Running From Evil, Clinging to Good: A Call to Authentic Christian Living

The call to authentic Christian living has never been more urgent than the time that we are living in. We live in an age where declaring faith is easy, but demonstrating that faith through our daily actions proves far more challenging. The question we must honestly ask ourselves is this: Does our lifestyle reflect the Jesus we claim to follow?

The journey toward genuine Christian character begins with understanding what it means to love without hypocrisy. This isn't the superficial love we often see displayed on social media or the conditional affection we extend only to those who benefit us. This is the radical, transformative love that flows directly from the heart of God.
Scripture reminds us in 1 John 4 that if someone claims to love God but cultivates hatred toward a fellow believer, that person is a liar. These aren't comfortable words, but they're necessary ones. Before we stand before God on judgment day, we need to examine our hearts and ask: Is there bitterness, strife, division, or hatred lurking in the corners of our souls?

The truth is, we cannot claim to be in love with Jesus while simultaneously demonstrating hatred toward those around us. Our faith must be demonstrated not just in our Sunday morning declarations, but in how we treat our spouse behind closed doors, how we speak to our children when we're frustrated, and how we respond to those who irritate or offend us.

Romans 12:9 instructs us to "abhor what is evil" and "cling to what is good." The Greek word for "abhor" paints a vivid picture—it describes an intense dislike so strong that a person physically steps back in disgust. Think about encountering something with such a foul odor that you instinctively recoil. That should be our reaction to sin and evil.
But what exactly constitutes evil in this context? The Greek text reveals that evil encompasses anything full of destruction, disaster, harm, or danger. This isn't limited to obvious wickedness; it extends to anything that damages our physical, mental, or spiritual well-being.

Here's where the challenge intensifies: What are you tolerating in your life that God finds disgusting? What habits, entertainment choices, relationships, or thought patterns have you normalized that actually grieve the Holy Spirit?


Our minds function like movie screens, constantly replaying images and information we've consumed. What's showing in the theater of your mind? What slideshow runs on repeat in your imagination? The content we allow into our minds doesn't just pass through—it takes up residence, influencing our thoughts, attitudes, and eventually our actions.

There's a critical distinction between ministering to those living in darkness and saturating ourselves in their lifestyle. Think about marinating a steak. At first, the marinade only touches the outside, but the longer the meat sits in that liquid, the more the flavors penetrate deep into the center.

Similarly, what we saturate ourselves in eventually seeps into our core. We can reach people living in sin without adopting their sinful practices. We can love the lost without becoming lost ourselves. But this requires intentionality, wisdom, and remaining alert.

The enemy's strategy is subtle. He doesn't usually tempt us with blatant wickedness all at once. Instead, he whispers, "It's just one time. It's just one drink. It's just one episode of that show. It's just one night with those friends. You're young—live a little. You can ask for forgiveness tomorrow."

But each compromise weakens our spiritual immune system. Each rationalization makes the next one easier. Before we realize it, we've drifted far from the shore of righteousness, wondering how we got so far from God.


The flip side of hating evil is clinging—or cleaving—to what is good. This same Greek word appears in Ephesians 5:31, describing how a man should be joined to his wife. It implies being glued, cemented, permanently connected.
Just as a healthy marriage requires intentional effort from both partners, cleaving to good spiritual practices demands active participation. These good things—prayer, Scripture reading, worship, fellowship with other believers—won't automatically attach themselves to us. We must pursue them with determination and consistency.

Your spirit needs nourishment just as your body needs food. You wouldn't expect to thrive physically eating only one or two meals per week. Yet many Christians attempt to sustain their spiritual lives on a Sunday morning sermon alone, wondering why they feel weak, tired, and vulnerable to temptation.

True revival doesn't begin with massive gatherings or emotional services. It starts with individual repentance—with believers getting honest before God about the areas where they've compromised, tolerated sin, or allowed their hearts to grow cold.
Revival means coming home to the Father. It means allowing Him to remove the veil from our eyes so we can see ourselves as we truly are—not as we imagine ourselves to be. It requires humility to admit that we're not "all that and a bag of chips," that we desperately need a Savior named Jesus Christ.

What would change in your life if you could glimpse Jesus as He truly appears now—with eyes like flames of fire, hair white as wool, and a voice like rushing waters? Would your worries seem so overwhelming? Would the things you're clinging to seem worth holding onto?

People in your workplace, your neighborhood, your family may never step inside a church building, but they're reading your life every single day. What message are they receiving?
Your life carries tremendous power as a believer. You're not insignificant. God has strategically positioned you exactly where you are to demonstrate His love, His character, and His truth—not just with words, but with actions.

The call to behave like a Christian isn't about perfection—none of us will achieve that this side of heaven. It's about progression, about becoming more like Jesus day by day. It's about recognizing when we fall and immediately getting back up, dusting ourselves off, and continuing forward.

So examine your heart today. What needs to change? What evil needs to be expelled? What good needs to be embraced? Don't wait for the perfect moment. Today is the day of salvation. Today is the day of transformation.
Step out of the marinade before the flavors of this world penetrate too deeply. Let God wipe you clean and make you white as snow. The world is waiting to see authentic Christians who truly live what they believe.