Moving Beyond the Absence of Evil

What a privilege it is to live as forgiven, free, and empowered beings. Praise God for His love & grace!

May I briefly share with you something that recently touched my spirit. In Zechariah 7:9 God instructs His people, “In your hearts do not think evil of each other.” God, in these verses, calls you and me, as His followers, to rise up to a higher level of living. It is only normal for any body, even Christians being increasingly sanctified into His image, to feel negative or evil thoughts towards others—particularly against those who have hurt us or stand against our good. However, our Lord asks us to consciously remove any evil or angry thoughts, even when such anger seems warranted. My friend, we do not live by the standards of this world but by the standards of His Word.

The question that naturally arises is, “How do we deal with such anger or evil reactions?” There is only one remedy: take it to the Lord in prayer. As much as the world prefers certain psychological method or steps towards emotional healing, it is in this mysterious experience at the foot of the cross that we can find true and real redemption of our emotional bondage. As a weaker vessel I have found that I have to often go to the foot of the cross more than once, allowing His blood to repeatedly wash away the deep wounds. Go to our Lord freely, because He understands and only in His presence can we find freedom at the deepest level.

Some of the hurts, particularly those caused by family members and friends whom we sincerely loved and trusted, are extremely hard. Whatever it is, take it to the Lord in prayer. His Spirit will heal our soul. In addition, He will also change the circumstances in our favor.

Yes, God intends for us to get rid off evil thoughts but He then calls us beyond that. He calls us from a position of ‘absence of evil’ to a position of ‘presence of good.’ We are now called to start thinking “good of each other.” In simple words, become a well wisher of every person. This is a more mature and godly position. Such a change will not happen overnight, but I believe that as we strive to grow into His image, His Spirit will lead the transformation within us.

I want us to become a well-wisher of all people, including those who do not want our good. This is important for two simple reasons: a) such a position allows us to be spiritually, emotionally and physically healthy, and b) this is God’s will for our life. It is in such holy hearts that His temple is built.


KVA