As servants of the Living God and followers of Jesus Christ, we should have a sincere desire to stay away from evil in every form: evil thoughts; evil words; evil people; and even occasions to be tempted to commit evil. If we obey the Lord, and obey the Scriptural command to be holy (1 Pet 1:16), this will make sense to us.
By mercy and truth atonement is made for wrongdoing, and by the fear of the Lord one keeps away from evil. (Pro 16:6 NASB) If we have a respectful reverence for the Lord, it will keep us away from doing evil. If we have done evil in some way, and if there is an avenue open to us to make amends for it, God’s gifts of mercy and truth will guide us to the right path. For any sin that we may commit, we need to repent to the Lord and ask Him to forgive us and to cleanse us from unrighteousness. The GOOD news is that He always hears and answers these prayers for forgiveness and cleansing. Praise God!
I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. (Joh 17:15 ESV) I believe Jesus was praying for all who would accept Him as their Lord and Savior and follow Him all of their days. The Lord prayed for His followers (US) to be kept away from the evil one who is satan. The evil one and his works are described in John 8:44.
But those who are outside God judges. Therefore “put away from yourselves the evil person.” (1 Cor 5:13) This is language similar to Deuteronomy 24:7 regarding excluding people, those who are indulging in evil, from the fellowship of believers.
Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. (Eph 4:31) The Scriptures exhort us to avoid indulging in any of these activities, because they do not honor the Lord nor do they flow from the heart of God.
Let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. (1 Pet 3:11) We must always choose to reject evil actions, and turn to the Lord. When we follow Jesus, the Prince of Peace, we will seek and pursue peace with all of our hearts.
Let us highly value peace in our hearts, in our relationships, and in our lives. The peace of God which passes all understanding (Phil 4:7) encompasses within it wholeness, maturity, and completeness as well as freedom from turmoil and worry. Focus upon serving Jesus and doing good, and you will be blessed. Hallelujah!
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