FILLING THE VOID
By W. G. Guy
A void is an emptiness that is longing to be filled. Many people today have a significant void in their life, and they seek to fill it with all manner of things that are unprofitable, distractive and often destructive. I also notice that many people these days seem to be “short fused”, irritable and easily offended. This is evidence that something is missing in their lives, leaving a void.
This void is evidence that there is something missing, leaving them an emptiness they seek to fill with all manner of activity and worthless information. You can see this as your observe people everywhere looking down at their cell phones and not being alert to their surroundings, or the people around them, or what is going on.
Where did this void come from, and what caused it? We have to go back to when God made man in His own image and likeness to find out. When God made man, He put part of Himself into man.
Genesis 2:7 – And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
That breath was part was God’s image and likeness which was His own character and nature; also known as the Fruit of the Spirit.
Galatians 5:22-23 – But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Note that the word breathed also refers to spirit; so God put of His own Spirit, (and the Fruit thereof), into man giving him life as God has it; eternal life. This life of God was lost when sin entered the scene. That is when man died spiritually; that is when he lost his connection and relationship with God. This is the relationship and life that Jesus came to restore and fill.
The death that God said would occur by breaking His command was a spiritual death, not a physical death; which would eventually happen due to the transgression because of losing that spiritual life.
Genesis 2:16-17 – And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. (Since they did not physically die that day, it was referring to spiritual death which is separation from God.)
That life, with God’s character and nature, was lost when sin was committed, transgressing the command of God to not eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. When the Spirit of God (His image and likeness) left man it left a void that longs to be filled; as mentioned above.
Satan has since tried to offer a means of filling that void by getting man’s attention on the things of the world, and of the devil, bringing in more sin and wickedness. This void can be referred to as lusts, the desires of the heart which is now selfish flesh, and which the devil tempts everyone with.
James 1:14-15 – but every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
Satan knows the human weakness of the flesh, and so he uses those weaknesses to his advantage to get back at God, being in defiance of Him.
1 John 2:15-16 – Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
Note how the devil used these three lusts: lust of the eye, lust of the flesh, and pride of life (position), to tempt Adam’s wife, Eve.
Genesis 3:6 – And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food (lust of flesh), and that it was pleasant to the eyes (lust of the eye), and a tree to be desired to make one wise pride of life)’
Satan is so successful at tempting and deceiving mankind that he tried the same ploy of Jesus. Note the same three areas of temptation the devil used on Jesus.
Luke 4:3-11 – And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread (1- lust of the flesh). And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time (2- lust of the eye). And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God (3- pride of life), cast thyself down from hence: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
Note also that Jesus used the written Word of God to defeat the devil’s temptation. Also note that Jesus did not have this void in Him at all; so the devil’s effort totally failed.
This void of God’s Spirit of Life in humans is eager to be filled; and Satan offers to fill that void with evil, even with demonic influences. The demons and evil spirits are looking for a physical body in which they can satisfy their personal desires and characteristics. When a demon or evil spirit is cast out or departs from its dwelling place it longs to return to that void, as Jesus described.
Matthew 12:43-45 – When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. 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. 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.
You don’t want anything from the enemy of your faith to take up residence in your flesh or try filling that void, which is not really possible but merely an attempt.
This void is reserved for the Spirit of Christ which is freely given to all who accept God’s grace gift of Jesus Christ’s atoning work on the cross. Then the Spirit of Christ can inhabit you and fill that void. This is the redemptive plan of God that was established before the foundation of the world. It is referred to as being born-again; it is when the Spirit of Christ is accepted to reside in you.
It is like when God breathed the breath of life into Adam and he became a living soul. This is repeated again by accepting Jesus Christ as Savior and LORD.
John 20:21-22 – Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:
The void that all of us have is to be filled with the Spirit of Christ, which is received by faith. This fulfills what is written by the apostle Paul to the Galatian and Colossian Churches.
Galatians 4:19 – My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you,
Colossians 1:27 – to whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
What fills the void in your life? Is it the things of this world that have no eternal benefit? Is it the deceptive things of the devil and his evil spirits that promise wealth, power over others, or to control events? Or is it just to fulfill the desires of the flesh to satisfy self? Only that which of God will actually fill the void, because all else will not truly satisfy but will leave you still feeling empty longing for more; that is, until you are filled with the fullness of Christ.
