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"..you and I, along with the choices we make, are actually the creators of evil."
As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 146.
Have you ever been caught up in a conversation about the bad things that happen in this world with someone who is questioning a relationship with God? Without fail the questioner will say something along the lines of, "Well, if God wanted to He could eliminate the evil in the world that makes all this bad stuff happen." Oh, if it were only that simple.
The reality is that evil is a bit more complicated than separating the good guys from the bad guys. See, if you really know what it is to relate to a perfect God you would realize that there is no one who can be called good. With the exception of Jesus, no one can claim to have lived a perfect life. I'm sorry to state it so plainly but God doesn't judge based on a scale weighing out the good against the bad in one's life. Any evidence of bad is deserving of death even if the goodness way outweigh any bad in a person's life. That fact leaves us all out in the cold. Thank God for His plan of salvation through Jesus Christ.
Even more basic than the fact that this world can't be separated into good and bad is the actual source of evil when it comes to one person victimizing another in evil and hurtful ways. When you come down to it, we are the actual creators of evil. That's a pretty shocking statement isn't it? Think about this for a second. It is through the power of choice that evil has any chance of rearing its ugly head. God didn't create evil, our choices are what gives evil life in this world.
Consider it this way, every evil thing one person does to another happens out of choice. If I break into your house and steal your possessions, my victimizing action isn't an accident. I had to choose to enter into a process that you would find very violating and victimizing. God didn't create the opportunity for me to do this evil, my choices made this evil come into your life. Same goes for each and every evil action that one person has done to another since the dawn of time. Evil isn't the responsibility of God. Evil is the creation and the power that is unleashed when we choose to do something that brings harm to another person in this world.
Check out what the Bible says about where evil comes from.
"The heart is hopelessly dark and deceitful, a puzzle that no one can figure out." Jeremiah 17:8 (MSG)
Evil comes when we decide to speak against, act out towards or do something to another person that is a result of the victim thinking ways that are driven deep into our hearts. God didn't place the evil that comes out in this world in our hearts. It is the power of choice that we all have that gives evil its life.
The Jeremiah reading makes it clear that we need a bit of a heart surgery if we stand any chance of figuring out this life of ours. Good thing is that Jesus is the great physician. His death and resurrection is all the surgery we need to begin to face the dark and deceitful ways that live in our heart. It is by accepting Him that our position as God's Child makes it possible for us to live like the victor that He made us to be.
Today you might face a bunch of evil as you deal with people that come across your path. Know this, that evil didn't come from God. It has come from victim thinkers, just like you. Evil you will battle today is a result of people who haven't discovered their true identity choosing to do things those that result in actions that cause victims at every turn. These people haven't let their God-given identity come alive in ways as to unleash the power of light to fight the darkness that can be so much a part of our choices in life.
Good news is that God's light always prevails when it comes into contact with the evil our choices create. Be led by God today as His Child and watch as His powerful and unstoppable light spring forth from your heart. Take advantage of the power of choice. Choose to do good and not give evil the life that it longs to have as you decide how to interact with those around you today.
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