Prodigal: I don’t know what to think of them.
Me: Well, looks can be deceiving.
Prodigal: How can you tell?
This is from the book Bold Love by Dr. Dan Allender & Dr. Tremper Longman III
Evil is bad. That is, it is persistently destructive. But it is also deceitfully subtle. Consequently, evil rarely shows itself as bad. In fact, it often portrays itself as helpful, open, kind, generous, long-suffering. An inclination to evil taints all activity, even the gifts of kindness that appear genuine. Such kindness or generosity seems to entangle the victim deeper in the evil person’s web. If one is in a relationship with an evil person for long, the signs of death will begin to show–anemia (a loss of self, vitality, and strength), despair (a loss of desire and hope), and disorientation (a loss of direction and purpose). Many of these symptoms are also the byproduct of a relationship with an arrogant, hard, and destructive person who may not be inclined to deeper shades of evil. How does one make a distinction between an evil person and a less destructive person who may not be inclined to deeper shades of evil. How does one make a distinction between an evil person and a less destructive person ( a fool)?
A fool might withhold involvement unless you conform to his will and might intimidate or manipulate to gain advantage. His goal is to get you to conform, and once that end is achieved, he is at peace. An evil person, on the other hand, wants conformity and much more. He wants unearned devotion that borders on worship–a form of sacrifice that requires the loss of one’s will, mind, and soul. He displays a craving to suck the other’s soul dry until every drop of life has been drawn for his own benefit.
Evil steals faith, hope, and love. Faith involves trusting in what is unseen and unknown, and is required in almost every moment of our existence. An evil person uses the access of trust to obliterate any desire to trust others, and even to trust in oneself. Consequently, the effect of evil is to remove from its victim any discernment or sense of caution in relating to evil and, at the same time, to create a hypervigilant fear of anyone good. Evil betrays trust and makes faith look ridiculously foolish. Evil misuses power and then claims innocence. If that is questioned, then evil uses shame or mockery to bludgeon the victim into accepting the blame.
Psalm 55:17
Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan, and he hears my voice.
Jennifer Van Allen
www.theprodigalpig.com
www.faithincounseling.org
