Shun Evil

Today I want to point out something simple but really important that I came across in the bible. Many people including myself, know the book of Proberbs written by Late King Solomon, to be the book of wisdom in the bible. Well here's a word of wisdom.

(1) Proverbs 3v7 says we should not be wise in our own eyes but fear the LORD and Shun evil. The word Shun according to the dictionary means to "Avoid and stay away from deliberately;" or to "stay clear of." OK fine, we need to Fear the LORD and shun evil, but why was it necessary to include the part "Do not be wise in your own eyes"? Sometimes we find ourselves in the midst of temptation and instead of getting out of the scene, we tend to play a little bit with the it. For instance we know we should avoid all forms of immorality (e.g. common ones like Lusting, pornography, etc) but when we watch TV late on some nights, we say things like "I won't put it on that channel where I think they might be showing inappropriate movies" or "I'll turn off the TV soon." Another example for some might be drinking or smoking. If you know you're trying to stop the addiction, why go to the bar or hang out with your friends on a day when they're drinking or smoking. That is not shunning evil; that's playing wise in our own eyes and playing with temptation.

We need not to act wise, or play the game of having a strong self will. What we need to do is avoid, stay away from deliberately and stay clear of all forms of evil. Remember "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it."(2) So when the Holy Spirit starts to speak to your conscience about the temptation that's around the corner, let us immediately ask for grace and act in faith by deliberately staying clear of the evil.

Stay blessed

1) Proverbs 3 v 7: "Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and shun evil."
2) 1 Corinthians 10 v 13: No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it."