Following the right voice?

God is very powerful, but he does not hate people. He is very powerful, but he is also very wise.
He will not let evil people live. He brings justice to the poor. He watches over those who live right.
He lets them rule in high places. (Job 36:5-7)

There are times when we stand back in wonder, pondering how it is that evil can get such an advantage in this world. We might not see God's forces at work because the evil just seems to 'outdo' what we see God doing, but we can rest assured what we don't see is the legions God has moving to overtake evil! God is wise and we need to trust his timing. Sometimes evil abounds, but he still protects those who serve him and love him with their whole hearts.

God doesn't hate people, but people respond to evil's pull and influence sometimes more rapidly than they do God's beckoning call to abandon sin. It is easy to get caught up with the movement of the crowds and neglect to see there are some faithful servants of Christ standing back, pulling away, and standing strong against the current. They don't do that in their own power, but because the Lord God is within them. The ones following the crowds aren't listening for his voice, but they are hearing what they want to believe.

What we can count on is God's justice. He won't let evil prevail or go unpunished. In fact, he gives time for repentance, but he isn't going to resist the evil desires of one's own heart. Evil abounds because the people follow their own desires, form their beliefs on what some charismatic person says, and then the move ahead blindly. God's wisdom dictates we don't listen to any other voice than his - allowing his Word and his Spirit to be the things that form our beliefs.

God watches over those who live right. How do we make right choices? We learn to discern the voice of this world system from that of our Lord and Savior. We assess every word and action of those who ask us to follow them against the Word of God. We see if the life testimony aligns with the Word of God - if not, we reject the message. There will always be evil until Jesus comes again - so we must learn to identify its influence, stop listening to its voices, and trust his power to help us resist the urge to follow the wrong voices. Just sayin!