Evil Always Lusts for Power

Understand this and so much becomes clear

Evil always lusts for power.

In a nutshell, this explains exactly why our nation is where it is today. We can no longer excuse those who have risen to places of power and authority saying, well they are good men at heart. Certainly not everyone in high places is evil, but take a step back and just look. Consider our political system. Who decides what candidates run for office? Yes, sometimes, a solid citizen will take the initiative. Too often they are either given a choice to either assent to the power players or take the hard road. The power players are those who traded their integrity for dollars or powers long ago. They’ve not only been bought and paid for but they are deeply in debt. Compromise is their life, their bread and butter. Those few who choose the hard road can rarely sustain themselves for long. They must either abandon their ideals or slink back to where they came from. Know this… evil knows no bounds.

Evil is ruthless in the quest for unbridled power. Do not think for a moment the thought of murder hinders evil. If human life, even the life of a beautiful, innocent child, is no barrier, then what can stand in the way of evil? It is evident that children are mere fodder for evil’s appetite. Dead or alive doesn’t matter as long as evil is sated. Anyone brave enough to face down evil in the face of certain death is likely to crumble when that face turns to one’s family. Add torture to the mix and, well, how many of us would still stand on principle? Never! You may say! These things do not, can not happen! Are you sure? Do you really believe evil is incapable of such deeds?

Is it possible we do not see such things for other reasons. One reason being most people do not need such heinous threats to compromise. Sex is a natural choice. Feed one’s sexual appetite and it doesn’t take long to become bogged down in a mire of sexual deviancy. Remember the children? Fodder. Ask yourself why Epstein was protected until he wasn’t. Ask yourself why not one of Epstein’s “clients” has been charged. In the world of espionage, sex is the Swiss knife of covert tools. It can distract, lure, and entrap. Beyond that, it can be used to subtly extract what cannot be had otherwise. Humans are sexual creatures by nature. We can and often are effectively manipulated via sex alone.

Let’s not forget drugs. Often drug use and sexual deviancy go hand in hand. Drugs, including alcohol, loosen our inhibitions. We become far more pliable after a few drinks. Our buttons come undone, our ties and our tongues loosen. Relax. What’s the problem? Loosen up. In vino veritas – in wine there is truth. How often is this truth confidential? How often does wine reveal our inner thoughts, our sins?

“Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise” - Proverbs 20:1 (KJV) And that is just alcohol. How compromised could someone addicted to cocaine or heroin become?

Then there is money. Greed. But greed comes in many forms, manifesting in many ways. How many citizens submitted to being injected with an unknown substance solely to keep from losing a paycheck? How many people would compromise given a choice between an unscrupulous act and keeping their pension or losing everything they’ve worked towards for 20 years? Rather than think about what someone would do for money, consider what most would not do for money. As I said, “most”. Such a statement indicates there are some with no compunctions. Given enough money, nothing is off the table. I call this evil. What do you call it?

Finally, there power. Power transcends it all. With power comes riches. Sex and drugs are freely available. Who can stop someone with enough power? What stands in their way? Who can resist? Of all these things, power is most intoxicating. Given enough power anything is possible, nothing can be denied. Who could resist such temptation? What human is immune to having every wish granted, every desire fulfilled, every whim catered to? Could this power not be used for good?

Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. – Lord Acton

Of course this is often stated as “Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Is power then inherently evil? No. God is omnipotent – all powerful, and God is not nor can be corrupted. This fact is likely why Lord Acton wrote “Power tends to corrupt”. He knew the difference between godly power and ungodly, evil power. This is key.

Evil is ungodly. Evil cannot, by definition, obtain the power held by God alone. His is the ultimate power thus evil cannot help but yearn for it, lust for it. Evil will always come short. Instead it garners whatever power it can from whatever source available. It crushes anything standing it the way. It will not be denied as long as it is able. Why, then does God allow this? How can a Holy God simply stand by to watch evil gather power and grow stronger day by day? While some of God’s purpose may be beyond our ability to comprehend, some of the answers are well within our reach.

To understand this, one must first recognize that God is the creator of the heavens and the earth. As such He set the rules for the universe in place. All of them. As God is faithful and honorable, He cannot circumvent or break His own rules. It would be silly to think He would as He is also omniscient – all knowing. It doesn’t make sense for a Holy God to make a rule He would later need to break. Even if one does not believe in God, one can certainly accept the idea that if there WAS a God, He wouldn’t be stupid. Thus, God set the rules and operates by those rules.

Scripture reveals God gave man all authority over the earth.

Genesis 1:27 God created man in his own image. In God's image he created him; male and female he created them.

28 God blessed them. God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” (WEB)

And Adam handed that authority over to the devil.

Luke 4:6 The devil said to him, “I will give you all this authority, and their glory, for it has been delivered to me; and I give it to whomever I want.

7 If you therefore will worship before me, it will all be yours.” (WEB)

This authority remains with the devil unto this very day. Verse seven in Luke above indicates the devil, who already had all power and authority, still did not have enough. He wants it all. He will stop at nothing until he challenges God Himself for the right to God’s throne. Never mind, God has foreseen this and has already defeated him. Never mind all of this is revealed in prophecy. It must come to a head whereas the devil will be defeated once and for all. In light of this, another thing happened when Adam abdicated the authority handed to him.

He was corrupted when he sinned. Worse, he passed down this corruption to every generation of mankind. Thus all of mankind was and is likewise corrupted. Our only salvation was through God’s only begotten Son Jesus, who shed his innocent, uncorrupted blood for our sins. How was this possible? It was only possible because God Himself fathered His son, within the rules God established.

Luke 1:35 The angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore also the holy one who is born from you will be called the Son of God.

Galatians 4:4 But when the fullness of the time came, God sent out his Son, born to a woman, born under the law (WEB)

Evil is rampant because man, Adam, opened the door, handing the devil the keys. Since that day, the devil has worked hard to expand his power to all corners of the world with the goal of bringing all under his rule. Without man, the devil’s power is nothing. He takes no pleasure in ruling animals. It is man’s worship he desires. Power over mankind is what he lusts for. He uses those men he corrupts to achieve his goal. Evil is his means because he, himself, is evil. Such is why evil always lusts for power.