Category: Evil

We Wrestle not Against Flesh and Blood

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”

Ephesians 6:12

“We wrestle not against flesh and blood,” said the apostle, Paul. Yet, at times tempers flare up to where believers are at war with one another, and it becomes physical. Fighting over parking places, over food, and even clothing. Politeness and respect have gone out the door. Darkness seems to grow around our surroundings. The news hour is full of those who hate others, killings, and theft. Some are even rejoicing over what is happening. These actions are of the children of disobedience [see Ephesians 2:2]. These are those who are fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind.

The inner life of a believer is to walk worthy before the Lord and men. In Chapter six of Ephesians, Paul is addressing the warrior’s armor for the believer. Paul states the following.

“Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” Ephesians 6:11

We need to heed the scripture and put on the armour of God and pray to stand against the wiles of the devil. Wiles meaning to entice, deceive, and manipulate into doing something that is not right before God. We are to walk honestly, not in strife and envying. We are to put on the whole armor of God as is stated in Ephesians chapter six in order to withstand the evil that is happening every day.

We are to carry with us the truth of the Gospel. The breastplate of righteousness, which we have in Christ. Our feet shod for the preparation of the gospel of peace. Christ is our peace.

“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” John 14:27

Jesus said let not your heart be troubled or afraid.

“Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses.” Psalms 107:13

It is the shield of faith that will bring us through our distresses and God will deliver us from destructions [ see verse 20 of Psalms 107].

Faith in Christ Jesus is our shield. This is how we quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. We have the helmet of salvation, which is our protective covering from harm, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. We stand strong in the Lord when we read the word of God every day and mediate on its meaning. This is how we are sanctified. Jesus said, “the light of the body is the eye,” [Luke 11:35]. If your eye is single, it is full light and not darkness. We are to take heed what our own eye sees.

“Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness.” Luke 11:35

Make sure that you yourself are not drawn to darkness. Stand firm in the foundation of the Lord. We wrestle against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Our resource is the word of God and prayer. We rebuke the evil spirits at work and cast down every imagination that exalted itself against the knowledge of God, [see 2 Corinthains 10:5].

“Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; Ephesians 6:18

We pray in the Spirit and watch with perseverance God’s intervention. We give thanks to the Lord always for His protective care.

Listen to Pilgrims Journey taken from Ephesians chapter six or visit Inge Schultz Music and read the post about it.

Evil in the House

“Who so rewarded evil for good, evil shall not depart from his house.”

Proverbs 17:13

Is there evil in the house where you live? No one wants to think about having evil in their own home, but when you reward someone who has done evil as being good; beware, for evil has entered into your house. Evil is anything that opposes the word of God. First, we have natural evil with destructive forces of nature such as earthquakes, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, and tidal waves. The second is moral evil to which we choose in what actions we take. The actions of war, crime, cruelty, and slavery.

It is said that moral choices can bring on God’s judgement in natural disasters. We may not see all like God, but whatever kind of storm is coming, we need to heed the warning signs. All we have to do is to remember Noah’s flood and Sodom and Gomorrah as an example of moral evil where physical natural signs were displaced across the heavens because of man’s evil works. Why we have pain and suffering is because of man’s sin. Everyone is affected by a human choice that was made. We forget to think that our individual choices affect others around us. We also forget that the choices we made limits God’s hand from working in our own personal life.

We must remember that God did not create evil. It was Satan, a fallen angel who rebelled against God. Satan rebellion bought evil into the world. Satan slanders God’s people and leads people to sin through believing something that is not the whole truth.

“Let not an evil speaker be established in the earth: evil shall hunt the violent man to overthrow him.”

Psalms 140:11

We must pray to God to keep us from all evil. As King David prayed in Psalms 140, look at verse 4, “keep me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked, and preserve me from the violent man, who have purposed to overthrow my goings.” God is our shelter and our strong arm when we pray and allow Him to stand on our behalf. O Lord, preserve us from the violent man, who would overthrow our goings in this world. Yes, pray to God to deliver us from evil as is stated in the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew chapter 6, verse 13.

Keep my mouth from evil and my lips from speaking guile [see Psalms 34:13]. Now look at the next verse.

“Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.”

Psalms 34:14

Cleanse yourself and your house from all forms of evil. It only takes one person in the house doing evil or being rebellious that affects others within the home. The home shelters the evil. There is no peace, but bitterness, strife, and hatred. Sometimes running away may not be an option. But the Lord God can give us grace to be able to endure. When you begin to see the person doing evil, you may wonder what is causing it. That person needs your prayer to overcome the evil. We must be able to do what the apostle Paul told the Romans.

” If thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirsts, give him drink: for in so doing, thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head. Be not overcome of evil but overcome evil with good. “

Romans 12:20-21

John P. Newport wrote in the Holman Bible Dictionary, that “Jesus Christ became the victim of evil so that there might be victory over evil.” Whatever the circumstances we are in, “we are more than conquerors through him that loved us,” [Romans 8:37]. God hears the prayer of the righteous, and He will make a way out of the situation. Wherever you go in this world, you will find those in need of help from evil. Let us not reward evil but overcome evil with good and pray that evil will depart from the home.

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