Overcoming Evil

If God is loving and powerful, why is there still evil in the world? This is a challenging question to answer, as it is often loaded with the hurts and pains of a difficult past. In addressing the answer, my endeavour is to be sensitive and gentle as I know personal heart issues may surface. I have included many scriptures to reveal God’s heart more than my own interpretation and revelation.

When we look around, it is clear there is evil in the world around us, yet some of us try to deny or ignore the evil in ourselves. We cannot reconcile the issue of evil without exploring how God deals with it. The truth is we all have evil in our own lives. None of us are perfect. We have all sinned and deserve the payment of sin, which is death. If God was to strike out all evil, honestly, we would also be struck out. We are ourselves contributors to the situation of evil in the world.

For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Romans 3:23 NLT

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23 NLT

So what then, does God not care about evil? Actually, God does judge evil, but only when it reaches its fullness. He is just and true. But in the goodness of His heart, He extends mercy and grace towards each of us.

The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. 2 Peter 3:9 NLT

He gives us all time and opportunity to repent from the ways of evil in our own hearts. We have all been given free choice to repent and follow God or to continue going our own way.

The fourth generation will return here since the Amorites’ wrongdoing won’t have reached its peak until then. Genesis 15:16 CEB

Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! Deuteronomy 30:19 NLT

While we were still sinners, God sent Jesus to die in our place providing a way out of our trouble and the payment of sin. He showed us mercy and forgiveness.

But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. Romans 5:8-9 NLT

We are now in a position to extend this mercy and grace to others, trusting that God will put things right in the big picture. Instead of focusing on how evil others are, we need to look at the situation of the evil which was in our own lives and consider the forgiveness we have been given.

God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Matthew 5:7 NLT

If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins. Matthew 6:14-15 NLT

Then we are able to extend blessing, mercy, forgiveness and love to others. We do not overcome evil, with evil, rather we appeal to a higher law. We choose to walk in love and do good to others.

Do not pay back evil with evil or cursing with cursing; instead, pay back with a blessing. 1 Peter 3:9 GNB

For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment. James 2:13 ESV

“If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.” John 20:23 ESV

Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins. 1 Peter 4:8 NLT

The second Law is this: ‘You must love your neighbour as yourself.’ No other Law is greater than these. Mark 12:31 NLV

God has blessed us so that we can be a blessing. We have been set free so we can live in freedom. We have not been blessed so that we can judge the evil in others’ lives, no! Instead, we have been blessed so that we can be a blessing to others. Now we enjoy the benefits of freedom. We must trust that God will deal with the revenge of evil. Our job is to concern ourselves with us. We must not let evil conquer our hearts; rather forgiveness and mercy will ensure a future of healing and restoration of our own heart.

“I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you.” Genesis 12:2-3 NKJV

The Messiah has set us free so that we may enjoy the benefits of freedom. Galatians 5:1 ISV

Never pay back evil with more evil. Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the LORD. Instead, “If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.” Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good. Romans 12:17,19-21 NLT

Law of First Love

Like any other kingdom, the Kingdom of God is governed by spiritual laws. The first law is to love God with all that we are.

You must love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ This is the first Law. Mark 12:30 NLV

This is the first law of love or as I will call it, the law of First Love. If we want to live by the laws of the Kingdom, we must begin by understanding the law of First Love. But there are in fact two laws in the Kingdom of God.

The second Law is this: ‘You must love your neighbour as yourself.’ No other Law is greater than these. Mark 12:31 NLV

Now I am getting ahead of myself. Let us look at the first Law, which is to love God. How do we do this? We cannot merely think we want to love God. There is a process which must take place in our lives before we are able to love God. To understand how the law of First Love operates, we must go back to the beginning. We must go back to God.

In the beginning, God. Genesis 1:1 NIV

God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 1 John 4:16 NIV

So God created humankind in his own image. Genesis 1:27 CJB

God is love. And so are we. We are made in the image of God. We were created, made and designed in the divine image of perfect love. Every baby gets their DNA record from their mother and father. But there is a strange phenomenon which takes place when a mother gives birth to her baby, a record of the baby’s DNA stays inside the mother for her entire life. In the same way, we have been created from the DNA of our heavenly Father, the DNA of love. And the Father holds a record of our unique DNA inside His heart forever. But we have all lived with sin in our hearts and our lives do not reflect God’s perfect love.

This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us. 1 John 4:10 NIV

We love because He first loved us. 1 John 4:19 AMP

We cannot have love for God, unless we have first allowed His love into our hearts. We must experience God’s pure, divine, unconditional love before we are able to love Him with ALL of our heart, soul, mind and strength. So we are created in this perfect image of God – pure perfected love, and our journey on earth is to pursue the fullness of His image, perfected love. As we look at His radiant love, we are transformed into that image again.

All of us are looking with unveiled faces at the glory of the Lord as if we were looking in a mirror. We are being transformed into that same image. 2 Corinthians 3:18 CEB

As we look at Him, we are changed and transformed to be like Him. As we experience this perfect love, we are remodelled into the perfection of this love. Truthfully, we can only love God when we have personal, experiential knowledge of God’s perfect, unconditional love for us. The first half of the first law is to experience God’s love in our heart.

Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in and we will share a meal together as friends. Revelation 3:20 NLT

If we will open the door of our hearts to His love, He will come in and we will experience this divine love. If we open our heart to let God – Pure Love in, then He will open His heart to us. This is the second half of the first law, to return this pure love to God and step into His heart.

