For though they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God or show gratitude. Instead, their thinking became nonsense and their senseless minds were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools.     Romans 1:21-22 HCSB

This verse tells us what happens when we reject Christ. It’s easy to look around today and think there are many people suffering with mental illness and it certainly seems as though this is true. But another huge problem we face is there are also a number of people who have rejected Christ over and over again. Because they have done so, God has given them over to their own sinful desires. We are clearly told in Romans 1:24 that if we reject God, He will deliver us over to our cravings and sexual impurity. These people will be given over to evil and will be used by Satan to perpetrate evil against others.

Our scripture passages tells us that if we know God and fail to glorify Him or show Him gratitude our thinking will become nonsense and our senseless minds will be darkened. Sadly, I know several people that I feel are in this condition. I’m sure that right off the top of your head, you can also think of several people whose thinking seems to be nonsense and whose minds seem darkened. By darkened minds, I am referring to those who plot evil against others.

I see people commit evil acts against others and feel not only justified, but gratified. They are excited about the evil that they have inflicted on someone else. My friend, we need to tread carefully in these areas. Romans 12:19 clearly tells us that vengeance is God’s job, not ours.

We were made to be in fellowship with God. We were made to give him glory and honor and thanks and praise. When we fail to do this, it never bodes well for us. As Christians, we need to be sure that we are continually giving God thanks and praise. We need to be sure that we glorify Him through our words and our actions.

How are we to deal with those who seem to have been given over? Well, I can only speak from personal experience. I can tell you that I pray for them. For some, I have made it my business to pray on a daily basis. I also pray for the safety and protection of those in their path.

The other thing I try to do is show them Christian love. Many years ago, I asked my pastor about a particular church member who I would nicely describe as “crusty.” This person had made such a drastic change after years of being mean spirited. I was so impressed with this change. I asked my pastor if he knew what had happened with them. He just sweetly smiled and said, “Sometimes you just have to love the meanness out of a person.”

Many people have grown up in homes too horrible for us to even imagine. Some have grown up in good Christian homes, but have rejected Christ. We may not know a person’s history or particular circumstances, but we know how Christ taught us to love. We know that Ephesians 5:1 says that we are to be imitators of Him.

Our mental health can suffer due to a chemical imbalance, neurological disorders or past trauma. Some have been victims of the evil behavior of others. A person can suffer with mental illness with no hint of malicious behavior. Some respond very well to medication.

But there are people who seem to be pure evil. They always seem to be scheming or plotting evil against others. If you  take a closer look, you will see that they have rejected Christ. This puts them into dangerous territory. When we reject Christ or trade a loving God for immoral behavior, God will eventually give us over to our evil desires. Those who reject Christ easily come under demonic influence. We have two choices, we either accept and follow Christ, or we become a puppet for the devil.

When dealing with someone who has rejected Christ and plots evil against others, be very careful. Pray for them and also pray for God to give you wisdom and discernment in dealing with them. Pray for God’s protection on those they may plot evil against.

If you are dealing with someone who is evil, read Psalm 37. It has some good instructions in there about how to deal with these types of things. It reminds us that the righteous will inherit the land and the wicked will be destroyed. Whomever we deal with, we are to imitate Christ. Be as wise as a serpent and as innocent as a dove (Matthew 10:16). In other words, operate offensively while being gentle and pure.

Have a great day!