“To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.” Proverbs 8:13
The word ‘hate’ makes us uncomfortable. It has a harsh and uncaring ring and reputation. However, there is a holy hatred of evil that is allowed by Almighty God and even expected. Authentic Christianity is not easy on evil, because it breaks the heart of God, and destroys the soul of man. Evil is an encroachment by the enemy on eternity’s agenda. It takes down leaders who let pride and arrogance seep into their thick skull and stay there. Indeed, if the rules apply to everyone but the leader then it’s just a matter of time before the fear of the Lord becomes a foreign concept. Sin is out of bounds for any child of God that abounds in the love and grace of God. It is the wisdom of Christ that warms the heart, instructs the mind and leads the way into behavior defined by truth. The Bible says, “God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself, in whom is hidden all treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:2b-3, NASB).
Gossip, greed, jealousy and lies are all evil intentions that corrupt a culture of transparency, generosity, contentment and honesty. Stress can bring out the best and worst in others, so make sure, by the grace of God, you rise above the petty politics of blame. Wisdom and maturity take responsibility and seek to lead the team in excellent execution of a proven strategy. If you do nothing, then the naysayers will negotiate for fear and division. Furthermore, fight evil without fanfare, but, by faith and wise work, deliver constant and creditable results, and your antagonists will grow quiet. It is the humility and wisdom of Christ that defeats evil initiatives. Therefore, give Him the glory, get the job done and trust the Lord with the results. Hard times can produce hard hearts, unless you overcome evil with a humble heart of prayer and bold faith. Evil is extinguished under intense intercession of prayers from pure people. The Bible says, “Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed. The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with” (James 5:16-17, The Message).
Related Readings: Amos 5:15; Zechariah 8:17; Romans 12:9; 2 Timothy 2:19
Transformational Living
What does a holy hatred of evil look like in my life?
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My thoughts!
HATE! The word HATE has power! Learning to focus that HATE at the devil is something I'm working on doing! The devil wants us to LOVE him and it's so easy to if you're not on guard.
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