Musing – There is Evil in Our Culture; How to Deal With It?

 

Hebraic Musing – There is Evil in Our Culture; How to Deal With It?     

Satan is very active in our world today, so we need to choose to either deny, enjoy, fear, rationalize, avoid, accept, or accept Satan’s impact(s); OR we need to do Spiritual warfare.   The Holy Spirit has given us believers the Biblical “gift” of discernment of evil.  As a result, we all too readily see the evil impact on our culture in America, as well as the rest of the world.  Here’s a few obvious examples of Satan’s strategies:
  - Denial of male and female, with children choosing their gender.
  - Corrupt government seeking to de-populate the world and take-over God’s role as Supreme Creator.
  - Critical Race Theory; WOKE thinking; Racism, white privilege condemned so others feel like victims.
  - Society’s de-masculinization of men with leadership positions given to women.
  - Young adults no longer feel marriage is important.
  - Children raised by day care and schoolteachers, thus becoming “wards of the state”.

God gave mankind, that’s us, freedom of choice, therefore, we Christians need to choose to either “go along to get along” OR we need to choose to “fight the good fight!”   Will we be able to repeat Paul’s departing words?  “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” 2 Tim.4:7  NIV   Since we are expected to “fight the good fight”, the Bible provides examples on how to “fight the good fight” with Satan:

·      Jesus sent disciples out and “The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.” Luke 10:17  And in v.19 Jesus tells why they overcame the enemy.  “I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.”   Don’t we still have that same authority?

·      Jesus gave us examples of dealing with unclean spirits.  “If you can'? ... Everything is possible for him who believes.”  Mark 9:23    Then in v.25 Jesus simply “rebuked the evil spirit. ‘You deaf and mute spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.’”  Can’t we also do that?

·      When Jesus encountered a man with an unclean spirit amongst the pig-herders in the Gerasenes, He simply said to the spirit “Come out of this man, you evil spirit!” Mark 5:8     Don’t we have that same authority?

·      What should we be doing?  We are commanded to “Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.” AND then what can we do?   “...Stand firm ... belt of truth ...  breastplate of righteousness ... feet fitted with the readiness ... from the gospel of peace.  ..., shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one... helmet of salvation ... sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.  And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. ....” Eph.6:11-18   Do we have the faith to put these on, take a stand and pray in the Spirit?

·      If we are bothered by the evil in today’s world, then we are expected to utilize the GIFTS we’ve been given -  listed in 1 Corinthians 12:8-11, especially v.10 – “...to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.”   Have we unwrapped and utilized all these “gifts” from the Holy Spirit?

·      To say that believers aren’t affected by evil forces is a lie.  Be careful that evil confrontations don’t deprive us of the Fruit of the Spirit – “... love, joy, peace, ...” Galatians 5:22-23   And what does it continue to say in v.24?  “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.” 

FINALLY, we are told to “Be strong and courageous.” Deut.31:6  (and 11 more times in Dt.31:7, 23; Josh. 1:6, 7, 9, 18, 10:25; 1 Chron. 22:13; 28:20; 26:17; 32:7).  And we’re told “Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Points to ponder

Why did God have to give us the Holy Spirit at the moment of our salvation?  (Acts 2:38)

Do we tend to underestimate the Power of Prayer?
Do we tend to underestimate the Power of our Tongue?

♫   Be bold, be strong, For the Lord your God is with thee. I am not afraid (Oh No) ... not dismayed (Oh No!)
      Come on and walk in faith and victory.   For the Lord your God is with thee. ♫

Yosef   a.k.a.  Joe Brusherd                       January 24, 2023
Author: “Hebraic Insights – Messages exploring the Hebrew roots of our faith” 
“Biblical Marriage”     Weekly “Hebraic Musings”      InsightsByYosef.blogspot.com

Note – Inspired by and excerpted from teaching by Johanna Hocker; & “Pigs in the Parlor” by Frank Hammond.