The Battle of Good vs. Evil

Jeremiah had the unenviable task of trying to keep Israel off the path of evil and on the path of good. God met him at the Potter's house to demonstrate that Israel is in His hands like clay in the potter's hands. God said, "If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down, and destroyed, and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned.  And if it does evil in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider the good I had intended to do for it." (Jeremiah 18:7-10)  Because of their idols, God's people had forgotten Him, and God was grieved.  Jeremiah was frustrated with the people of Israel, not only for their unfaithfulness to the Lord, but also for the way they accused him falsely:  "Should good be repaid with evil?  Yet, they have dug a pit for me..." (Jeremiah 18:20)
 
As in the days of the Bible, so are the days of our times.  We have fallen into a pit of destruction and are believing lies spoken by the enemy of our souls.  Like Jeremiah, the prophet Isaiah also had to speak to God's people about their disrespect for the Lord.  In chapter 5 of Isaiah's book, we find the "woes and judgments" against Israel.  Look at Verse 20:  "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter." 
 
Rabbi Jonathan Cahn writes about Isaiah 5:20 in his April mailing called "Sapphires."  He says, "A culture, a civilization, or a nation that deems evil to be good, will deem good to be evil.  And so, America's fall from God began with the toleration of evil, calling evil good.  But that was only the first stage.  In the second stage, the viewing of good as evil becomes more prominent.  We are now there!  We are now witnessing an increasing progression towards censorship, silencing, and attempted abolition of anything and anyone that stands in the way of the new morality--namely traditional values, biblical values, Christians, ministries, the word of God."  He goes on to tell us how he experienced this silencing himself.  Jonathan was led to record a message to Joe Biden at the time of his inauguration.  In two days, it had a million views, and then it disappeared.  Google "deemed the message too dangerous" because of its spiritual and moral content.  Through his writing, Jonathan taught me a new term called "Shadow Banning."  This means a message will be banned in a way that one is completely unaware that it is being done.  He explains that "forces are manipulating systems in what amounts to covert persecution." 
 
Just as God watched over the nation of Israel and brought them prophets to speak the truth, He watches over us.  "From His dwelling place He watches all who live on the earth." (Psalm 33:14)  "For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction." (Psalm 1:6)  There is a day of reckoning coming as it says in Romans 1: 18-20.  I like The Passion Translation:  "For God in heaven unveils His holy anger breaking forth against every form of sin, both toward ungodliness that lives in hearts and evil actions.  For the wickedness of humanity deliberately smothers the truth and keeps people from acknowledging the truth about God.  In reality, the truth of God is known instinctively, for God has embedded this knowledge inside every human heart.  Opposition to truth cannot be excused on the basis of ignorance, because from the creation of the world, the invisible qualities of God's nature have been made visible, such as His eternal power and transcendence.  He has made His wonderful attributes easily perceived, for seeing the visible makes us understand the invisible.  So then, this leaves everyone without excuse."
 
How can we partner with God to win the battle of good over evil?  It is time for us to strengthen our relationship with the Lord.  We must be rooted and grounded in His love, built up in Him, and strengthened in our faith. (Ephesians 3:17, Colossians 2:7)  We must soak in His presence so that we are filled with His Spirit.  We must not allow fear of evil to have a place in our lives.  Jesus warned us about the evil that would beset us.  The Psalmist wrote, "...I will fear no evil, for You are with me...(Psalm 23:4) We must remember that God placed us on earth for such a time as this.  We are part of His mighty army.  We must be aligning our lives with His plans and purposes, interceding for our nation, pleading for God's mercy, calling forth revival, and declaring the truth.  We must keep our eyes on the goal, "being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that we may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of His holy people in the kingdom of light." (Colossians 1:11-12)  We have our marching orders; let us put on our battle gear!