Tag: evil

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Identify the soul-pyro.

Reading Time: 2 minutes 
“For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith. And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.” ‭‭1 John‬ ‭5‬:‭4‬-‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Every Biblical author knew there was a real and present danger, an evil circulating among the people on this planet. Evil has a name – Satan. He is a liar, a thief and a murdered of all that is good. And, to make matters worse, that evil one commands a bunch of fallen angels, referred to as demons. The evil one cannot be everywhere at all times, and it is not all powerful or all knowing. It’s personal pronoun is LIAR. It’s biggest trick of all is too make people believe that it doesn’t exist at all.

What we would call some mental illnesses, addictions, or even mass murderers and serial killers may in fact be physical, emotional, tormented possession! The mad naked man, living in the hillside tombs, would have been diagnosed with schizophrenia and been given tons of medications, counseling and possibly even shock therapy. He wasn’t crazy or ill, he was possessed by thousands of demons all bent on destroying him. The little boy mentioned after Jesus and a few friends came down from the mountain. The whole town was frightened and held captive from a little boy who kept throwing himself into the fire and writhing about. He wasn’t mental, he was possessed! Jesus FREED both these folks from a very real enemy.

The battle, the enemy is very real. I have to constantly remind myself what the Apostle Paul told the churches in Ephesus, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Every single time there is a schism, a spat, a division, or a war – there is something much more than mean, selfish people behind it. There’s an enemy of our soul at work in the world and if we let it or allow it – even in our churches.

The instigator of all evils is a soul-pyro starting fires of hate, gossip and lies everywhere. John admonishes us to fight evil with faith. Recognize the source and win through confrontational prayer towards who’s causing the problems. I may not believe there’s a demon behind every rock, but I do believe there’s one behind every riot! Sometimes it takes a direct confrontation to expel evil from demonic possession, but more often we can kick out evil through faith when we choose to love, forgive, dispense mercy and grace. Jesus gave his followers the authority to do both, drive out demons and overcome with love.

Prayer

Dad,
There is so much evil! There are so many places that evil seems rampant and out of control. There are so many times I struggle and can only see evil in people behaving badly. I often forget there is an enemy behind it all. Help me to see good. Help me to see opportunities to bring light to darkness, applying mercy and goodness to anger and hate. Help me in my faith to remember that you have overcome the world! Help me fight these fires with grace to extinguish the flames.

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Bending towards evil.

Reading Time: 2 minutes 
“And the Lord was pleased with the aroma of the sacrifice and said to himself, “I will never again curse the ground because of the human race, even though everything they think or imagine is bent toward evil from childhood. I will never again destroy all living things. As long as the earth remains, there will be planting and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night.” Genesis‬ ‭8‬:‭21‬-‭22‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Starting over, but still with broken, evil people who will always bend towards evil. God Completely annihilated the human population at the time of Noah, and yet still sin and evil was not permanently drowned with the massive, twelve month flood over the earth.

There is a lot questions and mystery concerning the flood that God doesn’t seem to be worried about nor interested in addressing. When Noah offers a sacrifice to God (which I believe God showed Adam, Eve, Cain and Abel how to do) from selected animals on the boat, God is pleased. Why? Because Noah understands the association of substitutionary death of an innocent animal to temporarily cover his and his family’s sin. This is an act of humility, obedience and best of all faith. God makes a unique promise, “I will never…” He says. The earth’s ground, in totality, will never be cursed because of US. Then God adds the perpetually sad commentary, “even though everything they THINK or IMAGINE is bent!” And it’s bent from childhood on.

In Chapter nine, God gives Noah and all humans thereafter a permanent sign of this promise (contract) – the rainbow. “Then God said, “I am giving you a sign of my covenant with you and with all living creatures, for all generations to come. I have placed my rainbow in the clouds. It is the sign of my covenant with you and with all the earth.” Genesis‬ ‭9‬:‭12‬-‭13‬ ‭NLT‬‬. I love that God makes a permanent, declarative and obvious sign in the skies that show up when it rains or the rays of the sun catch the mists of water just right. These moments make for a beautiful array of splendor and delight wherever and whoever you are. Sadly, the rainbow, which is intended to be a contractual observance of promise, has been abused by so many to represent anything but a promise and nothing to do with God.

