Evil

Good Morning,

When we start reading the Scriptures in Genesis, in the second chapter, we already find the wicked one raising his head in a place of perfection.  

No matter how wonderful the environment, evil will seek to disrupt and to destroy. One of the mistakes often made is the attempt to analyze “why.” Why would someone do evil things? Why would someone act in an evil manner? There are courtroom psychologists who try to analyze the reasons why someone would act in a certain vile or corrupt way; we simply need to understand that from the very beginning, evil showed up because it is evil. We could research to the time before the Garden of Eden (Isaiah 14:12-14) and find Satan living in the presence of God.

Isaiah 14:12 “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!”

vs. 13 “For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north.”

vs. 14 “I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. 15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.”

Satan enjoyed a perfect environment and held a great position as the “anointed cherub that covereth.”

Ezekiel 28:14 “Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.”

Yet in that perfect place with a very incredible position, working for the perfect Creator of the universe, evil was still present.

Satan said, “I will be like the most high, I will exalt my throne…”

Sometimes, some Americans seem bothered when things are going well.  Liberal leaders of society still complain about storms and violence. Recently, we heard the President’s State of the Union Address. In his speech, he clearly explained that the unemployment rate of blacks and Latinos is the lowest in the history of recorded employment, and yet Latino and black leaders have no good thing to say. No matter how good the environment may be, evil will be present. No matter how good the people are, some evil will creep in.

Do not be surprised when evil influence makes its way into the lives of your children; it does not matter what school they attend, whether it be a public school, homeschool, or a Christian school.

Do not be surprised when evil shows up in your Christian home (the place where you live a very guarded life) through one of your family members or through an outsider who gains influence on your family. One family, who was extremely guarded about the media influences they allowed in their home (they did not even have a television), experienced the influence of evil when a new router was installed. The technician who came out to install the device arrived when no one was home except the younger teenager.  The parents gave the okay to install it.   Once the router was installed and working, the tech showed the teenager where the password was on the bottom of the device. Without any parental knowledge, a young person then had unfettered access to the trash on the internet.

We need to understand that we are in the presence of evil. We can put up all the boundaries we want (and we should); we can create fences and borders; we can create rules and policies, but we must understand and accept the reality that evil is among us.  Our Lord did everything right: His actions were perfect in every situation; He responded in a godly manner to every circumstance, yet Judas’ story took place.

John 6:70  “Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?”

At your place of employment (whether it be in the area of finances, the bookkeeping, or the management), when some evil takes place do not be angry.  Do not be too hard on the church when some negative or evil act arises. The church is full of people, and certainly, the evil one will sow tares among the wheat.

Matthew 13:25 “But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.”

The most important recourse for the child of God is to walk with the King. When Joseph was sold into slavery, falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife, and unjustly imprisoned by Potiphar, he “lost”13 years of his life (17 to 20 years in a world of total injustice),  yet through it all, God was still in Heaven.  In the last chapter of Genesis, when Joseph’s brothers sought his help and mercy, Joseph made a simple statement: “Am I in the place of God?”

We should labor to do right.  We should plan and organize our lives to guard against evil. In the end, there is no way we are going to control all of the evil and wrong in this world, but we have a God Who can, and we can trust Him. Infidelity in marriage, thoughtless crime,  political shame, or violence in gangs — none can supersede the mighty hand of God. May our faith rest in His power. May our dreams and goals rest in His lovingkindness. When evil seems to rear its head and appears to be victorious, let us rest in the One Who knows the end of the story and “who doeth all things well."

Mark 7:37 “...He hath done all things well: he maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak.”

Pastor