And pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil people, for not everyone has faith.  But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.  2 Thessalonians 3:2-3 NIV

The Bible has a lot to say about evil and wicked people.  It clearly states that they will be destroyed.  The problem with evil, wicked people is that they plot evil against anyone that doesn’t agree with them and often times that is people like us.  So when we are just going about our lives focusing on God and trying to serve him, the devil uses evil, wicked people to distract us.  You see these people have reached a point in their lives where they allow themselves to be controlled by the devil (Romans 1:24).  So how does the Bible say that we should handle evil, wicked people?  Well, there are several verses that I would like to look at today that address this issue.

Romans 12:19 tells us not to avenge ourselves but to leave room for God’s wrath for God says, “vengeance is mine”. The reason it says to leave room for God’s wrath is that God’s wrath is all consuming. It blows up on the evil person if they don’t get right with God. Proverbs 17:13 tells us that if anyone returns evil for good, evil will not depart his house.

Exodus 14:14, one of my favorites, says, “The Lord will fight for you, you need only be silent”. This is when the Israelites had fled Egypt and were being chased by the Egyptian army. They were at the Red Sea with the army behind them. Literally between the devil and the deep blue sea. They had nowhere to go, but God provided the way. Not only did He provide a way of escape, but He destroyed the Egyptian army. They no longer had to worry about being chased by them. God handled everything for them.

Don’t become angry with them for we are told in James 1:20 that the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Ephesians 4:26 tells us to be angry and not to sin, we are not to let the sun go down on our anger. God understands that anger is a natural response, but we should never allow our anger to control our actions. Ephesians 4:31-32 tells us to remove anger, bitterness, wrath, slander and to be kind and tenderhearted forgiving other as Christ forgives us. If you can’t do this, pray and God will remove it for you. I am speaking from personal experience.

There are many verses on this topic, but the last two I want to include are Ephesians 6:12 and 1 Corinthians 10:4-5. Ephesians 6:12 says, we do not wrestle with flesh and blood but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 1 Corinthians 10:4-5 reminds us that the weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against God the knowledge of God and we take every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ. Know that your true enemy is the devil and he is merely working through this person or group of people, whatever the case may be.

My friend, our best defense in dealing with evil people is God’s word, our sword of the Spirit. Don’t forget your armor, truth, righteousness, and peace. Pray for your enemies (Matthew 5:44). I have tried this and I assure you it works. I know it doesn’t sound anything like what the flesh tells you to do, but we must never obey our flesh. Pray for their salvation. If they accept Christ, they will no longer be your enemies. If they reject Christ, God will deal with them harshly.

But whatever happens with them, be sure that you are being obedient to God. We are told in John 14:15 that if we love Jesus, we will keep His commandments. When you deal with evil people, begin with prayer. Ask God to guide you and give you wisdom and discernment. Ask God to fight for you. Trust Him to take care of you and be obedient to Him.

There may be times He clearly commands you to do something. But also know that there will be times when he will tell you to stand still and watch Him work. Don’t get antsy. Trust in God and His timing. Trust that He is working all things for your good if you love Him and are called according to His purpose. Maybe he’s calling you to serve Him, but you are so busy fighting that you can’t hear Him. Stop and listen. Be still and know that He is God (Psalm 46:10).

Have a great day!