Prayer

Dad,
This whole post apocalyptic, global flood story is fascinating. Noah and family, with their miracle boat ride for an entire year. Then the days leading up to the landing an evacuation of water. So amazing. This picture/object lesson of Noah making a sacrifice is epic because it completely takes place well before the law, and well before the Abrahamic Covenant. This super old story is still all about faith and obedience – not perfection. Noah and his family were certainly not perfect and did not have perfect children. Yet, they knew the situation concerning their sin and gratitude for saving them. Bravo 🙌🏼.

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The wicked play a dangerous game

Reading Time: 2 minutes 
“The wicked conceive evil; they are pregnant with trouble and give birth to lies. They dig a deep pit to trap others, then fall into it themselves. The trouble they make for others backfires on them. The violence they plan falls on their own heads. I will thank the Lord because he is just; I will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.” Psalms‬ ‭7:14-17‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The wicked just play a different game, a dangerous one. I’m convinced that David is correct in how he feels. He views the wicked that not only come after him but just desire to cause havoc and chaos everywhere. The wicked just don’t seem to be happy unless they are making the world miserable. Oh, the endless schemes that are constantly being conceived! David says they are pregnant with trouble! His cry is to God to deal with the never ending hunger of those whose bent minds and broken hearts towards selfish and evil ends. This is the game that the wicked play! And, sadly, they play it well. The righteous, not of themselves, but of a yearning to do right, and obey God just want to live in peace. They don’t lie awake at night planning and scheming to greedily make more money or posses more power or to crush the poor and disenfranchised. They just want to do what’s right, live in peace and help others on the fringe to have a better life. The wicked don’t play fair, they play dirty! The godly can be as wise as possible, but should not, will not behave immoral with tactics that are wrong. The means to an end must be lived out with right behavior. The godly believe that God will not only honor behavior that reflects His character, but that God himself will bring about justice and judgment in his perfect timing. Our trust, our hope is in God almighty and His ultimate plans for us and this world.

Prayer

Dad,
Every day I see and hear lies, deceit and manipulation in every sector of our culture. I feel powerless to do anything about it. If I shout out the truth or speak of the evils going out on TV media, entertainment or social media I am called out with horrible, hurtful words. It all seems to have been reversed to what was the norm just forty years ago. Now Christianity is deemed evil and the most insidious lies and self-destructive behavior is now called good, even calling it kindness. It appears, at least in our country, you have let people live anyway they desire even when it will be their own demise. I ask, as the psalmist did, let your justice rise and your mercy save us from ourselves.

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Lessons to learn from David’s singular truth

Reading Time: 2 minutes 
“I am on the verge of collapse, facing constant pain. But I confess my sins; I am deeply sorry for what I have done.”Psalms‬ ‭38:17-18‬ ‭NLT‬‬

​Wow. This entire Psalm of David is so raw and honest. If I didn’t know better, I’d say he must have had Covid… j/k. Who can compare to David’s songs and prayers of repentance? The entire psalm is filled with a mixture of physical, emotional and spiritual pain he is experiencing. As I read it, I feel as though he’s not going to make it, he’s describing the end of his life.

This psalm blows my mind because, in the middle of this physical calamity David 100% attributes the cause to God being angry, himself being guilty as charged and ridding himself of his sins. There is not one ounce of any possibility that he has caught something natural or the result of “general” sin or sickness being a part of our fallen world, Nor does he attribute it to an attack from a very real entity of evil! He completely receives it as FROM God and goes directly to God to admit, repent and wait for judgment to pass. “My wounds fester and stink because of my foolish sins.”

He is NOT expecting to be let off the hook, but asks for the patience go through, and to wait for God to come and relieve his pain. “For I am waiting for you, O Lord. You must answer for me, O Lord my God.” And, “Come quickly to help me, O Lord my savior.”

