In the minds of the world, evil is relative. What is evil with one person might be a good thing to another person. But biblically evil means anything contrary to God’s order, His wills and perspectives for what He termed bad. As seen in yesterday’s devotional, accepting deceptive words from any source which is contrary to God’s moral standard is partnering with evil. God spoke through Prophet Jeremiah of first and second evil people of Israel committed. The first was that the Israelites forsook God and the second was hewing out broken cistern that cannot hold waters for themselves. This mean preferring pagan rules for themselves, knowing quite right that those rules cannot help them (Jer. 21: 3).
We are living in the world now that human doctrines, full of deceptive knowledge are taking preeminence over God’s commandments. Most nations today prefer human doctrines to God’s specified instructions for moral, social and spiritual standards. These actions equals to partnering with evil in the sight of God. King David agreed that dealing with anyone deceitfully is evil and said he abhors it (Psa. 26: 4 – 5). Christians are to take this very serious too. Any person or formulated knowledge that takes you away from God as Christian makes you partnering with evil. King David said: “Get out of my life, you evil-minded people, for I intend to obey the commands of my God” (Psa. 119: 115; Africa Study Bible).
The devotional looks into other actions seen in this present age as partnering with evil. Adopting the evil culture of this world equals to partnering with evil. In politics of today, falsification of documents, altering electoral results, snatching of ballot boxes, using political tugs scaring away electorates so as to make winnings possible for their anointed politicians are all seen as credible ways elections should go in most parts of the third world countries these days. Those promoting these evil are partners to the political evil practices. Several practices seen as anti-moral behaviours have assumed “great virtues” these days. New words and phrases are carved out painting things God described and evil ways of life so good and perfect. Whatever makes the world to prefer what God has taken as not good should be avoided by Christians. Preferring wickedness to righteousness is said to be an abomination to the LORD (Prov. 17: 15).
PRAYER:
LORD JESUS, grant me and fellow Christians of the present age the kind of wisdom you hard while on this earth that shielded you from partnering with evil practices of the world. Thank you Jesus for hearing this prayer.
bishopubaudenyi@hopealivechurch