When God created the world, it was perfect because God said after everything He created that it was good, Genesis 1: 18, 21, 25. Referring to God, Deuteronomy 32: 4 said, the Rock, his work is perfect. The world was perfect because evil had not entered the world and God reigned in holiness. However, when evil entered the world we lost the world’s perfect state when evil began to dominate the thoughts and hearts. Evil is anything that is opposed to God’s will directly or indirectly, spiritually or physically.
Inordinate desire to rival God
God instructed Adam and Eve not to eat of the tree of good and evil, Genesis 2: 16-17. They however broke God’s instructions because they wanted to be like God in wisdom, power and glory. They accepted the serpent’s deception that upon eating the fruit they would become like God, Genesis 3:5. They shared a common desire or ambition, Genesis 1-19. The fruit of good and evil represents a lukewarm attitude towards God, a character of good and evil all embodied in one person, hypocrisy. Revelation 3: 16 says because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of my mouth.
The Serpent was Satan as described in Revelation 12: 9; 20: 2. Satan also nurtured an ambition to rival God so he and his angels were thrown down to the earth, Revelation 12:7-9. Isaiah 14: 13 quotes Satan saying, I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will make myself like the Most High. Evil therefore enters our land when we nurture foolish ambition to rival God in any way.
Our ambitions must be measured by the Holy Spirit else we risk rivaling God as our equal and not as his servants who must listen to and obey him. This happens when we patronize the devil’s deception and misinterpretation that we should be like God. Revelation 12:9 describes the devil as the deceiver of the whole world who uses deception to lure us into evil. Satan has no chance of repentance. After his war against God in heaven, there was no longer any place for them in heaven, Revelation 12: 7-8. He has already been judged John 16: 11. We are however yet to face our judgment.
Our freedom of choice
The devil also does not force us to accept or do evil so we will be judged based on our voluntary choice that we make. Jesus said in Matthew 20: 15, am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? God has given us an irrevocable will to choose. Deuteronomy 30: 19 says I have set before you, life and death, blessing and curse; therefore choose life, that you and your descendants may live. Joshua 24: 15 also says choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. However, the right of choice goes with consequences and accountability.
How we exercise our will is fundamental to our future course so we must exercise that choice sensibly and with wisdom and divine guidance. We nurture unholy ambitions because we do not ask to know from God his purpose for us and how he wants us to go about it. Anything outside this is inordinate ambition and leads to evil. Since the devil was cast down arising from his imaginary ambitions to be like God, we have continually patronized his deception which has brought grave evil upon our land and in our lives and in every situation.
Warning against evil
2 Corinthians 11: 14 says the devil has disguised himself as an angel of light. 2 Corinthians 11: 15 further says it is not strange if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. This tells us to be alert that not every light belongs to God. John 10:10 says the thief comes only to steal and to kill and to destroy. When we patronize his evil, he ridicules us by false accusations before God, Revelation 12:10.
Isaiah 5: 20 says woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Isaiah 13: 11 says I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I will put an end to the pride of the arrogant, and lay low the haughtiness of the ruthless. Isaiah 29: 20 says for the ruthless shall come to nothing and the scoffer cease, and all who watch to do evil shall be cut off, who by word make a man out to be an offender, and lay a snare for him who reproves in the gate, and with an empty plea turn aside him who is in the right.
This is a warning to us not to sit on the fence. Micah 2: 1 says woe to those who devise wickedness and work evil upon their beds. This also refers to our thoughts. Habakkuk 2: 9 says woe to him who gets evil gain for his house, to set his nest on high, to be safe from the reach of harm! Zechariah 8: 17 says do not devise evil in your hearts against one another, and love no false oath, for all these things I hate, says the Lord against injustices in the land. Mark 7: 23 says evil comes from within and they defile a man. We pray that the Lord will keep us away from unholy ambitions that will eternally destroy us.
Prayer
Our Father in heaven, we have acknowledged that evil has entered our land from our hearts. Heal us together with our land from the curse of evil. Help us to exercise our freedom of choice with wisdom and divine guidance in righteousness. We pray in the name of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ, Amen!!
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