The whole world is growing in a geometrical progression when it comes to crookedness and perversion. If you listen to the news or take a tab on happenings around the world, you will discover that the level of wickedness, corruption and evil being perpetrated in high places is growing unabated. As a matter of fact, being referred to as a believer is no longer fashionable in some quarters because crookedness and perversion is fast eroding Christian values that certain people have been known with and are used to. I want us to start our observation by opening our Bibles to the book of 1 John 5:19-21. Apostle John wrote:
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“We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one. 20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life. 21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.”
In this passage, John attested to the fact that the whole world (and not just some part of it) is under the control of the wicked one. WHO IS THE WICKED ONE? In Biblical context, Satan is referred to as the wicked one and not just Satan, anyone and everyone who does evil. 1 John 3:10-12 says: “In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother. 11 For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another, 12 not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother’s righteous.”
So, the whole world as it is today is under the influence or the sway of the wicked one. There is another account in Philippians 2:12-16, Paul showing us the same problem in another beautiful context. The Bible says:
“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. 14 Do all things without complaining and disputing, 15 that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.”
Here in this passage, Paul attested to the fact that the world is crooked and perverse. The word ‘crooked’ simply means: not straight or to bend something out of shape or out of place. So, to say the world is crooked simply means that it has been bent out of shape. That means that there is an original shape, because for something to be bent out of shape, it means there must have been an original. For example, there cannot be an imitation gold if there is no original gold somewhere to be imitated. Also, the word ‘perverse’ simply means: to behave in a certain way that is unreasonable or unacceptable. It means behaving contrary to the accepted or expected standard or practice. For this to happen, that means there must have also been a reasonable and acceptable standard of behavior. For example, marriage was instituted to be between a man and a woman. But when a man marries a man, and a woman marries a woman, that is an example of perversion, because it is a deviation from the original intent or purpose of marriage.
It is perversion that would make a man to think he is a woman and want to do everything to become a woman. And it is also perversion that would make a woman to think she is a man and would want to do everything to become a man. Romans 1:26-27 says: “For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. 27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.”
The Genesis of a crooked and Perverse world
Now, we must understand that what made the world crooked and perverse in the first place is not because God intended it to be that way from the beginning. The world as it is today is crooked and perverse because the people in the world made it so, because much more than just the geographical space called the earth, the people who occupies it determines what goes on it. The Genesis of a crooked and perverse world began when men rejected God. And this rejection began in the book of Genesis 2:1-3, 8-9, 15-17
“Thus, the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. 2 And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made. The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed. 9 And out of the ground the Lord God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
Let us jump to Genesis 3:1-7
“Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” 4 Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.”
This account we read in Genesis was the very first account of Man’s rejection of God and this was the beginning of crookedness and perversion because man chose to live outside of God’s divine arrangement and order, because when a man reject God, what you are simply saying is that you are not interested in God’s arrangement and that you would rather follow the other arrangement. God’s idea was for man to live within the means that He has created for him, within the life system of God. But the moment man chose to do otherwise by yielding to the tempting of Satan, crookedness and perversion became the order of the day in the world. Satan cannot create anything, but he is a master perverter. He knows that he can make man to err by creating a fake of everything that God has created. That is why the Bible calls him the father of lies (John 8:44).
God Destroyed the First Earth
Genesis 6:5-7
“Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. 7 So the Lord said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.” 8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.”
Genesis 7:17-24
“Now the flood was on the earth forty days. The waters increased and lifted up the ark, and it rose high above the earth. 18 The waters prevailed and greatly increased on the earth, and the ark moved about on the surface of the waters. 19 And the waters prevailed exceedingly on the earth, and all the high hills under the whole heaven were covered. 20 The waters prevailed fifteen cubits upward, and the mountains were covered. 21 And all flesh died that moved on the earth: birds and cattle and beasts and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, and every man. 22 All in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, all that was on the dry land, died. 23 So He destroyed all living things which were on the face of the ground: both man and cattle, creeping thing and bird of the air. They were destroyed from the earth. Only Noah and those who were with him in the ark remained alive. 24 And the waters prevailed on the earth one hundred and fifty days.”
Now, one would think that with the destruction of the first set of creation, everything called perversion should literally come to an end. What happened? How come the earth grew worse and worse even afterwards? The answer to this question is simple: the seed of corruption has been sown already in the remnant that entered the ark with Noah. It was not possible for God to have destroyed everything so to say because there was no plan that God would create a new man afresh. So, even though many perished with the flood, the few that made it into the ark have that nature of perversion and crookedness sown into them already. That is why it would only take the works of Christ which comes through grace, to destroy that seed of crookedness and perversion in man.
Let us go back to Philippians 2:12-16
“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. 14 Do all things without complaining and disputing, 15 that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.”
Here, Paul also acknowledged the fact that God is at work in us and it is very important that we are sensitive to this work that God is doing in us. Majority today are not sensitive to the work that God is doing in them. The question is: What Exactly Is God Working in Us?
#1. God is working in us to be totally conformed to the image of His Son. There are two kinds of conformity. The first kind is the conformity to this world. Paul warned in Romans 12:2 that “we should not be conformed to this world but we should be transformed by the renewing of our minds.” The conformity of this world is what gives birth to crookedness and perversion and it takes persistence and continuous mind renewal not to be a victim. The second kind of conformity is the one that conformed us to the image of Christ. This is exactly the intention of God. Romans 8:28-29 says: “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. 29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.”
#2. God is working in us so that we can produce good works. In this crooked and perverse world, where the works of darkness seems to pervade everywhere, God works in His children so that they can churn out good works. Just imagine for once that all that is in the world is darkness alone, and there is no man or woman somewhere that is doing something differently. This world would have been inhabitable. Ephesians 2:10 says: “for we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”
#3. God is working in us because His life system is at work in us. We live and dwell within the means and domain that God has made available for us. John 10:27-28 says: “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. 28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.”
How do we Develop Godly Character in a Crooked and Perverse World?
#1. By being deliberate about the choices we make. The choices we make in this crooked and perverse world will either take us closer to God or take us farther away from Him. In Danile 1:8, the Bible recorded of Daniel when he found himself in a strange land and the choice he made. The Bible says: “But Daniel purposes in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank.”
#2. By holding fast, the word of life. Philippians 2:16 says: “holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.” What is the word of life? The word of life is the word that ministers life and not death. The word of life is the word that proceeds from the mouth of God. You may want to go back and listen to Kingdom Curriculum Series: The Word of Life for this.
#3. Continuous and deliberate renewal of the mind. Our minds must be renewed on a daily basis that we are not of this world and therefore, we cannot afford to be part of the crookedness and perverseness that has taken it over. As believers, we have been called to shine our light and not add to the darkness that has pervaded the space. And the best way to come to this understanding is by daily renewing our minds. Colossians 3:1-4 says: “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.”
I pray the Lord will help us in Jesus’ name.
Article Source: [Centre for New Dimension Leadership]
