OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL - MONDAY - 18/08/2014 - DEPART FROM EVIL BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE

DEPART FROM EVIL

Memorise

For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile:

1 Peter 3:10

Read

1 Peter 3:10-13

10 For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile:

11 Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it.

12 For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.

13 And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good?

Message

Our God is holy and His eyes cannot behold evil at all. Evil, which is a synonym for sin, is a serious matter with God. It is so serious that God the Father had to forsake His Son Jesus when the sin of the whole world was put upon Him on the cross of Calvary (Matthew 27:46). Therefore, one way you can prove your love for God is by abstaining from all appearances of evil. God cannot stand the sight of sin; Habakkuk 1:13 reveals that His eyes are too pure to behold evil. Anyone that is truly born-again will hate sin with a passion. Your spirit man would be grieved each time evil is practiced around you. Those who are true children of God always distance themselves from immoralities such as fornication, cigarette smoking, alcoholism, gambling, drug abuse, illegal business, bribery, etc.

The instruction to depart from evil, to avoid evil or flee from every appearance of evil, is the best check against temptation for the Christian who is serious with his or her Christian life. The moment you become comfortable in the company of evil doers, something has gone wrong with your relationship with God. The question is: what should you depart from? What appearances of evil should you flee from? Usually these are things that may not be generally identified as immorality or sin; they could be seemingly harmless suggestions of a friend or a loved one. Whenever you are advised to do something capable of breaking your relationship with God, such as attending night parties, doing something in the company of smokers and drinkers, seeking solutions to a nagging problem from questionable sources, these surely are appearances of evil. Brethren, be wise. Christians who ignored this simple warning from the Lord in the past have paid dearly for it. Many who are addicted to pornography today stumbled on nude images on television or magazines years ago and didn’t flee. Some innocent kids were invited to try smoking or alcohol some years ago and didn’t flee; today, they are adults battling with how to do away with the habit. The availability of mobile internet has made access to sin and immorality more affordable and private. The honest truth is that Christians who got converted to God after much interaction with the sinful world should avoid viewing commercials that are related to their bad habits, going to beer parlours, clubs and parties. They should avoid the company of an ex-boyfriend or ex-girlfriend. They should keep away from polluted places. Above all, they must avoid anything or anyone that is a source of negative influence.

Prayer Point

Father, please help me to avoid everything you have helped me to overcome.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR

Luke 8:1-9:20

Job 23:14-24:8