The Truth About Evil And How to Overcome It
Understand what the Bible says about evil and how to overcome it with goodness, peace, and God’s truth.
Have you ever thought about this question: What is evil? This is a weighty question we all need to answer in our own lives. Do you know how to define true moral evil—not accidents or mistakes, but genuine evil? And where does it come from? This is not necessarily a feel-good topic, but it’s one we should take seriously.
Evil is the absence of God.
This is not the only way to define evil, and it is certainly not an exhaustive explanation. But boiled down to its essence, evil is the absence of the God of the Bible.
How Does Evil Flourish
When we push God out of our lives, out of our country, and out of our world, He will leave. God never forces Himself or His presence on anyone. And when He leaves, there is a void. A great big empty space, where evil will flourish and grow.
A Teaching From Jesus
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said:
Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, to show that you are the children of your Father in heaven. For He makes the sun shine on the wicked and the good, and makes the rain fall on the upright and the evildoers.
Let’s look closely at part of this verse, not the central message of the passage, but a truth that gives us insight into good and evil.
Jesus says that God “makes the sun shine on the wicked and the good, and makes the rain fall on the upright and the evildoers.” In the Bible, rain is often a symbol of blessing. The people listening to Jesus in His day would have understood this clearly.
In ancient times, God would sometimes withhold rain when His people turned away from Him and acted in evil ways. It was His way of warning them to turn back.
That’s not to say that droughts today are always a sign of God’s judgment. The point of this passage is that God’s grace and mercy are shown to all people, both good and evil. His blessings, love, and mercy should lead all people to turn to Him.
The Hard Truth
But there are people who don’t accept, acknowledge, or believe in God or His great love and benevolence to all of us. They choose to turn their backs on Him and go their own way. And left to our own devices, we can begin a very dark spiral into evil, a pit without the presence of God!
The Fallout
When we take this deadly path, evil abounds. And the saddest thing is the consequences of evil, the fallout. It ripples out onto those around the wicked.
Evil is not discriminating. It affects everyone: the evil, the good, the innocent! For example, we can easily see the horrific fallout of sin and evil on the lives of an abuser’s family. Innocents most often suffer! We have seen the heartbreaking fallout of evil in the violence in our own country and the horrific terrorist activity worldwide.
How To Stop Evil
So, how do we as individuals curb evil? The answer is simple:
Turn to the God of the Bible, the God of both the Old and New Testaments.
We all have a choice. God gave this same choice to the Israelites just before they entered the Promised Land:
I have set before you life and death, the blessings and the curses. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, by loving the Lord your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him, for this is your life and length of days, that you may live in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them. (Deuteronomy 30:19)
The choice was clear. Life or death, blessings or curses. And God gave them the correct answer in His Word!
A. Life and blessings
B. Death and curses
C. Choose “A”
This choice is not just for ancient Israel, it’s for us today.
What have you chosen? Choosing evil is failing the test. But here is the good news: God allows retakes. He loves you and is waiting for you with open, nail-pierced hands.
Evil is a sure sign of failing the test! But here is the great news: God will let us retake the test. He loves you and is waiting for you with open, nail-pierced hands.
Here’s what I’m meditating on this week..,
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Rom 12:21
More Posts To Enjoy
Draw A Line: How To Live Above Your Circumstances – A reminder to set clear boundaries when it comes to sin and compromise, and to stand firm in God’s truth.
Practicing Practical Wisdom – How to live with godly wisdom every day by applying biblical principles in a world filled with foolishness.
What To Do When You Are Worried – Practical and biblical steps to find peace and trust God when anxiety begins to take hold.
How To Know For Sure You Are A Child Of God – Biblical truths to help you confidently know you belong to God and are part of His family.
Happy Sunday, friend…
Thank You for sharing this message. In todays world we need to put God back in the schools, government etc. We need him! Very thankful that he gives all of us many chances because of His great love for us to come to Him. Have a blessed week and Thank You for your Sunday Scripture.
Excellent word. Thank you.
I think, as believers, we all need to be reminded of simple truths. Evil is all around us with so much going on in the world and our country. I pray daily for our country. As much as we have pushed God out of our country, I’m surprised he hasn’t wiped us completely us out! I try now to daily focus on me and my relationship withHim. I’m also learning that abiding IN Him is the key from staying away from evil. Thank you for this message.