Then as I looked, I saw a door standing open in heaven, and the same voice I heard before spoke to me like a trumpet blast. The voice said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must happen after this.” Revelation 4:1 NLT

We must have the first law of love in place or the second law will not be able to operate in our lives. To love our neighbour as ourselves seems innocent enough, until we realise that our tendency to put ourselves in a privileged positon comes all too easily. But the second law is actually the evidence that the first law operating in our hearts. Anyone who does not love others has never known God and experienced His love, as we need to love Him before we are able to have this love for others.

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. John 13:34-35 NIV

Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 1 John 4:8 NIV

Even knowing about God is nothing without knowing and experiencing Him personally.

If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but I didn’t love others, I would be nothing. 1 Corinthians 13:2 NLT

If we are not living by the first law of the Kingdom, the law of First Love, our love for others will grow increasingly cold. One of the messages to the seven churches was a rebuke for leaving their First Love.

And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. Matthew 24:12 ESV

But I have this against you: You have departed from your first love! Revelation 2:4 NET

Jesus clearly states these laws of First Love and second love are the greatest laws. No other law is higher than these. In fact, Paul calls love the way of life that is best of all, the most excellent way.

But now let me show you a way of life that is best of all. 1 Corinthians 12:31 NLT

And yet I will show you the most excellent way. 1 Corinthians 12:31 NIV

Love is patient and kind, never jealous, boastful, proud, or rude. Love isn’t selfish or quick tempered. It doesn’t keep a record of wrongs that others do. Love rejoices in the truth, but not in evil. Love is always supportive, loyal, hopeful, and trusting. Love never fails. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 CEV

And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. Pursue love. 1 Corinthians 13:13 -14:1 NKJV

Eagerly pursue and seek to acquire [this] love [make is your aim, your greatest quest]. 1 Corinthians 14:1 AMP

Go after a life of love as if your life depended on it–because it does. 1 Corinthians 14:1 MSG

Eagerly pursue love. Make it your life’s greatest quest. Do or die. Go after a life of love with all that you have, all your heart, all your soul, all you mind, and all your strength. This is the most excellent way to live.

Heart Issues

We all know the parable of the Sower, from Mark chapter four. It is a well preached message. A man sows grain in a field and it falls into four different kinds of soil. There was the pathway, the rocky ground, the thorny soil and the good soil.

This parable was one of the most preached messages in my childhood. But I never understood the meaning of it and did not know what it was referring to. Sure, I had an understanding that it is about the state of our heart, but it was only in the light of recent events that I have really begun to "see" and understand just how critical the message of this parable is. This parable holds the key to our ability to yield a fruitful harvest. There is a knowing which only comes through personal experience.

In this parable, Jesus reveals specific issues of the heart which hinder us from yielding a harvest. So, what are the issues of the heart? What are those things that stop us from allowing God's word to grow in our heart and bear the fruit of change to our lives?

"The sower sows God's message. Some people are like the seeds that fall along the path; as soon as they hear the message, Satan comes and takes it away.

Other people are like the seeds that fall on the rocky ground. As soon as they hear the message, they receive it gladly. But it does not sink deep into them, and they don't last long. So when trouble or persecution comes because of the message, they give up at once.

Other people are like the seeds sown among the thorn bushes. These are the ones who hear the message, but the worries about this life, the love for riches, and all other kinds of desires crowd in and choke the message, and they don't bear fruit.

But other people are like seeds sown in good soil. They hear the message, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirty, some sixty, and some one hundred." Mark 4:14-20 GNT

I have been meditating on this scripture over the past few weeks. As God is talking to me about this passage, I have seen these heart issues manifesting as real struggles in people's lives, including my own. I would like to unpack the areas God has been highlighting to me.

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The seed that fell on the path was taken by the satan. Some people have a path set in their heart and even though they hear the same messages, the enemy steals the word away and their is no sign of change in their lives. These are people who have in their hearts a path of success, but they are seeking to acheive it according to good works, and worldly wisdom.

There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death. Proverbs 14:12 NLT

Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad and easy to travel is the path that leads the way to destruction and eternal loss, and there are many who enter through it. Matthew 7:13 AMP

What areas in our hearts do we still have a pathway, a plan or a formula to success? This is how the enemy can snatch away what God is trying to tell us in this area. Our own plans and pathways will block our hearts from the true message.

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The seed which fell into the rocky ground had immediate growth, but could not withstand any persecution. Any rocks of offense in our hearts will trigger when trouble or persecution comes. An offended heart builds a wall around the hurt area to protect itself so that noone can touch it or put pressure on that area. But these areas of offense also stop the Word of God from growing and producing a harvest. As soon as we face pressure, God's Word in our heart dies. Offense leads us into doublemindedness and insecurity so we are forced to build walls of self-protection around our heart so we feel safe. Only, the hardness of heart which comes from offenses makes that whole area of our heart become unfruitful.

And I will give them singleness of heart and put a new spirit within them. I will take away their stony, stubborn heart and give them a tender, responsive heart. Ezekiel 11:19 NLT

They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Ephesians 4:18 NIV

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We need to open our heart before God so that He can reveal to us the true state of our heart. God is the one who tests and tries our hearts

Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts. Psalm 139:23 ESV

"The LORD doesn't see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." 1 Samuel 16:7 NLT

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Hebrews 4:12-13 ESV

When we see ourselves in truth, then we are able to deal with these things in our heart. We will be able to say with confidence that our hearts will be pure gold.

But he knows where I am going. And when he tests me, I will come out as pure as gold. Job 23:10 NLT

And the additional bonus is that with a pure heart, we have complete access to stand in God's holy place and see God.

Who may climb the mountain of the LORD? Who may stand in his holy place? Only those whose hands and hearts are pure. Psalm 24:3-4 NLT

God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God. Matthew 5:8 NLT

What a joy to trade our heart issues for a deeper and more intimate relationship with our Father God!