As our culture drifts towards evil, the distinction concerning good and evil slowly fades. Unless the saint is grounded, rooted and disciplined in the faith, he will more than likely end up like the children of Israel during the time of Judges. “Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals. And they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt, and they followed after other gods from among the gods of the people who were all around them…” Even though calamity was heaped upon them for their evil deeds, the children of Israel failed to take heed to the consequences of their love for evil. The theme in the book of Judges is “they did evil again in the sight of the Lord”.(Judges 3:12, 10:6, 13:1)
One of the difficulties in the counseling of many saints is this dilemma – “they did evil again in the sight of the Lord”.
Their lives have accumulated various kinds of evil. What was at one time clearly evil, has begun to seem good. We see this with repeated substance abusers. Knowing it is an immoral activity that leads to pain, heartache, and misery they“do evil again in the sight of the Lord”. Their choices not only hurt them, but branch out to hurt their family, friends and others. The end result is a maze of emotional bruising of all that are in the range of that person’s behavior. Loved ones are at a loss as to how this could be happening again.
Indeed, there has been a loss of good, old-fashioned common sense. In his book, G.K. Chesterton – The Apostle of Common Sense, Dale Ahlquist writes of Chesterton’s views of the effects of civilizations that advance progressively. “If we study any civilization, we see after progress becomes decay. Chesterton says men do not grow tired of doing evil but of doing good….They stop worshiping God and start worshiping idols, their own bad imitations of God, and they become as wooden as the thing that they worship. They start worshiping nature and become unnatural. They start worshiping sex and become perverted. Men start lusting after men and become unmanly.”
Those in addiction and other immoral activity will need to grow tired of loving evil as a means of meeting their desires for pleasure, their lusts or their needs. In fact, unless there is a brokenness in their souls about the sin(s) of indulgence in whatever form, there will be, at some point, a return to the love of evil. And they will again be like King David in Psalm 40:12; “For innumerable evils have surrounded me; my iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of my head; therefore my heart fails me.”
Knowing that “the help of man is useless” (Ps. 60:11), King David cries out to the Lord; “Lord, be merciful to me; heal my soul, for I have sinned against You.” Psalm 41:4 One of my seminary professors said Christians fail because sin has not become serious. If sin has not become serious in our lives, the love of evil will come again. Will it not?
Are you willfully walking in disobedience to God? May the reason be that you have not grown tired of doing evil, but of doing good? Then, you must repent at the cross of Jesus Christ! Confess your sin before Christ and receive healing for your soul. For He has come “…to heal the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound.” (Isaiah 61:1) If you are tired and heavy laden, then run to Jesus. He will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28)
May the Lord minister comfort, peace, and joy to your souls.
