Deliverance From Evil
Galatians 1:4 says, “Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:”
Our Lord Jesus died on the cross and rose again from the dead (Rom 14:9), so that “He might deliver us from this present evil world.” We are all surrounded by sin (Rom 3:23), because “the whole world lieth in wickedness” (1 Jn 5:19). And we can even recognize an evil person who brings “forth that which is evil” (Lk 6:45). They are “an abomination to the just” (Prov 29:27), and those who are walking “humbly with God” (Mic 6:8). However, we often fail to see that evil is also inherent within our own hearts which are “desperately wicked” (Jer 17:9). Paul struggled with this when he admitted “that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing” (Rom 7:18).
Evil thoughts come from our hearts (Mk 7:21), which must be brought into captivity “to the obedience of Christ” (2 Cor 10:5). How? By thinking only of things that would bring honor, glory and praises unto the Lord (Php 4:8)! When we look at things that are evil through the eye gate, it affects our entire body. But when our eye is single or when we humbly obey God’s truth, then our “whole body also is full of light” (Lk 11:34). The single eye allows us to focus on what God wants us to see and the way He wants us to see it!
We must therefore continue to “walk in the light” (1 Jn 1:7), to reprove all of our evil deeds (Jn 3:19). These include “evil concupiscence” (Col 3:5), or a strong lustful desire of the flesh (Jms 1:14); and “evil speaking” (Eph 4:31), or running our mouths against others. God gave us “temperance” (Gal 5:23), as one of the fruit of the Spirit to guard against concupiscence and He also instructs us to be kind, tenderhearted, and “forgiving one another” (Eph 4:32), to avoid speaking evil about each other. Let’s avoid evil by trusting God and by following His prescriptions! God bless you!
- Pastor Melito Barrera
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