Overcome evil with God
by David Lazarus

Romans 12:17:21 We are not overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good.
 
Not for our satisfaction or spirituality.
Not love those who trouble us so that we can say, O see how much I love him.”
Not bless those who curse us “See how spiritual I am, how strong of a believer I am.”
 
Not learning to keep no bitterness in our hearts.
Not learning to not strike back at those who strike us.
 
Not passive endurance of rejection or persecution.
 
This is active.   Something you do.
 
You feed the enemy. You give him drink.
 
Not struggle to come to a place of forgiveness, or peace in my heart.
Not struggle to come to place of no more bitterness
Or forget bad memories of what happened when someone hurt me.
 
It includes that, but it goes beyond that.
 
It is an action you take because of a belief you have.
 
Let me try and explain what this is.
 
Exodus 23:4-5
 
“Enemy’s donkey in his way”
 
Not talking about someone far away. Neighbor. Someone you know.
Friend. Grew up with.
 
Verses just before. Could be someone who spoke badly against you as in.
Lied about you to others and destroyed your relationship with your friends
 
Could be a neighbor who stole from you or borrowed your donkey, broke his leg, and never paid you back
 
Often hurt most by those we are closest to.
 
You see his donkey going down the street lost:
 
1. You don’t just watch and think to yourself,
“Well, so now God is getting him back. He’s getting what he deserves.”
2. You don’t go home and pray,
“O God please find this man’s donkey for him.” Then say to yourself, O how I am so godly and like Yeshua.
3. You don’t stand there and think,
“All he has to do is come and ask forgiveness for speaking badly against me, and I’ll be happy to go and help him find his donkey. If he would pay me back I would be happy to help him.”
 
You go and get his donkey.
 
Why would you do that?
 
Because you are a Friar?
Ignorant and don’t understand that this person hurt you?
Because by getting his donkey you will show him how righteous you are, even though he hurt you?
 
No. Because you believe in a God who is a God of loving kindness, longsuffering and mercy.
 
Something inside you must do it.
 
What about when you see your enemy neighbor whose donkey is falling down under a heavy load?
 
1. You don’t stand there and say,
“O, now maybe he’ll learn!” All those times he caused me trouble. Serves him right!
2. You don’t stand there and think,
“O, I can’t wait to tell everyone how he treats his donkey. After he told all those terrible things about me, now I’ll tell everyone what kind of a person he is who makes his donkey suffer so.
3. You don’t stand there and say,
“O poor donkey, I really feel bad for this poor man and his donkey, even though he caused me trouble, I have compassion for him poor thing
 
Why would you do this?
 
Because you are a new creation through the Messiah. You have a new nature.
 
Because you are committed to a way of love and good deeds.
 
Because you are not going to let evil overcome you.
You believe that you can overcome evil with good.
 
This is story of Yeshua. He didn’t stop loving even when his friends turned against him. Gave his life because he believed in the power of love to overcome evil.
It doesn’t mean we will not be hurt. We will, even as Yeshua was.
It means that we do not stop loving just because everyone else is.
 
Prov. 25:21-22 Coals
 
Not to get the person back for what he did.
Not to hurt the person because he hurt you.
Not to make him come back and ask forgiveness from you.
 
Ezek.10:2 Into the presence of Holy of holy to take coals from the Mercy Seat of God.
 
Pour onto the person the Loving Actions of God.
Speaks to their conscious in mind (head)
 
We do good even to those who do wrong because we believe in the power of good of Love.
 
 
Prov.  25:22 The Lord will be with you. Lord will reward you.

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