The Line Between Good and Evil

 In the world around us, we can see the evidence of good and evil. From our local neighborhoods to across the nation, whether it is crimes against family members, neighbors, businesses, or by governments, it’s there. Sometimes it is our own thoughts of revenge and justice that are evil. It becomes even harder to accept when our local and national leaders practice corruption openly, and hide behind the laws they passed to give their actions legitimacy. They do evil and call it good, and sometimes it looks like they are getting away without penalty, and we, law-abiding citizens are destined to reap the consequences for their “sins against mankind”. It seems as if we are all victims of a world gone mad. How can we manage our lives when we have to be on guard against the evil “out there” contaminating our own hearts? What can we do to keep our own beings free from corruption?  Will the perpetrators of evil see justice?

Behold! Our God is a just God. His Great Love is just, yet merciful! Even though the situation may look to be dismal, God has set the laws of this world according to His justice system.  His justice prevails!!!

Read on!!

Proverbs 11:27

He who earnestly seeks good finds favor, But trouble will come to him who seeks evil.

Proverbs 13:21

Evil pursues sinners, But to the righteous, good shall be repaid.

Proverbs 17:13

Whoever rewards evil for good, Evil will not depart from his house.

Proverbs 17:20

He who has a deceitful heart finds no good, And he who has a perverse tongue falls into evil.

“…. It was only when I lay there on rotting prison straw that I sensed within myself the first stirrings of good. Gradually it was disclosed to me that the line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either, but right through every human heart, and through all human hearts. This line shifts. Inside us, it oscillates with the years. Even within hearts overwhelmed by evil, one small bridgehead of good is retained; and even in the best of all hearts, there remains a small corner of evil.” … Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

I was eight years old when I first experienced evil in my heart. The playground bully had gone too far, and I set about to settle it, once and for all. So, we fought! We rolled around in the red clay most of the lunch hour. The thoughts of this angry eight-year old were on how to annihilate this enemy; to make sure he wouldn’t bully me or anyone else again. It was not until after the teacher separated us, and I was back sitting in the classroom, that I realized the difference in my emotions once the anger subsided.

I thought about the inevitable whipping I was going to get, because my sister was sure to tell mom, and would enjoy every moment of that most deserving discipline. But more than that, was the horror I felt inside of the “evil” desire to rid the planet of this boy, for good. That almost unbearable shame was almost more than I could take. The whipping from Mom, although painful, was a welcome instrument of repentance for the subsequent guilt I felt from allowing myself to get angry enough to fight. That line between good and evil was in my heart, and I had to deal with it. I promised to never, ever let anger get the best of me again, and never to get in another fight. I have kept that promise from then throughout my adulthood.

The summer following that incident, I was saved in Vacation Bible School, which proved to be the defining moment throughout my life. Yes, I did get angry many times while growing into adulthood, but never beyond reason. Somehow, that anger transformed into positive energy, and used for self-improvement.

I am sure this story is familiar to many of readers. How many times have you been faced with situations when anger rises up, and seems quite difficult to control. Your thoughts wade over into retaliation, revenge, and destruction. Yes, there is a line in the human heart, although invisible, that seems to be quite sensitive to external stimuli, which pulls that door open to evil thoughts, and if entertained for any length of time, sometimes leads to actions. Yes, just like sin, without God we are helpless to fall prey to this type of behavior. Without God we cannot help but sin, but with Him we don’t have to... we have the power to withstand the instigator of sin and all its corresponding behaviors, by inviting Jesus into our hearts by faith.

There are two major laws that control human life; The Law of Life (love) and the law of sin and death (selfishness). From these laws every condition of human heart-life exists. The sad part is this. One lives in Law of Love, or the law of sin and death. There is no in between. The Law of love trumps the law of sin and death. The Law of love overcomes selfishness; overcomes evil; overcomes hate; overcomes anger, actually Love overcomes “sin nature”, then nature we are born with.  It sets you free from all the forces of evil. By submitting to God (God is Love), being “born again”. embracing His love for you and in you, “He has poured His love abroad in our hearts”. Sin and its corresponding behaviors have NO MORE power over you. You are free!!

Romans 8:2

For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.

Yet, the Father of lies, “the devil who comes but to kill, steal, and destroy”, can and will attack us in our thoughts. Instead, we are wise enough to know how he operates; we can see through his attempts to cause us to fall away from “good”. We have a way out of every temptation of evil, by using the Word of God to defeat the adversary at every attempt to sway us away from God.

Ecclesiastes 12:14

For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil.

Matthew 12:35

A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.

Romans 12:21

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

1 Thessalonians 5:15

See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all.

3 John 1:11

Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. He who does good is of God, but he who does evil has not seen God.

Romans 8: 31, 35

 What then shall we say to [all] this? If God is for us, who [can be] against us? [Who can be our foe, if God is on our side?]

Who shall ever separate us from Christ's love? Shall suffering and affliction and tribulation? Or calamity and distress? Or persecution or hunger or destitution or peril or sword?

A reminder:  God is FOR us; WITH us; and IN US. Let us be reminded throughout the day that God never leaves us, even when we forget Him, (and just because we do forget him) He is still and always there… ready love, mercy, and grace.  God is always present, everywhere. All of His nature (love, peace, joy, healing, grace, mercy, kindness, forgiveness, freedom) is always available, all the time.

From E. W. Kenyon (God Inside-Minded)

We are linked up with Him. He is now our very own Father.

We are utterly one with Him.

He is in us. We are in Him

He is a part of us. We are a part of Him.

We are His children by nature. We are born of Heaven.

We are begotten of the Holy Spirit. The Word has given us life

“Of His own will He brought us forth”.

This union with the Master and with the Father is beyond human intelligence.

The natural mind cannot grasp it.

We stand in the presence of it, yet unable to fathom it, and yet it is ours.

We are tied up with Him. We are partakers of His Nature. We are born of His Spirit.

We are indwelt by His Word. We are kept by His grace.

We are controlled by His Love.

What more could you ask?