In my journey last week through the first chapters of Proverbs, I came to a pretty strong statement about what God dislikes:
“Here are six things God hates,
and one more that he loathes with a passion:
eyes that are arrogant,
a tongue that lies,
hands that murder the innocent,
a heart that hatches evil plots,
feet that race down a wicked track,
a mouth that lies under oath,
a troublemaker in the family.” (Proverbs 6:16-19 MSG)
Several hundred years after the writer of Proverbs put this list together, the Apostle Paul gave more insight on good and evil: “Love is to be sincere and active [the real thing—without guile and hypocrisy]. Hate what is evil [detest all ungodliness, do not tolerate wickedness]; hold on tightly to what is good.” (Romans 12:9 AMP)
Put succinctly, “Love sincerely. Hate evil. Hold on to what is good.” (Romans 12:9 GW). Pretty simple and straight-forward, huh? Our culture tries to complicate things with a warped view of “tolerance” that creates gray space where God has said things are black and white. We are to love and hold onto the things of God and hate and reject those of our enemy. Not sure what category something lies in? Ask this question: Does it help me become more like Jesus? If so, it’s probably of God. Paul told us that, “The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22 NLT) If we are living lives directed by the inward witness of Holy Spirit, we will have more and more of these fruits in our lives. If not, well…
So, today as we pray for our nation and the upcoming elections, it’s easy to focus our prayers.
God,
Thank you for your Word and Holy Spirit that help us to know how to live our lives. Thank you for your calling to love sincerely, hate evil, and hold on to what is good. Our nation, our state, and our counties need a fresh outpouring of your goodness and grace upon them. Holy Spirit, revive your Church and renew her in this day to be a force for righteousness in our civic and governmental realms. We pray in the name of Jesus that you would thwart people seeking elected office who are arrogant, liars, murderers of the innocent, plotters of evil, racers to do wrong, and those who cause division and conflict in our society. We pray against the election of any and all persons – no matter the office or political party – whose lives consist of sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. We pray that each and every ballot initiative that violates your Goodness will be soundly defeated as your children and others vote. We pray that instead of wickedness and evil being propagated in our culture, your Holy Spirit would cause Believers to rise up and vote for righteousness. We pray that men and women of honor and integrity who live by the Spirit and have the Spirit’s leading in every part of their lives will be elected into office. We pray our elected leaders would exhibit and live out of your love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Help each person in this nation to actively and sincerely love, without guile or hypocrisy, to hate what is evil, ungodly, and wicked, and to hold tightly to what is good. We pray in the strong name of Christ, Amen.
“There are six things the Lord hates—no, seven things he detests:
haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that kill the innocent,
a heart that plots evil,
feet that race to do wrong,
a false witness who pours out lies,
a person who sows discord in a family.” (Proverbs 6:16-19 NLT)
“When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.” (Galatians 5:19-25 NLT)