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Does GOD tell us [ anything ] about abstaining from evil? As a matter of fact, YES - HE DOES !
1 Thessalonians 5:22 say’s that we are to
- Abstain from all appearance of evil.
19 Quench not the Spirit. 20 Despise not prophesyings.
21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. 22 Abstain from all appearance of evil. 23And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it. 25 Brethren, pray for us. ( We ) as believers, as followers of The LORD JESUS CHRIST are to abstain from ALL appearances of evil. Why? The devil, satan, the adversary, is a very powerful and strong adversary. To us at least..
{ Yet, he is afterall, a created being, as ‘’we’’ are created beings }
His whole purpose by and large, is to topple mankind. Destroy us all…
He’s going down as an effect of his choices towards us, and wants nothing more than to eradicate us all. Mind, body, and especially, spirit.
So by the very notion of abstaining from all appearances of evil -
Our mind’s should be focused on the fact as to why. Why?
satan, ( I never capitalize his title, I refuse to. That’s ‘’my’’ bad )
Has the ability and audacity to always present tokens & gifts to us in the most (seemingly) dazzling way that is to us, in a manner most appealing to our eyes and taste. ( it’s a rotten illusion - in other words ). So by us mindfully abstaining from, and recognizing the fact that all ( he ) is trying to do is deceive us on a much grander scale than we realize, (or sometimes care to recognize), we can then determine what is from him, and what is from GOD !
We are pretty easy to influence ! Like it or not, we are duped by satan more often than not.
He does not come at us to scare us. Rather he comes wrapped in a slick
Shining package in which he knows he will probably grab our attention !
And make no mistake, it is ALWAYS as underhanded as it can possibly be presented to us. If he came in his now evil form, he would send us ALL running for cover. Instead he shows up looking like everything we always dreamed of. Evil begets evil - No matter how slick it is presented. So rather than get into a big list of things, rely on GOD to open your eyes
And to give you the discernment and wisdom to know and understand the difference.
Proverbs 23:6
Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats:
Proverbs 28:22
He that hasteth to be rich hath an evil eye, and considereth not that poverty shall come upon him.
Mark 7:22
Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:
Revelation 21:8 - But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
Romans 13:13 - Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.
One problem with emphasizing the appearance of evil is that it can make us slaves to the perceptions of others. There will always be someone who thinks that something you are doing is wrong, or that it looks wrong to him. So, rather than spending our time getting to know GOD and serving Him, we worry about the possibility that someone, somewhere, might misconstrue our actions. In the same letter that he wrote about avoiding evil, Paul wrote, "Just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts" (1 Thessalonians 2:4). Our goal is to live righteously before GOD, not to comply with others’ arbitrary standards of conduct.
At the same time, we are instructed not to allow our Christian freedom to become a stumbling block to others (1 Corinthians 8:9). We are also instructed to be salt and light in the world (Matthew 5:13-16). Christians have been set apart (2 Corinthians 6:17).
So, what is our conclusion? To avoid the appearance of evil, or every form of evil, means to stay far away from evil. We need not become legalistic regarding what others may perceive to be evil. But we do need to remain cognizant of our witness to the world and of our duty to support fellow believers. We should also be aware of our own tendencies toward sin. Rather than flirting with what could lead us into sin, we avoid evil altogether. It is important not to judge others without first judging our own hearts and motives (Matthew 7:1-5). For instance, one person may be perfectly capable of drinking alcohol in moderation and therefore have no problem frequenting a bar. Another may be prone to alcoholism or drunkenness and should therefore avoid bars.
Psalms 106:36
And they served their idols: which were a snare unto them.
Idols are ‘’snares’’~ They serve to trip you and me whenever and wherever possible ! What are idols?? Anything YOU put above GOD. Anything, I don’t care what it is, anything you put more relevance on or in above and beyond GOD, is an idol. Including religious traditions !
We are to serve GOD first, and foremost ! ! !
1 John Chapter 5
19 [And] we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.
20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, [even] in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.
21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.
Hill of Evil Counsel
On the south of the Valley of Hinnom. It is so called from a "tradition that the house of the high priest Caiaphas, when the" "rulers of the Jews resolved to put Christ to death, stood here."
This is also the Hill of Evil Counsel, where Solomon built shrines for his wives’ gods. *Take note here, that ( some ) bible translations use different words and phrases. My suggestion ( as always ) will be to always study the Bible along with an exhaustive concordance. (a good Bible dictionary ) is a good companion to both as well.
Related Bible Dictionary Terms:
Bashan Hill of Evil eye Hill Mars Hill Moreh the Hill of…
I will leave you to search these out on your own time and Biblical studies. GOD Bless each and every one of you, always !
** References for this study may be further researched
at the following links:
https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/
https://waynestiles.com/before-you-get-married-consider-these-3-truths/hill-of-evil-counsel-from-north-tb033100205/
https://www.gotquestions.org/appearance-of-evil.html
http://biblereasons.com/appearance-of-evil/