Posts Tagged ‘evil’

The spirit indeed is willing, but how weak the body is!

O Lord, we love to do your will!  Our hearts’ desire is to glorify your name.  All night long I search for you; earnestly I seek for God.

I know I am rotten through and through so far as my old sinful nature is concerned.  No matter which way I turn, I can’t make myself do right.  I want to but I can’t.  I love to do God’s will so far as my new nature is concerned; but there is something else deep within me, in my lower nature, that is at war with my mind and wins the fight and makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me.  For we naturally love to do evil things that  are just the opposite from the things that the Holy Spirit tells us to do; and the good things we want to do when the Spirit has his way with us are jsut the opposite of our natural desires.  These two forces within us are constantly fighting each other to win control over us, and our wishes are never free from their pressures.

I can do everything God asks me to with the help of Christ who gives me the strength and power.  Our only power and success comes from God.  I am with you; that is all you need.

Mt 26:41. Is 26:8,9. Rom 7:18,22-23, Gal 5:17. Phil 4:13. 2 Cor 3:5, 2 Cor 12:9.

Taken from Living Light

From Gail:

Struggling to overcome evil is nothing to be ashamed of, rather something to be proud of.  God sees that you want to do what is right.  Just be careful that you are not trying to overcome on your own power.  Only God can change your heart.

Everything God made was good and perfect.  Genesis  1:31 states: And God saw every thing that He had made, and behold, it was very good.

So, where did evil come from?  This is a very difficult question to answer because everything God created was perfect.  A hint at the answer is found in Ezekiel 28 where it describes the fall of Lucifer, one of the Archangels.  It states that Lucifer was perfect until iniquity was found in him.  So, if he was perfect, where did the iniquity come from? 

I believe the answer is found in the sovereignty of the free will that God created.  He didn’t want “puppets on a string” to worship him, God wanted us to  worship him by choice.  The only way to do this is to create a situation where we can choose.  Adam and Eve made the choice in the Garden of Eden.  Of the thousands of trees to eat from, there was only one they were not to eat from.  You can read the account yourself in Genesis 3, where the devil calls God a liar by telling Eve she will not die as God said she would. 

Jesus said in Luke 10:18: And He said unto them, “I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.

The angels also had to choose, and 1/3 of them fell.  Revelation 12:3,4 states: And there appeared another wonder in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.And his tail drew a third part of the stars of heaven, and cast them to the earth.

Revelation 12:7,8 states: And there was war in Heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in Heaven And the great dragon was cast out — that serpent of old called the Devil and Satan, who deceiveth the whole world. He was cast out onto the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Although God didn’t create evil directly, he did indirectly by giving the angels and people the freedom of choice.  Here is how Lucifer, fell.  Note “until iniquity was found in thee, and his heart was lifted up because of his beauty.”  In other words, the sin of pride was the initial sin.

Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering: the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold; the workmanship of thy taborets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.14Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth, and I have set thee so; thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire 15Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. 16By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned; therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God; and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.17Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty; thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness. 

Another account of the fall of Lucifer is found in Isaiah 14.  It states:

¹²“How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, who didst weaken the nations!  13For thou hast said in thine heart, `I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north. 14I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High.’15Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.16They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee and consider thee, saying, `Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms.

Notice the five “I’s”–the “me, myself, and I” attitude.  Doesn’t that sound familar?

Unfortunately, we are all suffering because of the freedom of choice.  But, the good news is that God’s ultimate plan for this world and you is nothing short of wonderful and perfect, when he creates the new heavens and the new earth, and we can rid ourselves of our sinful nature once and for all.  Live for him now while you still can.  He sent his only begotten Son to be the perfect sacrifice so your soul can become perfect.  Please don’t miss out.  Please click on the category “How to find Jesus” and remember, He is only one prayer away.  Today is a fresh new day with no mistakes in it.  Make it a perfect one by ridding yourself of the “me, myself, and I” attitude.  This attitude will never make you happy inside or at peace with yourself and God.  The giving attitude is where the real peace is because God set the true example by giving his only Son for you.

 (Job 1)  ⁶ Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them. ⁷ And the LORD said to Satan, “From where do you come?”
So Satan answered the LORD and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.”
⁸ Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?”
⁹ So Satan answered the LORD and said, “Does Job fear God for nothing? ¹⁰ Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. ¹¹ But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!”
¹² And the LORD said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on his person.”
So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.

(A while later)

 1Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD.2And the LORD said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. 3And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and hates evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause.

 4And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life.5But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face.6And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life.

 7So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown. 8And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he sat down among the ashes.

 9Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die. 10But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.

When I first read this passage of scripture, I asked that question, what do God and the devil say when they talk about me?   I came to the conclusion that the devil thought I would give up and “curse God and die” like Job’s wife thought he should do.

Years later, I thought, what can I do to Satan for all the bad he did to me, that God allowed him to do?  Well, I decided to start this website so that now, millions can be encouraged and helped.  Some of what I write is therapy for me.  I feel that if I am struggling with some of these issues, others are too.

Happy reading!! Be blessed and prosper!!