Hate Evil

Hate Sin

An alligator mom has incredible guarding instincts.  In the wild, it takes up to twelve years before an alligator grows to maturity to be able to reproduce.  Breeding season begins around April.  At that point, a male may court ten or more females to insure that offspring will replenish the area.  Once mating has occurred, the female will relocate to an area suitable for her nest, and begin the building process.  The female lay 40-45 eggs on average.  After about 65 days, the eggs hatch, the hatchlings signal to the mother, and she digs the nest to release them from the nest.  She has also been known to carry them into the water.  The hatchlings form groups referred to as pods, and stay in the same area as their nesting site for several years.  The mother will protect her young for about a year if they remain in the area.  The first few years as most dangerous for the young because they will be hunted by various creatures from the water, land and sky until they are about 4 feet long.  After that, their only real predator is man.  Though an alligator tends to shy away from man, it will defend its territory if overly provoked.  It is recorded that 20 people have been killed by alligators since 1970.  It is also estimated that about 15000 skins are sold from the state of Florida alone each year, plus another 7000 that are considered a nuisance.

Catch this: as a rule, both man and alligator disregard each other as friend.  We both avoid each other at all costs.  We had an alligator in our yard in Bogalusa and I stayed about 15 feet away from it and it let me know to keep it that way by snapping its teeth at me.  It received multiple bullets to the head area and was skinned and probably eaten by my neighbor.  There is no love lost between us.  When our paths cross, hate seems to be the most appropriate verb.

James 1:12-16  Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.  When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.  Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.  Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers.

Amos 5:15a Hate evil, love good;

James 4:17 Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.

You see, there is a proper protocol when God calls us back to relationship with Him.  We come to an altar and repent and surrender our hearts to Him.  Mature Christians pour into our lives and we are protected by their wisdom and faith for a season.  We are nurtured and taught the ways to live and worship.  Responsibilities are released to our care and we begin walking on our own.  Our knowledge and understanding of scripture grows deep, and we learn humble authority in Christ Jesus against the tactics of Satan.  Our lives develop their own identity and we begin our own way, as does the alligator, though we remain close to others of our own kind.  There is safety in numbers.  There is strength in numbers.  Together, we work and achieve that which God intended for us to accomplish.  And after some growth within ourselves, we learn we have but one enemy:  Satan.

His goal is to kill, to steal, to destroy.  Your life, your relationships, your emotions, your mental health, your finances, your soul are all within his sights.  He has nothing good in store for your life but that temporary satisfaction that sin brings you.  And you know what?  Even that will bring about death in your life.  (James 1:15 sin gives birth to death)

1 John 2:15-17  Do not love the world or the things in the world.  If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world.  And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

Jude 23b hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.

We must hate sin.  We must hate those things that go against the nature of God.  Why?  The reason is because Jesus died and took those things on his shoulders on the cross so that we could have life.  He gave himself to be able to claim us as his own.  Sin cannot be in God’s presence.  There are no degrees of sin in God’s eyes.  Whether we deem something small or great has no bearing on eternity.  We must choose today to HATE SIN.

Joshua made this statement in Joshua 24:14-15 Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness.   Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.   And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell.  But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

One day we will stand before a God that loves us intensely, but hates sin equally as intense.  It will be our decisions now that affect how He responds to our presence.  Though God loves us, we can find example after example of how He punished sin, even wiping our entire people groups who opposed Him.  God’s anger will not relent because we distort our minds to believe He will not punish our little sin.  His wrath will be as just and fair as His blessings will be for those who choose His ways on this earth.  One day soon, our eternity will be called to the table and there will be no changing our minds or asking repentance then.

Joshua made it clear…Choose you this day whom your will serve, be it the gods of this world, or the God Almighty of Heaven.  Now is the time to exist and dwell in God’s realm as you do in the natural.  Hate evil!!!