Pathways Press.com

Written by Dallas Willard (1935-2013), an American philosopher known for his works on Christian spiritual formation. This is an excerpt from his book “The Spirit of the Disciplines.”

The persistence of evil rests upon the general drift of human life in which we all share…We delude ourselves about the sustaining conditions of people’s evil deeds because we wish to continue living as we now live and continue being the kinds of people we are. We do not want to change. We do not want our world to be really different. We just want to escape the consequences of its being what it truly is and of our being who we truly are. We certainly think it would be wonderful if we and all others would try to make a difference—to do what we should—and we often say so. But we do not want to bother with becoming the sort of people who actually, naturally do that. In fact, to look at our media—our novels, our movies, our television—sometimes it seems we may thing being such a person might be rather dull and unexciting. Imagine a television series called “Miami Virtue” instead of “Miami Vice.” We are drawn to evil, excited by it. Yet, interestingly enough, we seem surprised when it becomes reality…We must at some point stop looking for new information or social arrangements or religious experiences that will draw off the evil in the world at large, abolish war, hunger, oppression, and so forth, while letting us continue to be and live as we have since Adam. This is the illusion of our age, the Holy Grail of modernity, a pleasant dream in the sleep of secularism. The monstrous evils we deplore are in fact the strict causal consequences of the spirit and behavior of “normal” human beings following generally acceptable patterns of life…Justice cannot prevail until there are enough people properly equipped with Christ’s character and power…who cooperatively and under God constantly see to it that good is secured and that right is done.

Prayer:

Written by Maano Pohamba, a contemporary author.

O Eternal God and King of all creation, who has granted me to arrive at this hour, forgive me the sins that I have committed today in thought, word and deed, and cleanse, O Lord, my humble soul from all defilement of flesh and spirit. And grant me, O Lord, to pass the sleep of this night in peace, that when I rise from my bed I may please Your most holy Name all the days of my life and conquer my flesh and the fleshless foes that war with me. And deliver me, O Lord, from vain and frivolous thoughts, and from evil desires which defile me. For Yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, now and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.