Inside our theme of love this month, we are focusing this week on how we can adopt a mindset and attitude of love when we are surrounded by a culture of anger and hate. We all see and hear every day how hate seems to be growing at an alarming rate. But then we have to ask, why? Why so quickly? Why now? Why is it worse? As always being believers, we have to go to God’s Word to find the truth.

Have you ever thought about if God hates? Have you ever thought about what God hates? Have you ever realized that the God of love actually does hate something? What is it? Listen intently to Psalm 97:9-11 …

You who love the Lord, hate evil! (Pause for effect.) He protects the lives of his godly people and rescues them from the power of the wicked. Light shines on the godly, and joy on those whose hearts are right. May all who are godly rejoice in the Lord and praise his holy name! (NLT)

So what does God hate and tell us to hate? … He says if you love Him then you will hate evil. So is evil a person? … No. Evil is the outcome of sin. So disobedience to God is sin, which then creates evil. So we are to hate disobedience to God and its results. Can you picture an outcome of disobedience to God in your life? While their most certainly is grace for your disobedience, can you attach a sense of hatred for that evil that you have encountered? We are to hate those forces that oppose God inside our own hearts and in the world today. So, what good does it do to hate even evil? What might that create? The answer is a response of avoidance, of abstinence … of evil.

Today, I’m going to break our pattern and provide some current context to hating evil by reading Ephesians 6:1-13 …

… Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.

Who are we not fighting? Flesh and blood. Each other. Other humans. We may do evil things out of disobedience, but we are not evil. So what is evil? God’s enemy, Satan and his spirits. But by hating evil and loving God, we can resist evil and stand firm. What great news for us. And that’s a truth worth sharing with others, isn’t it?

Let’s pray together: “Heavenly Father, forgive me when I show love for evil by cooperating with it. But help me to hate that which opposes You, even the sin in me. Teach me to love You more, and help me to show love that can conquer hate. As above, so below.”