I can honestly say, I have never thought about this kind of raw, direct, straight to the point prayer when I have been at my sickest or lowest moments in life. He doesn’t blame a virus, bacteria, infection, a devil or even God himself. He just flat out starts repenting and recognizing his own unworthiness. I am humbled by this and it makes me think about my own mortality, and times of fever, aches or misery. Once again, I am thankful for the lesson and model from David’s own life and the words he left behind for me to reflect on.

PRAYER:

​Dad,
Wow, what a glimpse into a world that I am not comfortable in at all. I know very few who are at the point of extreme pain and solid resolve acceptance of who is really in charge of life itself.

I am normally talking people out of such honest thoughts and prayers when they speak of their own responsibility and repentance for sin! I will not be so foolish to do so again. Mostly, because I realize how little I actually know of such things! How could falsely relieve the tension by pretending that I know of someone’s circumstances? I will also think through my own response to sickness, pain and suffering. I am thankful for David’s honest and pure words.

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What happens when God has had enough!

Reading Time: 2 minutes 
“On August 14 of that year, which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard and an official of the Babylonian king, arrived in Jerusalem. He burned down the Temple of the Lord, the royal palace, and all the houses of Jerusalem. He destroyed all the important buildings in the city. Then he supervised the entire Babylonian army as they tore down the walls of Jerusalem on every side.” 2 Kings‬ ‭25:8-10‬ ‭NLT‬‬

What a brutal ending to Solomon’s temple and the whole city of Jerusalem. After multiple kings and years of horrible leadership and evil behavior, God brought in the foreign king of Babylon to serve justice to His own people.

Did God enjoy punishing, correcting His beloved Israel? No. Is God still good, right, just and true in having His own city rubbled to the ground? Yes. Warnings went unheeded, pleadings were met with harsh punishment on the prophets.

The kings of Israel were thoroughly stubborn enough to do their own thing and just as God had also warned them through Samuel (about Saul), kings can and will do some nasty things to have their own way. Four successive kings: Jehoahaz (23yrs old), Jehoiakim (25 yrs old), Jehoiachin (18 yrs old) and Zedekiah (21 yrs old) were all attributed this phrase, “did what was evil in the Lord’s sight….” So for 22 1/2 years Israel wasn’t just led by young inept leaders, they were stupid, cruel and wicked. It was a bad run of DNA or leadership culture that was not going to change. The last guy was the dumbest of the pack. “Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.”‬‬ And it ended badly for him! “They captured the king and took him to the king of Babylon at Riblah, where they pronounced judgment upon Zedekiah. They made Zedekiah watch as they slaughtered his sons. Then they gouged out Zedekiah’s eyes, bound him in bronze chains, and led him away to Babylon.”

Soon after, on August 14, 586 was one of the most awful days in Israel’s history. Yep, God will o be mocked and He’s not against using the wicked (even while trying to woo and negotiate with their hearts) to get His will accomplished.

It painfully reminds me in this long season of grace and mercy because of Jesus’ sacrifice, that God is still God. He is still holy, yet still good! Evil and wickedness cannot continue unleashed without consequences, without judgment or justice.

We would not want a world, an existence or eternity where evil was ignored nor where justice was blind. Yet we are shocked when WE ourselves, in our selfishness and willful evil decisions are also judged and consequences are experienced. I’m not a king or anything even close to that, but I have some limited leadership responsibility as a pastor. It is a sobering reminder as I read Israel’s history and see reflections of our humanity in these young kings decisions and of course, the final outcome.

PRAYER:

Dad,
Whew, what a gut check on this one. I’m not sure I think of the consequences of my decisions often enough. And not just how they effect my life, my family (poor Zedekiah’s sons!) but how they effect a larger group of people that I have influence over. The accountability to my actions are certainly overwhelming. I need, we need, your grace and power to live as Paul told young Timothy, an oversee must live above reproach.