Overcome Evil with Good – Part 1

Romans 12:21 “Be not overcome of evil but overcome evil with good.”

Michael writes this week on the nature of “overcoming evil”. The devil is never loyal to his own. Those who are captivated by the enemy will come to naught. The spirit of evil is to steal, to kill and to destroy – John 10:10. Evil destroys and eats its own. Evil will ultimately implode upon itself, therefore be not overcome evil, but overcome evil with good. God has called his people to stand in the gap against the evil of this world. We have been called to stand amidst the darkness of the world in the righteousness of Christ. Men and women in whom the spirit of the Lord resides are God's fingers in the dike, holding back the evil of this world.

God is loyal to his soldiers in the spiritual battle. He will never leave us or forsake us. According to the late E.M. Bounds, humility is the essence and the vitality of prayer. Pride and vanity cannot pray. Our self-centered sin nature has an aversion to prayer. Our flesh will remind us that we are unworthy to enter into the presence of God. The sin in our heart reminds us of our unworthiness. However, the Word in Matthew 11:28 says, come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give thee rest. Our rest is not in the righteousness of the flesh but in the spirit of God, in Christ in us. In Him we live and move and have our being – Acts 17:28. We must remember who we are in Christ and whose we are in Christ in order to find rest and peace in Him. When we align our hearts with his heart and acknowledge our righteousness in Christ, the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much – James 5:16.

We are bombarded by incessant incoming bombs ... fiery darts launched by the adversary in the spiritual warfare. These (metaphoric) laser guided bombs target our weaknesses in the flesh. The paradox is not to fight back in my own power but in the power of the holy spirit, therefore we must take up the shield of faith that we may be able to quench the fiery darts of the wicked one – Ephesians 6:16. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against the powers and dominions of spiritual wickedness in high places – Ephesians 6:12.

Humility is a rare quality ... the world loves humility because it's rare. Pride goeth before the fall – Proverbs 16:18. Vanity cannot pray. Humble thy heart therefore under the mighty hand of God. He hath showed thee O Man, what is good.  And what doth the Lord require of thee but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God – Micah 6:8. Humility is the first response to the Holy Spirit. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ...  who humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even unto the death of the cross – Philippians 2:8.

According to Psalm 31:15, David prayed, "my times are in thy hand: deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me."

Proverbs 4:23 says, "Keep thy heart with all diligence for out of it are the issues of life."  The "Keep is the innermost chamber of the medieval castle. This is where the treasure of the kingdom was kept. When the castle was under attack, all the king's horses and all the king's men, kept the King and Queen protected inside the "keep." Likewise, the heart is the innermost chamber of the soul ...  it is God's dwelling place, his Holy of Holies. To guard our hearts we must guard the gates of our minds ... We must guard our eye-gate, our ear-gate, our taste-gate, and our feelings-gate.  

2 Corinthians 10:5 Casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.

We’ll finish Michael’s post tomorrow on Overcoming Evil with Good.

In Christ, Brian