When evil appears with a suitcase, it must be shown the door.
God puts the Spirit of Christ in all who are born again so they can respond to all things as He did.
But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. (Romans 8:9)
When God puts the Spirit of Christ in us He puts in us the fear of the Lord.
And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me. (Jeremiah 32:40)
The fear of the Lord is God’s own hatred for evil.
The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate. (Proverbs 8:13)
The anointing that rested upon Jesus made Him “quick” in spotting and resisting evil.
And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;
And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD… (Isaiah 11:2,3)
We become the temple of the Lord when the Spirit comes to live within us.
Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. (1 Corinthians 3:16,17)
if any man > Greek – ei tis > whoever, whatever, if any man, if any thing
When God dwells in us and we dwell in Him, He is ready to go on a seek and destroy mission on all that would invade His home with a destructive purpose.
The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them. (Deuteronomy 33:27)
If one catches an intruder in their home, after an initial response of shock, there can be an angry response that results in a violent brawl.
If a thief be found breaking up, and be smitten that he die, there shall no blood be shed for him.
If the sun be risen upon him, there shall be blood shed for him; for he should make full restitution; if he have nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft. (Exodus 22:2,3)
The call of Jesus to “resist not evil” is not a call to pacifism in the face of evil; it is a call against retaliation and revenge when we have been wronged.
But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. (Matthew 5:39,40)
Jesus zealously threw out of His house what didn’t belong there.
And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up. (John 2:17)
Once we discern that something that is not of God is trespassing on “holy ground” we must, by the Holy Spirit within us, go after it with holy vengeance.
And, behold, one of the children of Israel came and brought unto his brethren a Midianitish woman in the sight of Moses, and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel, who were weeping before the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
And when Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose up from among the congregation, and took a javelin in his hand;
And he went after the man of Israel into the tent, and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her belly. So the plague was stayed from the children of Israel. (Numbers 25:6-8)
When we are on God’s side, He is on ours and He sets His sights on our adversaries.
What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31)
Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. (John 12:31)
He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. (1 John 3:8)
I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction: repentance shall be hid from mine eyes. (Hosea 13:14)
The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. (1 Corinthians 15:26)
We need to be “sons of thunder” when it comes to the destruction of evil.
And James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James; and he surnamed them Boanerges, which is, The sons of thunder (Mark 3:17)
Boanerges = “sons of thunder” – a nickname given to James and John, the sons of Zebedee, by the Lord. The name seems to denote fiery and destructive zeal that may be likened to a thunder storm.
Our zeal against evil must be rightly placed.
And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did?
But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of.
For the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them. And they went to another village. (Luke 9:54-56)
Only when we are fighting the “right” battles, will God fight for us and “sling” our enemies from us.
I pray thee, forgive the trespass of thine handmaid: for the LORD will certainly make my lord a sure house; because my lord fighteth the battles of the LORD, and evil hath not been found in thee all thy days.
Yet a man is risen to pursue thee, and to seek thy soul: but the soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life with the LORD thy God; and the souls of thine enemies, them shall he sling out, as out of the middle of a sling. (1 Samuel 25:28,29)
We can be too reactionary in dealing with the wrongs we perceive.
A fool’s wrath is presently known: but a prudent man covereth shame. (Proverbs 12:16)
He that is soon angry dealeth foolishly: and a man of wicked devices is hated. (Proverbs 14:17)
He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding: but he that is hasty of spirit exalteth folly. (Proverbs 14:29)
Conversely, our response can be too slow and delayed when facing evil.
If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, and those that are ready to be slain;
If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? and he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? and shall not he render to every man according to his works? (Proverbs 24:11,12)
Paul warned that unless “deceiving words” were refuted with sound doctrine “whole houses” would be destroyed.
Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.
For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision:
Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre’s sake. (Titus 1:9-11)
If evil of any kind “creeps” into our lives without our awareness, but meets weak resistance when discovered, it then can become established within us and begin to spread.
For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. (Jude 1:4)
When Paul discerned a threat to the gospel message he quickly moved to prevent its establishment.
And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage:
To whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour; that the truth of the gospel might continue with you. (Galatians 2:4,5)
Whatever is established cannot be moved.
The LORD reigneth, he is clothed with majesty; the LORD is clothed with strength, wherewith he hath girded himself: the world also is stablished, that it cannot be moved. (Psalm 93:1)
When the fear of God is being allowed to work in our heart, we are against the establishment of any evil in our life. When we detect any evil that would want to gain a foothold or take root in us we quickly move to remove it.
A man shall not be established by wickedness: but the root of the righteous shall not be moved. (Proverbs 12:3)
Better for something to have never been established than to need to be plucked up.
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up (Ecclesiastes 3:1-3)
“Devouring words” that come from a “deceitful tongue” need to be “plucked up,” “destroyed” and “taken away.”
Thou lovest all devouring words, O thou deceitful tongue.
God shall likewise destroy thee for ever, he shall take thee away, and pluck thee out of thy dwelling place, and root thee out of the land of the living. Selah. (Psalm 52:4,5)
Any evil folly seeking a place to root in our heart or home deserves the curse of God.
The curse of the LORD is in the house of the wicked: but he blesseth the habitation of the just. (Proverbs 3:33)
I have seen the foolish taking root: but suddenly I cursed his habitation. (Job 5:3)
When God targets something with His curse He brings destruction upon it.
And when even was come, he went out of the city.
And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. (Mark 11:19,20)
Jesus called us in faith to target the evil that would be before us for removal and casting away.
And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away.
And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.
For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. (Mark 11:21-23)
Before we pray in faith for the destruction and removal of any evil in the world that surrounds us, Jesus told us to first seek the destruction and removal of any evil in our own heart.
Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.
But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses. (Mark 11:24-26)
When we are not sober and vigilant and watching unto prayer the enemy is able to sow that which he hopes will increase and be established in our life.
But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. (Matthew 13:25)
There are some things we should not “sleep on.”
Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:
Neither give place to the devil. (Ephesians 4:26,27)
It is the responsibility of every man (and woman) of God to not allow evil to stand in their home (i.e., body or spirit.)
But if her husband hath utterly made them void on the day he heard them; then whatsoever proceeded out of her lips concerning her vows, or concerning the bond of her soul, shall not stand: her husband hath made them void; and the LORD shall forgive her. (Numbers 30:12)
stand > Hebrew – quwm > be established
If there is not a timely rejection of evil we allow it to be established.
Every vow, and every binding oath to afflict the soul, her husband may establish it, or her husband may make it void. But if her husband altogether hold his peace at her from day to day; then he establisheth all her vows, or all her bonds, which are upon her: he confirmeth them, because he held his peace at her in the day that he heard them. (Numbers 30:13,14)
The commitment to put away every evil and destructive thing from our life must be replaced by a commitment to be established in every good and righteous way of God.
Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you. (Ephesians 4:31,32)