The tower of Babel was initiated with the thought of rivaling God, hence God scattered the people with a confused language which was incomprehensible to one another. In Genesis 11: 4 the people said to one another, let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. Their focus was not on God but themselves. Psalms 5: 5 says the Lord hates all evildoers.
Why do we love evil?
John 3: 20 says everyone who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, lest his deeds be exposed. We have so much to hide that we do not want to associate with Christ Jesus who is the light of the world, John 8: 12; 9: 5. We cannot hide from Jesus who came for our good. In Hebrews 9: 11 Christ Jesus is a high priest of the good things that have come.
To those of us who love evil just like Israel did, Joshua 23: 15 says just as all the good things which the Lord your God promised concerning you have been fulfilled for you, so the Lord will bring upon you all the evil things, until he has destroyed you from off this good land which the Lord your God has given you. We are hated for speaking the word of God because the works of the world are evil. Jesus said in John 7: 7 the world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify of it that its works are evil.
We must not worry if the world hates us because of Christ Jesus whose truth we live and in whose blood we are washed and redeemed. However we must be very worried if we are hated because of our love for evil and the world. Revelation 3: 16 says because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of my mouth. Matthew 12: 30 says he who is not with me is against me.
The seat of evil in us
The heart is the seat of evil in man from where all evil originates. Genesis 6: 5 says the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. God says in Genesis 8: 21 that for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth.
Scripture rightly identifies the problem of the heart and says in Proverbs 21: 2, every way of man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart. Matthew 15: 19 says for out of the heart comes evil thoughts, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander. Let us examine our hearts in order to bring its true state to Jesus for cleansing and redemption.
Can we abstain from evil?
Deuteronomy 15: 7 says you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother, but you shall open your hand to him, and lend him sufficient for his need, whatever it may be. God demands integrity of heart and uprightness and keeping of God’s statutes and his ordinances as David did, 1 Kings 9: 4. Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 5: 22 abstain from every form of evil. What does it mean? 2 Thessalonians 3: 3 says but the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from evil. This means the Lord hates evil. 1 Thessalonians 5:15 says see that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seeks to do good to one another and to all.
James 4: 7 says submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Ephesians 6: 11 says put on the whole armour of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 1 Corinthians 12:10 admonishes us further that we must test all spirits. Romans 12: 9 says let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good. Romans 12: 17 says repay no one evil with evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. Romans 12: 21 says do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Colossians 3: 5 says put to death therefore what is earthly in you: fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Only through Jesus Christ will God root out evil from our land.
Matthew 6: 13 says but deliver us from evil. 1 Peter 2: 16 says live as free men, yet without using your freedom as a pretext for evil; but live as servants of God. 1 John 5:19 says we know that we are of God, and the whole world is in the power of the evil one. 3 John 1:11 says beloved, do not imitate evil but imitate good. He who does good is of God; he who does evil has not seen God. Are we imitating good or evil, Christ Jesus or the devil? We must seek sound divine knowledge at the feet of Jesus in prayer.
God’s penalty for evil
The Lord God of Host says in Psalms 101: 8, morning by morning I will destroy all the wicked from the land, cutting off all the evil doers from the city of the Lord. God says in Jeremiah 12: 14, I will pluck them up from their own land. Ezekiel 18:20 says the soul that sins shall die. 1 Peter 3: 12 says the face of the Lord is against those who do evil. Romans 6:23 says the wages of sin is death. Do we want to face or avoid the penalty for evil? 1 Peter 3: 12 says the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.
God’s provision for pardon
In spite of this endemic evil on earth of which we are inextricably woven, Micah 7:18 says who is a God like thee, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? Jeremiah 35: 15 also says turn now every one of you from his evil way, and amend your doings, and do not go after other gods to serve them, and then you shall dwell in the land which I gave to you and your fathers. Numbers 14: 18 says the Lord is slow to anger, and abounding in his steadfast love. With a penitent heart and due intercession against evil, the Lord will pardon us for evil.
Amos 5: 14-15 says seek good, and not evil, that you may live; so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you, as you have said. Hate evil, and love good, and establish justice in the gate. Joel 2: 13 says return to the Lord, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and repents of evil. If we fail to take advantage of God’s provision against evil, we will have no other option but to face his anger. When evil besieges us, we must repent and also seek for pardon with grace.
Prayer
Deliver us from evil, O Lord through the blood of Jesus. Let your word be our shield against evil and make us triumphant in our battles against evil. Make us worthy soldiers of the cross. In your blessed holy name we pray, Amen!!
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