Today's Verse: Psalm 97:10

Thursday, February 7, 1946

Let those who love the Lord hate evil, for he guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked.
— Psalm 97:10
Now you can listen to Today's Verse on iTunes, Spotify, Echo devices, and more!

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

Hate - what a bold and powerful word. Jesus does not want us to hate people, not even our enemies (Matthew 5:43-48). However, we MUST HATE evil and the evil one. While balancing our hatred of the evil one with our love for others can be challenging, it is absolutely vital. Evil is here because of the evil one - the champion of hate, lies, murder, and death (John 8:44). We can and must daily pray for deliverance from evil and the evil one (Matthew 5:13). So, when evil rears its ugly head, let's be courageous and oppose the evil one and his work. As we resist the evil one, he will flee from us (James 4:7) as we draw near to God and are strengthened by his presence (James 4:8; Hebrews 10:22). Let's choose to be used by God to be redemptive as we pray for those trapped by evil and the evil one's tentacles. In so doing, we are not overcome by evil and the evil one, but we overcome evil with good (Romans 12:21).

My Prayer...

Almighty God, make my heart pained by the evil in the world around me. Please also give me a holy revulsion to things opposed to your will and character that emanate from the evil one and propagate evil in your world. At the same time, dear Father, I know that you redeemed me by grace and rescued me while I was a captive to sin and the evil one. So, please give me the courage and compassion to care for those in the evil one's embrace and are captive to his evil ways. Please bless me as I try to balance my absolute disdain for the evil one and my love for those who have been hurt and made captive by his evil ways. Through Jesus, my Savior, I pray. Amen.

Have thoughts on this devotional? Leave a comment

1 Related Resource by Heartlight

He Guards
Illustration of Psalm 97:10
Inspirational illustration of Psalm 97:10 -- Let those who love the Lord hate evil, for he guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked.

Illustration

Illustration of Psalm 97:10 — Let those who love the Lord hate evil, for he guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked.

Other Devotionals from Heartlight for Thursday, February 7, 1946

Morning & Evening
The classic twice-daily devotional from Charles H. Spurgeon.
Morning Thought: Titus 3:4
"How sweet it is to behold the Saviour communing with his own beloved people! There can be nothing more delightful than, by the Divine Spirit, to be..."
God's Holy Fire
A daily devotional about the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
'The Spirit Told Me!' (Ac. 11:12)
"[Peter:] "The Spirit told me to have no hesitation about going with [Cornelius' messengers]. These six brothers also went with me, and we entered the man's..."
What Jesus Did!
A daily guide from the gospels that challenges readers to live for Jesus.
'Opposition to Jesus' (Jn. 7:47-49)
""Have you been led astray, too?" the Pharisees mocked [to the Temple guards who said they had never heard anyone speak like Jesus]. "Is there a single..."
Passion for Praise
A daily passage of Scripture emphasizing praise to our God.
'You Rule Over Everything' (1 Ch. 29:12-13)
"Wealth and honor come from you alone, for you rule over everything. Power and might are in your hand, and at your discretion people are made great and..."

About This Devotional

Today's Verse is a free daily devotional that includes a Bible verse, thought and prayer.

The Thoughts and Prayer on Today's Verse are written by Phil Ware.

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.

More Today's Verse