The Evil Shall not Overtake Nor Prevent Us

Amos 9:8-10, “Behold, the eyes of the Lord God are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from off the face of the earth; saving that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, saith the Lord. For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations, like as corn is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth. All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, which say, The evil shall not overtake nor prevent us.”

God was ready to punish the people for their sin. The last phrase of the above passage is the people’s response to the evil which they were doing. They didn’t think that is would overtake them. A huge problem in our society today is people thinking they are an exception to the rules. I used to work as a traffic guard at the San Jose International Airport. The airport policy was no waiting in your vehicle on the curb when picking up or dropping off. I can’t even count how many times people would give me their reasons as to why it was ok for THEM to stay there but no one else.

James 1:14-15 says, “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” This is how sin works. No one is an exception to this process. You can control your sin AT FIRST, but eventually your sin will control you. You never know when that transition will be. Sin is powerful, but we can overcome it by living a life committed to the Lord. Let us live a life where we are determined not to sin because we are not an exception.