An interesting thing happened to me recently. There was a day when this verse was impressed upon me very strongly, and I couldn’t stop thinking about it. “Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.” Rom 12:21. And then it happened, I was overcome of evil, I said something I shouldn’t have said. How was this to happen when I was so ‘prepared’ beforehand?
The Lord often lets us fall, and that for many a reason. Sometimes it is to humble us, other times it is to remind us that all power to resist sin comes from Him, still other times it is that He can make His power and glory known. Whatever the reason behind this one was, it didn’t end in the first half of the verse. I was overcome of evil, but now what? I was left to overcome evil with good. Aside from, but part of, making peace with God in the matter, I must do what I could to undo what I had said. I must expose it for the evil it was and soundly renounce it to all parties involved. Pride would be overcome with humility, and in that way the evil could be overcome with good. To justify the speaking would have added to the evil, but to condemn the evil specifically when it is mine, overcomes the evil for good.
It is one thing to let the evil into the nest, it is another thing to let it get comfortable there, because it tends to invite friends. When an evil comes in to your nest, and it will come in, expose it and thrust it out with all power given to you under heaven.
Again I condemn the evil, both thought and spoken.
“Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.” Rom 12:21
The hardest thing is normally to admit our evil and expose it, its unbearable to our flesh and our nature. But often we do not realise the blessing that comes with being humbled by God. And God also lets us fall this way that others may see Him work in us, sorry is one of the hardest words, especially when someone has wronged you then you act in a evil way out of anger. We should not sin, even in anger. Only in Christ’s power can we overcome evil with good. I was encouraged today by your post…
Thanks Jean.
The sad part is that this wasn’t even evil in anger which can be difficult to deal with, but rather evil in stupidity which should have been relatively easy.
That’s the subtlety of the enemy, we can experience our evil when we openly sin with malice or anger…but to notice evil in the smallest detail we or I fall much to short. Thanks for sharing this Lee. I notice that I measure my certain sins to much, my “mind” will question whether that was sin or not…rationalize. You post brought much conviction and soul searching.
Mike
Thanks Mike
I am glad there was at least something to ponder there, I was hoping to overcome my evil with good somehow.
Were the old dying but not yet dead nature not able to kindle such a great fire with so few sparks, the enemy of our souls would not be much of a threat. The fact is that there is so much dry kindling left, even in the regenerate, that his job is much easier than any of us would like to admit. Needing such little outside coercion, the greatest enemy to our souls is the guy in the mirror. Thankfully there is somewhere else to look besides the mirror for help.
Spurgeon has a good one on this.
http://www.spurgeongems.org/vols13-15/chs732.pdf
this is a hard saying………….