Deuteronomy 22:21b says—You must purge the evil from you.—
It is a dangerous and costly mistake not to take temptation seriously. The sad testimony of many is their succumbing to sin's enticements. Thinking themselves strong enough to remain in the midst of temptation and resist it. Listen, that can be any of us. We all have a target on our back. We are in the midst of spiritual warfare. We have talked about this before. You can go back and read those earlier blogs. As a matter of fact, why not bookmark ElbertNasworthy.com/blog right now for easy reference.
God requires that His people remove evil from their midst. A pastor friend years ago said about being in the presence of temptation that when you are tempted, you should ”flee, saturate that place with your absence”. I have remembered that and have shared over the years just as I have today. One way to do this is to remove anything in your environment that may tempt you to sin.
There is good reason to do so and that is that when wickedness surrounds you, you are in danger of becoming anesthetized to its destructive potential. You really don’t need me or someone like me to explain it to you. You know it because in your life and over time there have been situations that you either stayed or you fled. Never assume that you are immune to temptation. Do not underestimate the craftiness of the evil one.
There are things about God that we know and others that we don’t. Yet, we know this for certain and it is, God does not tolerate evil, for evil cost the death of His Son.
Sin causes untold pain and destruction to everyone it touches. Not only the one it touches, but those who are victims, innocent bystanders, collateral damage and they pay sometimes an even greater price. Treating evil lightly shows foolish disregard for God's redemptive work. An honest evaluation of your life will reveal temptations that you should remove, such as some forms of entertainment or ungodly relationships. When God convicts you of evil in your midst, remove it immediately!
There are times, however, when you are powerless to remove ungodly influences, so you must remove yourself from the temptation. Paul urges us to avoid every kind of evil in 1 Thessalonians 5:22 (HCSB) when he says to—Stay away from every form of evil—
When Joseph was enticed to commit adultery by his master's wife, he fled immediately! The story of Joseph is a remarkable part of God’s Word. Stories such as that of Joseph provide for us a perspective on life. As well, they assist us in understanding how things can and do happen which can have, if not properly dealt with, an extremely harmful affect on our life. Read for yourself the story of Jospeh‘s life. However, for the purpose of this point see what Genesis 39:12 (HCSB) records for us—She grabbed him by his garment and said, “Sleep with me!” But leaving his garment in her hand, he escaped and ran outside.—
Let me be clear and remind you that you do not lose your abhorrence of sin. Be diligent to keep any form of temptation that my come out of your home, out of your relationships, out of your mind. You can do this only by maintaining your love relationship with God, recognizing that you are powerless to resist temptation in your own strength. You will not be able to walk closely with God unless you see sin as He sees it. Darkness and light cannot coexist. Run from the darkness to the light!
A thought to ponder,
Elbert Nasworthy
