THE Bad Character

For Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Proverbs 16:27

A worthless man plots evil,
and his speech is like a scorching fire.

Literally, the worthless man digs up evil. Like an archeologist diligently digging for precious artifacts, he labors to come up with something evil to do. Talk about bad breath, his is like scorching fire. He uses speech for wicked ends, to do harm. This is the first of three proverbs that speak of the "bad character" - the worthless man, the dishonest man, and the man of violence.

There are some people who stumble into sin through errors in judgment and yielding to temptations. But there are others who have bad characters and who delight in doing mischief. (Oddly enough, these are the characters who are glamorized in TV and the movies. We know they are bad, but we are fascinated by them and admire their boldness.) More can be said later, but today think about THE bad character - Satan.

Satan plots evil, and he plots against you. If you are in Christ, he cannot touch your soul but he will still work to render you ineffective for Christ's service. He will use whatever means he can to turn you away from the path of righteousness - temptation, self-righteousness, false humility, pride - whatever works to distant you from Christ.

Know your enemy. He is like a roaring lion prowling about trying to devour you (1 Peter 5:8). Be on guard against him today. There are bad characters out there, and perhaps you will encounter someone today. But you will encounter THE bad character everyday. Don't be like Peter who trusted in himself. Pray even now for the Lord's protection and be alert.