Hate what is Evil
The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.
Proverbs 8:13 (ESV)
The Bible tells us that good will always overcome evil. That’s the message of the Bible. We are reminded that God hates evil in Zechariah 8:17. Therefore, we know that He is good. We should have that same mindset. We need to treat evil the same way God does, because He is good and good will always overcome evil. In order to hate evil, we have to cling to what is good. In this passage, we are told what evil is, so we can practice the opposite in our lives.
Pride and arrogance is something everyone deals with. It stems from selfishness. We are always looking out for ourselves. We are proud of our accomplishments, no matter how trivial they seem to God. In order to combat the pride within us, we have to practice humility. Jesus shows us many perfect examples of how to be humble in the gospels. If we practice his teachings and follow his commands, we can suppress our pride and display our humility through the love of Christ.
Perverted speech can mean a host of things. It could mean foul language, gossip or how we verbally treat others. This is considered evil in the eyes of the Lord. Therefore, we must put away all of these things. We have to watch our tongue and speak life to others. Our words can be construed by everyone around us. Let us make sure we are setting a good example as Christians by preaching the good news of Jesus Christ, who has overcome evil by his resurrection.
God loves us so much, that He gave us His word in the Bible. That way, we can learn from Him on how to properly live out our lives as Christians. The fear of the Lord should not be a scared or afraid type of feeling. It should be a respectful type of love, because that is the kind of love God gives to us.
This week, pray how you can battle evil in your own life. Use God’s word to help you suppress any feelings of pride and arrogance within your heart.