Deliver Us From Evil

Proverbs 1:10-16, “My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not. If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause: Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse: My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path: For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood.”

There are many people whom we should avoid. This includes evil pastors, evangelists, missionaries and Bible professors. Most people do not know what it means to be “evil.” We know from the Bible that there are two kinds of sin:

Sins of commission (1st John 3:4, “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.”)
Sins of omission (James 4:17, “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.”)

Now “evil” is something different. Evil is intentional or planned sin. A person may commit adultery in a moment of weakness, being a spontaneous sin of passion. But a person who devises a plan with someone to commit adultery, that is evil, because it was planned deliberately. An abortion is evil because it is scheduled to be performed.

This is why Jesus said in The Lord's Prayer in Luke 11:4, “And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.” Jesus did not say “deliver us from sin”; but rather, from “evil.” No one can be delivered from sin, because as long as we are in the flesh we will sin; but nobody has to commit evil.

Also, we should really call Jesus' teaching on how to pray, “The Disciple's Prayer,” because in the example prayer He teaches to ask our heavenly Father to forgive our sins, but Jesus never sinned even once, He was sinless (Hebrews 4:15).

Let me expand a bit on our topic. There are umpteen forms of evil. The pastor who has been warned about his use of the modern corrupt Devil's Bible revisions, who continues to use them, is an evildoer. 2nd John 1:9-11,  “Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.” If a man preaches false doctrine, and you bid him Godspeed, then you are partaker of his evil deeds. Preaching false doctrine is evil.

I do not agree with the false teachings of the Roman Catholic Church, who teach that there are venial sins (non-deadly) and then there are mortal sins (deadly). Biblically, there is no such thing as Venial versus Mortal Sins. All sin is deadly. Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Good works are not the payment for sin, the payment for sin is death. Salvation is not a reward for the righteous, it is a gift for the guilty!

Just One Sin Is Enough To Send Someone To Hell Forever

The inspired Word of God teaches that all it takes is one sin to keep a man out of Heaven. James 2:10, “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” God is absolutely holy and perfect, but mankind is absolutely sinful and imperfect. Many false teachers say that you must “turn from your sin” to get to Heaven, but the Bible says even one sin is enough to keep you lost forever. This is what the inspired Scripture means in 1st Corinthians 6:9-10, “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.” Even one sin is all it takes to damn someone to burn in Hell forever.

So, that raises the $64,000 question: Who can be saved? The answer is no one!

Mark 10:23-27, “And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved? And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.”

With men it is IMPOSSIBLE to get to Heaven!!! Oh, how I wish I could speak sense into the average unlearned pastor's head today, who errantly thinks that to be saved a person must repent “of your sins” or “turn from your sins” (corrupt phrases that are nowhere found in the inspired King James Bible). Such woefully ignorant pastors are caught between grace and works. This just shows how easily deceived the human heart can be. Jeremiah 17:9, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”

Be Careful Who You Choose To Hang Around With

If you are in a vehicle with somebody and they commit a crime, you will be considered by the police and courts as an accomplice. I am very careful who I get into a car with. In today's world you cannot be too careful. An elderly man advised me long ago to, “Be nice to everybody but trust no one.” I agree with his advice. Never trust someone with a large sum of money, unless you'd be willing to lose it.

You should never trust yourself alone in a room or car with a member of the opposite sex. That is how adultery starts. I watched a documentary about a man and woman who conspired to murder her husband. They had begun an adulterous affair. In court the man who committed the actual murder testified that it all began when he was alone with his best friend's wife in a car. They started talking about things that no unmarried folks should be taking about, which led to the wickedness of adultery. 1st Corinthians 15:33, “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.” As God's children we need to guard what words come out of our mouth.

The Bible teaches to abstain from every appearance of evil. 1st Thessalonians 5:22, “Abstain from all appearance of evil.” The word “abstain” comes from the Greek word apechomai, which means: “to hold oneself off, that is, refrain.” When we see or hear something evil, we need to exit and leave. Sadly, this includes churches! If you hear a pastor errantly teach that you must stop living a lifestyle of sinning to get to Heaven (Ray Comfort preaches this lie), that is evil and you need to leave and not go back. That is a cult, not a church! The Devil is a beautiful liar! Satan's greatest weapon is to con people into living the Christian life without ever being born again.

My favorite Bible verse is Proverbs 4:23, “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” I am careful to watch my attitude. A friend at church recently reminded me of something horrible that someone else did to me long ago. I kindly told her that I don't think about that incident anymore, because I don't want to develop a bad or hateful attitude toward that Christian. The matter is long gone and I forgave the person. I believe this is a good example of how we should guard our heart with all diligence. If you choose to dwell upon the negative things in your life, you will become bitter, frustrated and angry about it.

Sad to say, oftentimes one of the worst people you can hang around is yourself! If you are a naysayer who always sees the glass as half-empty instead of half-full, you are going to make yourself miserable. Attitudes are contagious, is your worth catching? I try each day to focus on God's goodness, mercy and righteousness. If all we do is watch the negative daily news, and hear about the murders, corruption and evil in this world, then we will be depressed and discouraged.

