we're not promised tomorrow. We're not promised tonight. It is appointed unto all men a day. And I would say to you, if you've been sitting here in this service today and saying, yeah, yeah, but she's not talking to me. She doesn't know. I don't, but he does.

33:34 And he says, no, not done with you yet. No, come to me. Lay it all down and see what you can pick back up, which will be what I pour out into you. And so today, I want us to bring some things down to this altar. The reason it's called an altar is it will alter your life. The old school preachers used to say, this is called a pulpit because we're pulling people out of the pit. And I believe today that the Holy Spirit is in this room and in this place. and my Jesus is here to reach down and pick you up and put you on solid ground, not shaky ground, not to where you have to question your salvation all the time. No, he will set you like he did with this young boy completely free.

34:28 Never again you can walk away from some things today that have held you bound, some things that have haunted you, some things that if you don't cut it today, if you don't cut that rope today, will come back and destroy your life completely. I'm not saying this to scare you. I'm saying this because I know the Holy Spirit has dealt with me this week on it. There are people under the sound of my voice at all of our campuses. And this is your kind, loving Savior saying, this is it. I'm not talking to somebody else. I'm talking to you. You can be set free today. I want everyone standing to their feet, please. Please no moving around.

35:16 If you're in this room today, I want to do two altar calls. I want people, if you wanna come lay some things down, maybe you're in this room today and you don't want anything to hold you. You're ready to get rid of the vape. Don't walk down to the altar and leave it in your pocket and walk back out. Leave it here. leave it leave it here exchange it for peace for joy for love for grace and I want to call if you're a young person in this room I feel that the Lord today wants to clean you out and fill you up because there is a prophetic promise over this generation today.

36:05 And as we sing and as we worship, chains are going to begin to fall off of you. If you're in this room today, maybe you have the little liquor bottles in your purse, in your bag, bring them to the altar. Therefore, there is no condemnation. anything in you that might feel guilt or shame, that is not of God. That is not what this church is about. That's not what anything that is going to cover you and guilt and shame is not of God. He says, it's my loving kindness. It's his loving kindness that is drawing you to repentance. He's been waiting on you.

36:48 And if that's you, if you're in this room today, One, I want to call people forward who need deliverance and who want to be filled back up, specifically filled back up with the Holy Ghost, with the evidence of speaking in tongues, a heavenly language. And two, I want to call the young people down. I want us to spend some time in these altars. Go ahead and step out of your seat. Right now, that's you. There's no mistake about it. You know I'm not speaking to somebody else. I'm talking to you today. This is your fork in the road. Choose you whom this day you will serve. Salvation is here.

37:29 Peace is here. Joy is here. And he will fill you up until you overflow. There are people who are waiting for you to respond, to come down and get what he has called and plan for your life so that others may be saved. Come and accept his peace. accept his joy, keep coming, there's room, make room, there's always room at the altar for all of you, and as we're praying and as we're fasting, if you are a believer, if you are spirit-filled in this room, begin to pray, because people are coming from death to life, they're coming out of a grave and stepping into all that God has called them to do, they're being set free from addictions to nicotine, prescription drugs. I speak right now to a spirit that has held someone bound in this room of self-harm.

38:25 Come today and you'll never harm yourself again. He has good plans for you, plans for a future. He loves you, he's seen you. Not for one second has he taken his eyes off you and you hurting and cutting and burning yourself is not the plan of God over your life. If somebody has struggled with thoughts of suicide, come today and he will break it off your mind completely. You will be set free. I'm not speaking out of something I don't know about. He's done it for me. He'll do it for you. He's the same God. He's not struggling with your addiction. He's not mad at you. You're not an inconvenience for him.