There is evil all around us. For some it is hard to see the evil people in our world. Even Christian counselors, pastors and people helpers often have a hard time discerning between an evil heart and an ordinary sinner who messes up, who isn’t perfect, and full of weakness and sin. Evil is hard to see because we find it difficult to believe that evil individuals actually exist. We can’t imagine someone deceiving us with no conscience, hurting others with no remorse, spinning outrageous fabrications to ruin someone’s reputation, or pretending he or she is spiritually committed yet has no fear of God before his or her eyes.

Evil hearts are experts at creating confusion and contention. The following Bible verses are examples of twisting facts, misleading, avoiding responsibility, denying reality, making up stories, and withholding information. Psalms 5:8; 10:7; 58:3; 109:2–5; 140:2; Proverbs 6:13,14; 6:18,19; 12:13; 16:20; 16:27, 28; 30:14; Job 15:35; Jeremiah 18:18; Nehemiah 6:8; Micah 2:1; Matthew 12:34,35; Acts 6:11–13; 2 Peter 3:16

Evil hearts are experts at fooling others with their smooth speech and flattering words. Psalms 50:19; 52:2,3; 57:4; 59:7; 101:7; Proverbs 12:5; 26:23–26; 26:28; Job 20:12; Jeremiah 12:6; Matthew 26:59; Acts 6:11–13; Romans 16:17,18; 2 Corinthians 11:13,14; 2 Timothy 3:2–5; 3:13; Titus 1:10,16.

Evil hearts crave and demand control, and their highest authority is their own self-reference. They reject feedback, real accountability, and make up their own rules to live by. Romans 2:8; Psalms 10; 36:1–4; 50:16–22; 54:5,6; 73:6–9; Proverbs 21:24; Jude 1:8–16.

Evil hearts play on the sympathies of good-willed people, often trumping the grace card. They demand mercy but give none themselves. They demand warmth, forgiveness, and intimacy from those they have harmed with no empathy for the pain they have caused and no real intention of making amends or working hard to rebuild broken trust. Proverbs 21:10; 1 Peter 2:16; Jude 1:4.

Evil hearts have no conscience, no remorse. They do not struggle against sin or evil—they delight in it—all the while masquerading as someone of noble character. Proverbs 2:14–15; 10:23; 12:10; 21:27,29; Isaiah 32:6; Romans 1:30; 2 Corinthians 11:13–15.

Evil must be confronted head on. The longer we try to reason with them they will eventually make you a pawn in their game. When we confront evil, chances are good that the evil heart will stop counseling with us because the darkness hates the light (John 3:20) and the foolish and evil heart reject correction (Proverbs 9:7,8). But that outcome is far better than allowing the evil heart to believe we are on his or her side, or that “he’s not that bad” or “that she’s really sorry” or “that she’s changing” when, in fact, he/she is not.

Daniel says, “The wicked will continue to be wicked” (Daniel 12:10), which begs the question, do you think an evil person can really change?

Why did I write this article, because there are evil people all around us. Some will ignore our request for information thinking they are above the law, some will use us to spin and publish outrageous fabrications to try and ruin someone’s reputation, some will try to get others to attack an individual because he or she writes something they do not like, some will see themselves in the statements above and show no remorse but plan another way to attack the good people, some will work to divide instead of work together to accomplish. In all this they should know Jesus loves them but there is a day of judgment coming.