UNDERSTANDING ADVERSITY PART NINE
Our Ninth Look at adversity is that Adversity Is God’s Way Of Increasing Our Hatred Of Evil.
The 19th century pastor named Henry Ward Beecher told of a mother in the wild frontier country where he was living, was outdoors washing her families clothes by the river. Her only son was with her playing nearby but in an instant she realized he was gone. She called his name and searched for him to no avail. He did not answer. She went to the farm house and checked and he was not there either, so frantically she ran to the woods to see if he was there. She found him but it was too late. Wolves had dragged him off and mauled him to death. Her heart broke at that moment. She picked up her son and walked back to her home and instantly she developed a hatred for wolves.
As sad as this is it demonstrates for us that every Christian should have a similar hatred for evil. Look what Psalms 101:3-8; says, I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me. A froward heart shall depart from me: I will not know a wicked person. Whoso privily slandereth his neighbor, him will I cut off: him that hath an high look and a proud heart will not I suffer. Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me: he that walketh in a perfect way, he shall serve me. He that worketh deceit shall not dwell within my house: he that telleth lies shall not tarry in my sight. I will early destroy all the wicked of the land; that I may cut off all wicked doers from the city of the Lord.
Be that as it may, there are still mothers and fathers who are so careful to guard their youngsters from physical harm, but do not notice the evil forces that threaten their spiritual welfare. As a result, they leave their children unprotected and they show little concern for the kinds of friends they children choose to hang with. They also ignore the types of literature they read and the types of television programs they watch. But whenever these influences are bad, they should be seen as a deadly threat and we should protect our children from them. “It is not wrong to hate when you hate what is wrong!”
When God exposes secret sins, He allows others to see the devastating consequences of them. In this way, the simple are warned not to be fooled by Satan’s focus on “the pleasures of sin (which last) for a season. Hebrews 11:25; “Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;”
We need to focus on the fact that God is not mocked by our sin. Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. Galatians 6:7-8;.
Confession is acknowledging how we failed so that God will not be blamed for the consequences. Learning to hate evil is the first step towards Godly wisdom. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction. Proverbs 1:7;
The fear of the Lord is to hate evil: pride, and arrogance, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.
Proverbs 8:13;.
Our hatred for evil should increase as we realize how sin has robbed us of the potential for achieving and enjoying what God had planned for us.
Maybe one of the biggest reasons why we fail to hate evil is that we cannot comprehend its final cost. Adam and Eve might have had second thoughts about disobeying God if they had a glimpse of the untold miseries that resulted from their sin. The newspapers told sometime ago that the fish were dying in the Rhine River. It was discovered that about three hundred pounds of deadly insecticide had been dumped from a barge. Just a tiny bit of it was sufficient to kill the fish. Similarly, a little bit of hate goes a long way toward polluting our Souls.
Psalms 97:10; says, “You who love the Lord, hate evil!” And this was not just a statement, it was a command.
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Shall we pray. If you do not Know Jesus as your Savior today, I invite you to say sinner’s prayer with me now.
Lord Jesus, I come to you today in need of a Savior. I believe you came to this earth as a man and walked among us teaching and healing and saving souls. I acknowledge today that I am a sinner and that you died for me and rose on the third day, ascended to Heaven and are seated by the Father. I ask you to forgive me of my sins and come into my life and be my savior today. I believe I am now born again and one day I will be with you forever. Thank you in Jesus name. Amen
See you in Part 10, Have a blessed day.
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