Overcome Evil With Good.
“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
Romans 12:21 NKJV
The easiest way the devil tries to destroy us is by pollution. The interaction of sin with this world has created a very lethal combination that the enemy has employed since the fall of man to distort men through the lust of the eyes which is triggered as soon as we gaze upon the object of our carnal desires, the lust of the flesh which is triggered by the desire to sensually satisfy the flesh outside the boundaries God has set for us, and the pride of life which causes us to take pride in the temporary things of this world and build our confidence in them, as we turn the things we receive from God for our use on earth into idols that deserve our utmost devotion and trust as the basis for our arrogance.
The devil does not outrightly set out to ruin us in a way that we can easily identify and be aware of, so he would rather pollute us slowly and steadily through these things. What this means for us who have to be in this world even though we are not of it is that we are in a battle to resist this pollution whether we acknowledge it or not. This is part of why God helps us understand through Apostle Paul that we wrestle not against flesh and blood but our battle is against all the agents of pollution in cahoots with the devil who passionately hates us.
Thankfully, God has given us the power through Christ Jesus to overcome them the way He did, and we must understand that overcoming is an active process that involves us deciding that we will not be polluted, and then actively working towards it, using every grace and enablement that Jesus has secured for us through His death and resurrection. This process begins with the renewal of our minds through constant fellowship with the Holy Spirit in prayer, Bible study and fasting. In this place, we will begin to know and grow in an understanding of the perfect will of The Father for us and the more we know, the more aligned we will be with the Holy Spirit helping us.
Our greatest act of dominion will be to resist every plan of the enemy to distort us. This is why our Father encourages us to overpower evil with good and we can only be good when we devote ourselves to the only God who is good. The goodness that is spoken of is not one that we generate by ourselves, but a nature that is imparted in us only through our Union with God through Christ Jesus. In this Union, we behold the only Good God, and by beholding, we will become and in this place, victory is certain.
Prayer Point:
Dear God, I thank You for the privilege to engage in warfare intelligently, by Your standards. I receive the strength to continue to overpower evil with good, in the mighty name of Jesus I have prayed, Amen.
Meditation Prompt:
Spend some time speaking to the Holy Spirit about today’s devotional. Don’t forget to journal!
Prayer Prompts:
6:00 am: Pray for Northern Nigeria. Pray that the gates of hell will not prevail over the church in the North. Pray for strength for our siblings there.
9:00 am: Pray for the grace to enjoy and love communion with God.
12:00 pm: Pray for five ministries that come to mind. Speak blessings over them as led by The Holy Spirit.
3:00 pm: Pray for your city, that God is glorified and His light shines throughout.
6:00 pm: Pray for divine protection, that you and everyone you hold dear is safely cocooned in the hollow of God’s palm.
9:00 pm: Ask God what He wants you to pray about.