Matthew 12:43 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none.
44 Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished.
45 Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.
Having a strong belief in something should not be seen as a bad thing, as long as that thing is not harmful to others. By the same token an inquisitive mind is fine, as long as you are aware that sometimes it may lead you into areas that may be a little on the dangerous side. In either case, you may want to make sure that your head and heart are a little on the dirty side.
The verses listed refer to a person who is ready and willing to believe in anything, and is thus dangerously open to new ideas. This can be either a naive person who believes anything that they are told, or someone who is in seriously need of a change in his life The naive person will learn quickly that he needs to grow some skin quickly, and that not everyone has his best interest at heart. If he continues to approach every situation the same, with the assumption that he will survive the situation based on the innate goodness of humanity.
Although the person is trying to lead a life without baggage, and while that is commendable it is also a problem. It means that you need to constantly evaluate situations and not take advantage of any past experience; this person is not likely to adapt quickly to problems, and is likely to give the wrong person too many chances. This person needs allow some baggage into their life so he doesn't make the same mistakes over and over; a dirty house is a good thing in this case as that baggage all over the place means that at least incoming visitors have something to trip over on the way in and give the person a chance to make better decisions.
Conversely, someone who is looking for a major change in his life is likely to try a path precisely because it appears to be the right one initially. It can look like exactly what the person needed at the time, but can actually be the worst mistake they can make at the time. This can be anything from a religion whose leader is more interested in power and money to a new diet that causes more harm than it cures. The person has cleared some space in his house so that he can welcome something new and instead he opens himself up to some serious potential for harm. He just needs to do some serious research before heading down a new path from which there may no return so at least he is fully informed regarding that decision.
The bottom line is simply that there are advantages to having something that you believe in. You need to have something that fills in your cracks or else it's likely that something bad will slip in. More to the point, you need a house that you are comfortable with to act as a base; you will continue to let new ideas in if you are never comfortable with who you are, and some of those ideas may be downright dangerous.
This is not to say you should not change things up every so often, exploring a new idea or expanding an old one; you should always be willing to change how a room looks or add a new painting, just to shake things up a bit. People being people it is always a danger that you will get locked into a bad decision, especially when you have some sort of personal investment in the decision. This is as much a matter of personal pride, of not willing to admit to making a mistake, and that's just human nature. You need to be willing to do some redecorating every so often, if for no other reason than to make sure that your decisions are solid.
You should never go into a situation completely clear, and if you are required to then you should be on your toes. You will need to deal with the mess after all, and it sucks to have to clean up someone else's mess in your own home. So treat your mind and heart as you would a home and only let in what you feel works for you and will allow you to prosper. Decorate how you want to, and let no one else tell you how it should be; remember that you can always ignore the advice of the best interior decorator. Make it a place you are proud of, regardless of what anyone else may think; you are the one that will be living there, after all, and no one else.
44 Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished.
45 Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.
Having a strong belief in something should not be seen as a bad thing, as long as that thing is not harmful to others. By the same token an inquisitive mind is fine, as long as you are aware that sometimes it may lead you into areas that may be a little on the dangerous side. In either case, you may want to make sure that your head and heart are a little on the dirty side.
The verses listed refer to a person who is ready and willing to believe in anything, and is thus dangerously open to new ideas. This can be either a naive person who believes anything that they are told, or someone who is in seriously need of a change in his life The naive person will learn quickly that he needs to grow some skin quickly, and that not everyone has his best interest at heart. If he continues to approach every situation the same, with the assumption that he will survive the situation based on the innate goodness of humanity.
Although the person is trying to lead a life without baggage, and while that is commendable it is also a problem. It means that you need to constantly evaluate situations and not take advantage of any past experience; this person is not likely to adapt quickly to problems, and is likely to give the wrong person too many chances. This person needs allow some baggage into their life so he doesn't make the same mistakes over and over; a dirty house is a good thing in this case as that baggage all over the place means that at least incoming visitors have something to trip over on the way in and give the person a chance to make better decisions.
Conversely, someone who is looking for a major change in his life is likely to try a path precisely because it appears to be the right one initially. It can look like exactly what the person needed at the time, but can actually be the worst mistake they can make at the time. This can be anything from a religion whose leader is more interested in power and money to a new diet that causes more harm than it cures. The person has cleared some space in his house so that he can welcome something new and instead he opens himself up to some serious potential for harm. He just needs to do some serious research before heading down a new path from which there may no return so at least he is fully informed regarding that decision.
The bottom line is simply that there are advantages to having something that you believe in. You need to have something that fills in your cracks or else it's likely that something bad will slip in. More to the point, you need a house that you are comfortable with to act as a base; you will continue to let new ideas in if you are never comfortable with who you are, and some of those ideas may be downright dangerous.
This is not to say you should not change things up every so often, exploring a new idea or expanding an old one; you should always be willing to change how a room looks or add a new painting, just to shake things up a bit. People being people it is always a danger that you will get locked into a bad decision, especially when you have some sort of personal investment in the decision. This is as much a matter of personal pride, of not willing to admit to making a mistake, and that's just human nature. You need to be willing to do some redecorating every so often, if for no other reason than to make sure that your decisions are solid.
You should never go into a situation completely clear, and if you are required to then you should be on your toes. You will need to deal with the mess after all, and it sucks to have to clean up someone else's mess in your own home. So treat your mind and heart as you would a home and only let in what you feel works for you and will allow you to prosper. Decorate how you want to, and let no one else tell you how it should be; remember that you can always ignore the advice of the best interior decorator. Make it a place you are proud of, regardless of what anyone else may think; you are the one that will be living there, after all, and no one else.
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