Zephaniah 3 (KJV)

5 The just Lord is in the midst thereof; he will not do iniquity (wickedness): every morning doth he bring his judgment to light, he faileth not; but the unjust knoweth no shame.

8 Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the Lord, until the day that I rise up to the prey (spiritually dead): for my determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation (rage), even all my fierce anger: for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy.

9 For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the Lord, to serve him with one consent (accordance, blessing, understanding).

20 At that time will I bring you again, even in the time that I gather you: for I will make you a name and a praise among all people of the earth, when I turn back your captivity before your eyes, saith the Lord.

Psalm 83 (KJV)

3 They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones.

4 They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.

5 For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate (organized) against thee:

16 Fill their faces with shame; that they may seek thy name, O Lord.

17 Let them be confounded (startled) and troubled for ever; yea, let them be put to shame, and perish:

18 That men may know that thou, whose name alone is Jehovah, art the most high over all the earth.

1 Corinthians 7 (KJV)

1 Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman.
2 Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.
3 Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence (compassion): and likewise also the wife unto the husband.
4 The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife.
5 Defraud (rob) ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency (lustfulness).
6 But I speak this by permission, and not of commandment.
7 For I would that all men were even as I myself. But every man hath his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that.

8 I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, it is good for them if they abide even as I.
9 But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn.

In verse 9, burn meaning to yearn for lust and/or love....struggle with impure thoughts. ~ Karmen

10 And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband:
11 But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife.
12 But to the rest speak I, not the Lord: If any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away.
13 And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him.

14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified (declared holy) by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified  (declared holy) by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy.
15 But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace.
16 For what knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shalt save thy husband? or how knowest thou, O man, whether thou shalt save thy wife?

17 But as God hath distributed to every man, as the Lord hath called every one, so let him walk. And so ordain I in all churches.
18 Is any man called being circumcised? let him not become uncircumcised. Is any called in uncircumcision? let him not be circumcised.
19 Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God.
20 Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called.
21 Art thou called being a servant? care not for it: but if thou mayest be made free, use it rather.
22 For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord's freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ's servant.
23 Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.
24 Brethren, let every man, wherein he is called, therein abide with God.




25 Now concerning virgins I have no commandment of the Lord: yet I give my judgment, as one that hath obtained mercy of the Lord to be faithful.
26 I suppose therefore that this is good for the present distress, I say, that it is good for a man so to be.
27 Art thou bound unto a wife? seek not to be loosed. Art thou loosed from a wife? seek not a wife.
28 But and if thou marry, thou hast not sinned; and if a virgin marry, she hath not sinned. Nevertheless such shall have trouble in the flesh: but I spare you.

29 But this I say, brethren, the time is short: it remaineth, that both they that have wives be as though they had none;
30 And they that weep, as though they wept not; and they that rejoice, as though they rejoiced not; and they that buy, as though they possessed not;
31 And they that use this world, as not abusing it: for the fashion of this world passeth away.

32 But I would have you without carefulness. He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord:

33 But he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife.

34 There is difference also between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit: but she that is married careth for the things of the world, how she may please her husband.




35 And this I speak for your own profit; not that I may cast a snare (trap) upon you, but for that which is comely (suitable), and that ye may attend upon the Lord without distraction.
36 But if any man think that he behaveth himself uncomely toward his virgin, if she pass the flower of her age, and need so require, let him do what he will, he sinneth not: let them marry.
37 Nevertheless he that standeth stedfast in his heart, having no necessity, but hath power over his own will, and hath so decreed in his heart that he will keep his virgin, doeth well.
38 So then he that giveth her in marriage doeth well; but he that giveth her not in marriage doeth better.
39 The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth; but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord.
40 But she is happier if she so abide, after my judgment: and I think also that I have the Spirit of God.

Sinful Nature vs Holy Spirit

Romans 7 (KJV)

14 For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal (lustful), sold under sin.

15 For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.  
16 If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.  
17 Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.  
18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.  

19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.  
20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.  
21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.  
22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:  

23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.  



 

24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?  
25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

Am sure all can relate to this Romans 7:14-25 ~ Karmen

So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin. The law of your mind. Satan will deceive you by closing your mind off and when this happens unwise decisions will be made. Like choosing one bad apple over another one. Why do we do this? The sinful nature is mastering our mind. We must always be conscious of this. 23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me.

