Wickedness

Wickedness - Ron & Nathele Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

 

Wickedness is rampant in today's culture. It manifests itself in the Hollywood scene, politics, and quite often in the daily routine of life. Wickedness has been around since Lucifer's pride caused him to fall. "For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High." Isaiah 14:13-14. Satan can never be "like the most High" because God is love and Satan is wickedness. Pride caused him to try to usurp God's authority and today he tries to stumble us mere mortals by urging us to follow his lead into Hell. Many people are willing to follow him and reject God. What a mistake. "Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit." Isaiah 14:15. People who choose to follow this maniac into Hell will spend eternity regretting that their pride kept them from accepting Christ's free gift of salvation. Satan is pure evil and wickedness is his forte.

 

The Psalms give us insight into wickedness. "The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor: let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined. For the wicked boasteth of his heart's desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom the LORD abhorreth." Psalm 10:2-3. Wicked people have no sense of right and wrong, and these evildoers plot to victimize people who are needy and those who are weak, but the psalmist asks that these wicked people be caught in the same traps they set to ensnare the less fortunate. How many get rich quick schemes do people come up with which only make their victims poorer? Satanic wickedness is behind these plots. Wicked people boast and covet, but that isn't what God wants for those who follow Him. "Thou hast seen it; for thou beholdest mischief and spite, to requite it with thy hand: the poor committeth himself unto thee: thou art the helper of the fatherless. Break thou the arm of the wicked and the evil man: seek out his wickedness till thou find none." Psalm 10:14-15. God sees everything and knows the secret sins that we think are hidden. He sees the wickedness that festers in men's hearts and manifests in hatred towards victims of Satan's evil. God will judge the wicked. "To me belongeth vengeance, and recompence; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste." Deuteronomy 32:35. When God repays wickedness you don't want to be on the wrong side of His wrath.

 

Pride is always a mark of wickedness. "The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts. His ways are always grievous; thy judgments are far above out of his sight: as for all his enemies, he puffeth at them. He hath said in his heart, I shall not be moved: for I shall never be in adversity. His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and fraud: under his tongue is mischief and vanity." Psalm 10:4-7. Today wickedness is permeating all facets of life just as it has since Eve listened to Satan's lies. Even among Christians we can see that pride gets in the way of seeking the Lord. Many Christians have the misguided idea that once saved it's okay to live life on our own terms and since our sins are forgiven there are no rules. If you feel that way, pride will stop you from seeking God. Jesus said to first seek the Kingdom of God, not the wickedness of Satan. If you're seeking God then you'll recognize the sin in your life and turn from it. When someone wrongs you, you won't seek revenge but will let God take vengeance. Better still, if you love your enemy you just might show enough of God's perfect love that they will come to Jesus through your actions. "Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine: I will repay saith the Lord." Romans 12:19. The wicked will condemn themselves in the eyes of the Lord. As Christians we need to be sure that we aren't part of wickedness, but honor God by living according to His ways.

 

It's important to walk in the ways of the Lord. In every part of our life we need to seek Him and turn from the wickedness that surrounds us. There's a spiritual battle raging, but most Christians choose to ignore it; Satan has done a good job in dumbing down those who claim to follow Christ. Sin is winked at and morality is mocked. Sin is seldom talked against from the pulpit because pew-sitters might be offended and not drop money in the offering plate. Jesus told a parable about Satan infiltrating the Kingdom of Heaven. "Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof." Matthew 13:31-32. I've seen interpretations of this saying that it's wonderful that the Church has grown so big that even birds are protected. Wrong. When used symbolically, birds represent Satan and his minions. Jesus says so. Earlier Jesus had told a parable of seeds sown on various types of ground, and those sown by the wayside were eaten by birds. He later explained it. "When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side." Matthew 13:19. Satan, the wicked one, will deceive you if you don't stand firm on the Word of God.

 

Christians have moved from condemning sin but loving sinners to being so afraid of being accused of being judgmental that we keep silent as the government passes laws that legalize sin. Brethren, we must honor God and turn from wickedness. Look around. Is the news becoming less violent? As sin is condoned do we see less drug addiction, less murders, or less child abuse? Is the world a peaceful place to live, or is war everywhere? "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." Ephesians 6:12. Christians are not fighting against the supernatural battle that's all around. We are not allowing the Holy Spirit to work through us to fight evil and wickedness. The battle is a spiritual one and we don't always see the enemy face to face, but we do see the results of that battle. Christians must allow the Holy Spirit to work through us to fight against our enemy. Do you call yourself a Christian? When was the last time you saw the sin and wickedness in your life and repented? You can't fight in this battle if you have joined the ranks of the enemy. If you embrace the wickedness of Satan without repentance, then at the very least you're out of fellowship with God.

 

Wickedness begins with pride...pride of rejecting God. If you reject God's truth, here's a list of what God will allow as punishment. "For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: and likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, back biters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them." Romans 1:26-32. Homosexuality, lesbianism, and all satanic wickedness stem from rejecting God. Go back and re-read the list and if you see yourself there, repent and ask God to forgive you. If you claim to be a Christian but embrace the wickedness of homosexuality, fornication, deceit, disobedience to parents, or anything else in the list, then you're deceiving yourself. When you accept Christ for salvation you need to learn what constitutes sin and repent. Repent means to change your mind. Sanctification is a lifelong process of allowing Christ to change our attitudes toward sin and wickedness. Can you be saved and sin? We all sin, but it should be as sickening to us as it is to God. Jesus left Heaven, entered His creation, and shed His blood on Calvary in order to purchase your redemption. You owe Him more than lip service.

 

"Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night." Psalm 1:1-2. How often to you meditate on God's law? This doesn't mean meditation like the New Age movement says, but real meditation upon the sacrifice He made and how God wants us to live. First of all, read and study your Bible. Then really think about what you read and apply it to your life. "And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper." Psalm 1:3. God's word will strengthen you and keep you walking in His ways. "The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish." Psalm 1:4-6.

 

You have a choice as to where you will spend eternity. If you have rejected Christ and choose to walk in the ways of wickedness then you choose to be eternally separated from Him. If you choose Him as your Saviour then walk in His ways and reject wickedness.

 

God bless you all,

 

Ron & Nathele Graham