Daily devotion – can evil be stopped?
Mat 1:21 “And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.
Is it possible to stop evil? The news today just reeked of violence, tragedy and sadness. Fourteen-year old’s on the east coast of our nation arrested for stabbings. In the last 20 days, 10 women have died from domestic violence in our nation. Two police officers ambushed and deliberately murdered whilst attending a missing person report.
We have tried educational programs, increased budgets to facilitate help, held summits, government reviews and royal commissions.
The evilness of sin is seemingly an unstoppable train!
Can it be stopped? The answer is a definite yes and this is why Christmas is so important for us to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ the Saviour of the World.
Jesus Christ is the answer. For when a man, woman, boy or girl, repents of their sins, and believes that Jesus Christ is the Lord of their life, and they give their lives to serving Him, evil is stopped!
For God gives he or she, who once was dead in their sins, a new heart, they become ‘born again’, they become a new creation in Christ!
2Co 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
Someone who once was a drunkard, a violent person, a selfish arrogant person, God transforms them by giving them a new heart! A new life begins.
This person who comes to the realization that all their sins have been forgiven, now is filled with God’s Holy Spirit, and His presence is manifested in their lives as they now love others as Christ loves them!
It’s not money, it’s not programs, it’s a relationship with Jesus Christ and the evil that once ruled and filled that person is removed and replaced with God’s holy presence!
Romans 6: 4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 7 For he who has died has been freed from sin.
How is this possible? Jesus Christ who knew no sin, became sin for us and paid the penalty for our sin by His voluntary death on the Cross at Calvary.
Ephesians 2: 1 Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. 2 You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. 3 All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.
4 But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) 6 For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. 7 So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.
8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.
Can evil be stopped yes!
If this morning you find yourself living under the chains of oppression, that you are doing things that are evil, Christ offers to you today the free gift of a new life, a new heart and freedom!
Turn to Christ, call out to Him and He will forgive you and save you!