We have the sinful nature and Holy Spirit battling within us

This information I pulled from http://www.realtime.net/~wdoud/philemon/phlm02.html Reason for placing it on my notes was to show that even when you are trying to do right by God, Satan is right there tempting you to do wrong. 

Please before you decide to do something like voting or making big changes in your life, consider the scriptures in Romans 7 about the sinful nature attacking your body, just when you are trying to allow the Holy Spirit to protect and guide you the right way.  

Evil is a very strong word. If you are not making righteous decisions, good decisions, then they are evil. Do not allow Satan to deceive you. Evil is the reasoning and policy of Satan in his desire to become God. And just as the concept of grace represents the reasoning and policy of God, evil represents the thinking of Satan. And the influence of the souls of mankind are the objective. Evil, then, may be a simple distortion of God's Word and His directives. Evil invades all aspects of thought and life as it pertains to mankind: religion, legalism, socialism, politics,apostasy, etc.  

Under the concept of religion, evil includes any system of religious function outside of the 'church,' which church has been ordained by God. This means that certain denominations, movements and organizations within religion can be evil. And one of the most harmful things that can befall any believer is to become influenced by evil -- Satan's system.  

Spiritually mature believers are said to be able to differentiate between good and evil, Hebrews 5:14, which says, "But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil." And according to Romans 7:19-21, a good thing done in an evil manner is evil: "For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do -- this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me."  

Philippians 3:2 warns believers to beware of evil men, "Watch out for those dogs, those men who do evil, those mutilators of the flesh." And the saints are not to keep company with evil, and influence by evil explains why prayers are not answered: Job 35:8,9, says, "He keeps company with evildoers; he associates with wicked men. For he says, 'It profits a man nothing when he tries to please God.'"  

Ecclesiastes 9:3 makes the somber and astounding statements that false religious teachings are evil and can lead to insanity, "This is the evil in everything that happens under the sun: The same destiny overtakes all. The hearts of men, moreover, are full of evil and there is madness in their hearts while they live, and afterward they join the dead."  

Spiritually mature believers are protected from evil, according to the following verses: Psalm 21:11, Proverbs 12:12,20,21; 23:4; Genesis 50:20; 48:16; Psalm 37:16-19; 97:10; 119:101; 121:7, and Proverbs 1:33; 2:10-14; 19:23. Within the souls of believers, the question is: Is the believer influenced by God's Word and grace, or by evil? This question is clearly asked in Proverbs 15:3; 16:6; 22:3, and 24:1-4, which says, "Do not envy wicked men, do not desire their company; for their hearts plot violence, and their lips talk about making trouble. By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures." God's Word overcomes evil; Romans 12:21 says, "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." And Psalm 54:5 says, "Let evil recoil on those who slander me; in your faithfulness destroy them."  

Apostasy is shaped by evil, according to John 3:19, "This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil." And Psalm 36:1-4 makes it even more lucid, "An oracle is within my heart concerning the sinfulness of the wicked: There is no fear of God before his eyes. For in his own eyes he flatters himself too much to detect or hate his sin. The words of his mouth are wicked and deceitful; he has ceased to be wise and to do good. Even on his bed he plots evil; he commits himself to a sinful course and does not reject what is wrong." So here, then, we have the sins of arrogance and hatred included in evil, and helping to form apostasy in the believer's soul.  

Thinking evil leads to a complete reversal of standards, Isaiah 5:20, "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter." And the thinkers of evil destroy themselves (God using evil to destroy evil), according to Psalm 34:21, "Evil will slay the wicked; the foes of the righteous will be condemned." Evil has no loyalty to anyone or anything, Psalm 35:12, "They repay me evil for good and leave my soul forlorn." And finally, and efficiently, James 1:13 asserts that there is no evil in God, "When tempted, no one should say, 'God is tempting me.' For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone." 

And God will judge evil, Isaiah 13:11, "I will punish the world for its evil, the wicked for their sins. I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty and will humble the pride of the ruthless." Here we have sin and evil mentioned as two components of the same system. 'Haughty' thinking (evil) leads to 'arrogant' actions (sin). And 'ruthlessness' (hate as a system of thought or evil) leads to 'pride' (self-esteem and self-sufficiency). "In the present age, man proves his separation from his Creator by his spirit of self-sufficiency and positive rejection of God. The present issue between God and man is one of whether man will accept God's estimate of him, abandon his hopeless self-struggle, and cast himself only on the grace of God which alone is sufficient to accomplish his needed transformation." Paul's aim, then, is to influence Philemon with God's way, grace, rather than Satan's way, evil and coercion.