Evil is Evil and Good is Good – Forever!

Fresh Manna© by Pastor Tim Burt
http://readfreshmanna.blogspot.com/

Isaiah 5:20 (NIV) “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness or light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.

Renee and I were out in Washington DC last week to meet with thousands of precious Christians from around the country for our Christians United for Israel conference. We had a wonderful time with Christians and Jewish friends from the United States and beyond, praying, discussing, and speaking to our leaders in government asking them to support Israel as it walks through pressure and attacks from every side. Israel has been lied about continually. It has been made the scapegoat for every problem in the Middle East even though it is a tiny land surrounded by larger nations that has enriched this world in many ways.

God made a covenant with Abram for he and all his posterity to be blessed of God and give them their land. He spoke these words: Genesis 12:1-3 “The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.” I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” God also told him:”All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever.” Genesis 13:15

There will be a day when Jesus returns. To those and to the nations whom have remained a friend of Israel, God will bless. To those who have turned against Israel, they will be cursed. It is as simple as that. If you read through the Old Testament, you may quickly find that Israel and the Jewish people did not always make all the right choices – the choices that God would have them make, but correcting Israel was always God’s job as their God and Heavenly Father and His alone. Whoever made Israel their enemy became the enemy of God and were eventually dealt with by God. This sounds like spiritual rhetoric and mumbo jumbo to those that don’t read their Bibles and believe, but that doesn’t change the truth of it. Christians should not be ignorant of it.

We were at our nation’s capital to discuss the support of Israel with our United States Senators and Congressmen and Congresswomen. We were putting action to our faith and prayers. While in Washington, one of those we met with is a new Congresswoman – Michele Bachmann. Renee and I agree that she is one of the finest women we have ever met. She in intelligent, compassionate, loving of people and her country, and has made great personal sacrifices to serve our country beyond what few could or would to fulfill what she firmly believes is her God-given destiny. Her husband Dr. Marcus Bachmann, a clinical psychologist, runs two clinics in the Minneapolis area. http://www.bachmanncounseling.com/index.html They have five biological children and have opened their home to 23 foster children over the years. They love God with all their heart and are two of the finest people we’ve ever been privileged to know. The famous recording artist Jewel who recently met Congresswoman Bachmann must have felt the same way because she paid her a wonderful compliment saying: “Hearing the congresswoman, I wanted to camp out on her lawn and live with her, I liked her so much.”

I am telling you this because I’ve watched her career since she was asked to run for politics. Being a devout Christians, she and her husband have strong spiritual convictions. She helped author legislation for the Marriage Amendment in the state of Minnesota. Because of this, she has been the target of many hateful groups and media sources. Since she has held office they have worked hard to ridicule her and characterize her as someone she is not. They are deeply afraid of her influence and of people finding out the spectacular Congresswoman that she is. Those she has been targeted by often proclaim the message of tolerance yet do not practice it if it is contrary to their political or personal views. The viciousness of the blogs and web sites attacking her make clear the type of people they are. Many are vile and pungent with hatred.

Since she has held office, she has been continuously lied about or mischaracterized. She is made to look fanatical and foolish when she is in fact the epitome of everything we could ever want or hope for from a person representing us in government. She is absolutely honest, integrous, hard working and passionate, and driven by her love for God, people, and her country. She is made to look the opposite of this by malevolent people that disagree with her. Those people represent a mean-spirited attitude that is far too prevalent in media forums today. Each of us must personally watch out for and make sure that we are not caught up in this type of attitude with those we differ in opinion with.

This is not the first time in history that the general population began to see and call evil good and good evil. There were times when God would warn His people when they got off track. They would get caught up in the cultures of the worlds around them and stray from the ways God intended for them to live. They would pull further and further from the Lord and before long they would begin to call what was considered evil by God, good – and what was considered good by God, evil. God warned them to beware of making this mistake. Isaiah 5:20 (NIV) “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness or light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.”

Today, I want you simply to understand this. The truth of God’s desires for society and culture are given only to us by God’s word – ways which never change. What God considers evil will always stay evil. Do not tolerate evil in your life. What God considers good will always remain good. Pursue good with all your heart.

In all this, be sure that your look for the good in people and love them for the good you find, yet do not build a tolerance for evil out of those relationships. Oppose evil so it will not consume you. Oppose it so that you can be a light to a dark world. Oppose evil because God hates evil and the destruction it permeates on mankind. Be vocal and call evil what it is – even in the midst of persecution. Don’t be misled by those who are evil and call godly representatives evil – whether ministers of the gospel or godly representatives in government. Don’t trust the media’s comments. Learn of the fruit and know those that love and represent God. Then the woe of their evil will not touch you!

In His Love,
Pastor Tim Burt
http://readfreshmanna.blogspot.com/