Put Away Evil
So you shall put away evil from among you. Deuteronomy 29:21b
I know that you must think that we blog a lot about sin. We do. In the day in which we are living, we need constant reminders that God’s position on sin has never changed. HE HATES IT! He hated it so much that He gave His Son’s life to die for it! I need to keep this hatred of sin ever before me.
Dr. Henry Blackaby reminds me in his daily devotional, Experiencing God – the Devotional (Broadman and Holman) that I must PUT AWAY evil:
It is a deadly and costly mistake not to take temptation seriously. The sad testimony of many who have succumbed to sin’s enticements is that that they THOUGHT they were strong enough to remain in the midst of temptation and resist it.
God requires that His people remove evil from their midst (Deut. 21:21b). One way to do this is to remove ANYTHING in your environment that may tempt you to sin. When wickedness surrounds you, you are in danger of becoming anesthetized to its destructive potential. NEVER ASSUME THAT YOU ARE IMMUNE TO TEMPTATION. DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THE CRAFTIENSS OF THE EVIL ONE.
God does not tolerate evil, for evil cost the death of His Son. Sin causes UNTOLD pain and destruction to EVERYONE it touches. Treating evil lightly shows foolish disregard for God’s redemptive work. An honest evaluation of your life will reveal temptations that you should remove, such as some forms of entertainment or ungodly relationships. WHEN GOD CONVICTS YOU OF EVIL IN YOUR MIDST, REMOVE IT IMMEDIATELY!
There are times, however, when you are powerless to remove ungodly influences, so you must remove yourself from temptation. Paul urges us to avoid EVERY kind of evil (1 Thessalonians 5:22). When Joseph was enticed to commit adultery by His master’s wife, he fled IMMEDIATELY! (See Genesis 39:12).
DO NOT LOSE YOUR ABHORRENCE of sin. Be diligent to keep ANY form of temptation out of your home, out of your relationships, out of your mind. You can do this only by maintaining your love relationship with God, recognizing that YOU are powerless to resist temptation in your OWN strength. YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO WALK CLOSELY WITH GOD UNLESS YOU SEE SIN AS HE SEES IT. Darkness and light cannot coexist. Run from darkness to the light!
Compass Pointers: Whoever strives to withdraw from obedience, withdraws from grace. Thomas a Kempis
Anchored to the Rock: Prayer is not something we do at a specific time, but something we do ALL the time. Richard Owen Roberts
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