I receive many emails from discouraged believers. I always give them the same exhortation, that they need to stop focusing on the negative things in their life, and start praising God for the good things. Whether or not we praise or curse God all depends upon what we CHOOSE to look at. I choose to look at Jesus, who is the Author and Finisher of our faith. Hebrews 12:2, “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Jesus said in John 16:33, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” Volumes of books could be written about this beautiful Scripture! Jesus said that we will have tribulation in the world. Life's miseries are inescapable! However, the dear Lord told us to BE OF GOOD CHEER despite our pain, loss, suffering and miseries, knowing that He has risen from the dead. Since Christ is risen we have a hope!!!

Proverbs 1:10, “My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.” We live in a horrible world today, where all manner of wickedness of justified in the name of political correctness. I decided a very long time ago, that in my life I was going to stay away from shady people. If you are wise you will do the same.

I won't make friends with a drunk, people who smoke marijuana, tax cheats, fornicators, et cetera. 1st Corinthians 5:11, “But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.” We should always be kind, sweet and friendly toward others, but the Bible forbids forming close associations with professed Christians who live in open sin.

I refuse to make friends with money-hungry people. Sadly, many professed Christians today are infatuated with making money, but have no interest is sharing the Gospel with lost sinners. What saith the Scripture? Luke 8:14, “And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.” Many Bible students misunderstand the parable of The Sower And The Seeds which Jesus' told, thinking it is about getting saved; but the parable is about soulwinning (Luke 8:15).

Soulwinning Is Everyone's Responsibility

To let the world go to Hell unwarned is evil. We have a responsibility from God to preach the Gospel. That includes men, women and children. By “preach” I don't mean from a church pulpit; but rather, to simply share the 'GOOD NEWS' of Jesus Christ crucified, buried and risen the third day. This is “the gospel” by which all who BELIEVE IT are saved (Romans 1:16; 1st Corinthians 15:1-4).

Not too long ago I heard a Baptist pastor say something shameful from his church pulpit. He told his congregation that soulwinning is not the church's duty, it is only the individual Christian's responsibility. That pastor is inspired by demons! You listen friend, sharing the Gospel is absolutely the church's responsibility. The pastor in question is lazy. He lays the responsibility of soulwinning upon others instead of leading the way as a pastor. That is why his church hasn't grown in years! Since he doesn't lead the church to go soulwinning, no one does it. I am reminded of something true that I read years ago...

Here’s the story, titled: “Whose Job Is It, Anyway?”

This is a story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody. There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that, because it was Everybody’s job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn’t do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have.

If the pastor of a church doesn't lead the way in soulwinning, it won't get done.

Evil Thoughts Come From The Human Heart

I could mention hundreds of evil things, and give you reasons why you should RUN from them (gambling, booze, illegal drugs, Roman Catholicism, Mormons, the Pope, LGBTQ+, false bibles, false religion, Freemasonry, the Federal Reserve, transgenderism, Jehovah's Witnesses, President Joe Biden, abortion, et cetera). It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see what is evil. If you desire to have a good and happy life, the Bible says in 1st Peter 3:10-11, “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: Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it.” Wow, what a fantastic Bible verse!!!

Let's break this Bible verse down, shall we; to love life and see good days:

1. Refrain tongue from evil
2. Lips speak no guile
3. Eschew evil
4. Do good
5. Seek peace and ensue it

If you do good it will be good. The word “guile” means shady and deceptive. Our mouth ought never try to deceive or trick someone to take advantage of them (1st Thessalonians 4:6).

To “eschew” evil means “avoid and stay away from deliberately; stay clear of.” You're a fool if you buy illegal drugs. I read online that half of the 6,000,000 Americans incarcerated every year for committing a crime are arrested for illegal drug possession. They didn't do good. They didn't eschew evil. Of the 5 life's principles to love life and see good days, the first two virtues deal with being careful with our tongue. The second two virtues deal without our behavior. The fifth virtue is to seek peace. All of these virtues begin with having a heart right with God. ...

Mark 7:20-23, “And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.”

Those 5 righteous things are my hope, prayer and goal every day! By God's grace, all we can do is try to live right. I know that as a human being I won't always do the right thing, but it is my heart's desire to do good always. We will come a lot closer to doing right if we cultivate a godly attitude of right thinking. That is why I listen to Bible preaching nearly every day. Preaching helps us think right! (if it is solid Bible preaching). Ephesians 4:23-24, “And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.”

The brain is incredible. God is more than amazing! Scientists are still discovering the astounding power of the human mind. Dr. Bob Jones Sr. (1883-1968) rightly said: “Behind every tragedy in human character is a slow process of wicked thinking.” Someone doesn't just wake up one day and commit a horrible sin or crime. It began long before in their sinful heart. That is why my favorite Bible verse is Proverbs 4:23, “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.”

We cannot help but have sinful thoughts enter into our mind. That is part of being a sinful human being. God understands that. But what we do with those thoughts is our choice alone, which over time shapes our character. Each time that we choose to dwell upon an evil thought (e.g., lust, hatred, stealing), we undermine our character a little more. Left unchecked long enough and the human can become a monster!