You have found a most precious truth, June. Yes abiding, being in a close personal relationship with our Lord, is the key!
It seems as tho evil has an upper hand now throughout the world. Good message this morning.
Yes, it does. But we must always remember, God is in conrtrol.
In English, the word evil usually connotes an extreme form of bad; however, in Hebrew, that is not necessarily so. The Hebrew adjective for evil is רַע (ra). The Hebrew adjective for wicked is רָשְׁע (rasha). Both have the sense of doing what is right in your own eyes. Even small things. All sin is evil. It is the same heart condition that leads to both small sins and large ones.
”Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness.”
(1 John 3:4, ESV)
”One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.”
(Luke 16:10, ESV)
Thank you! Yes youa re so right.
How very appropriate at this time, Yvonne. I believe the same. I never realized how much evil surrounds us and that we need to actively seek good. I pray to Michael the archangel each day for assistance in battling the evils of this world.
Margo, what a perfect prayer. Michael is the archangel over Israel.
Beautiful message. This same thing has been on my mind for some time now. We are a nation (and world) who has turned their backs on our God and we will reap what we sow. Thank you for reminding us about the timeliness of turning back to God and following his commandments.
God always waits for us and is ready to forgive those who are truely sorry.
Thank you!
Very good & also overcome evil with God’s truth. Evil or Satan is the father of lies and wants us to go along with the lies in order to be accepted, liked, not left alone. Doing good is not going along with the lies and not allowing others to lie to us. In order for evil to be defeated we must live and speak truth even when it is unpopular & will cost us.
Beautiful, thank you
You are welcome, Patricia
As always, your Sunday posts are full of Truth and are thought provoking. When I think of the evilest (interesting that the word “vile” is smack in the middle of “evilest”) things in the Bible, Herod’s killing of the innocent baby boys of the Bethlehem area comes to mind. Then I think about the sacrificing of the babies and firstborn to the god, Molech, by its followers and also the Israelites when they aligned with them. And I wonder, “HOW did those people DO THAT?!! Their own INNOCENT BABIES , or the INNOCENT BABIES of others?” It happened because King Herod thought he had the right to do it and he thought it was his only option. The peoples did it because they were taught and believed it was necessary , acceptable and for the greater good. Out of fear, God’s chosen people submitted and soon agreed and believed.
I know that place. I believed that sacrificing an innocent, growing baby inside me was justified for my greater good. Evil is not satisfied until it leaves physical and emotional wreckage in its path. God is not satisfied until He heals and restores what Evil has left in its wake. I know that place also.
For 51 years I have had the privilege and honor of sharing that place with others. The pierced stained Hands never fail. What is meant for EVIL, GOD has meant for good. Gen 50:20
PS: I SEE the tide turning in our nation and the world. Evil is being exposed at great cost to the exposers. But onward they go, in spite of all lies and ridicule. Get on the right side, lovers of God, and FIGHT!
Amen! Pray, it is our best weapon against evil.
Thank you for sharing your story and thought, Deb! God bless you! You are so right about the healing, restoring power of Jesus. Praise Him for His LOVE and faithfulness to us, sinners turned into saints.
“Sinners into Saints.” I LOVE THAT, Yyonne. Saints, here and now, because of Jesus’s atonement and sending the Holy Spirit to dwell in us and perform His work out of us. NOW. Not just in the bye and bye or IF we are good enough. NO! Here and NOW! SAINTS of the Living God. Waging His War against evil NOW! Each with the gifts and talents the Holy Spirit teaches us to use. Just like YOU HAVE with your wonderful blog.
WE are His Hands and Feet, Eyes and Ears each and every day. And we rally around those who He has given greater voices, responsibilities and recognizable fruit. Not empty words, but evident fruit that produces freedom. “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free!” Gal. 5:1 God wants a final harvest before His Son comes again~ Amen!
Amen, Deb! LOVE your true words.Thank you! I hope God brings so many people here to read your comment.
Happy Sunday Yvonne! Your Sunday messages always make me stop and reflect. Thank you for devoting a part of your time and this blog to sharing God’s Truth. I recently attended a workshop where we were reminded that we are all God’s outposts, called to share His light and teachings.
Hi JoAnn, I love the thought of being God’s outposts. Thanks for the reminder.