When you fight a thing you antagonize it and it hits back. The harder you fight it the harder it hits. When you give your attention to anything, you are building that thing into your consciousness, for good or evil.
Is it surprising that God instructs us to focus on the positive things and to eliminate undesirable thought from our minds. Even human wisdom is full of the same advice. “Keep on the sunny side…Chin up…look on the bright side…if you don’t have something good to say…” and a thousand other sayings all reflect this universal truth. Listen to the wise advice of God and man. It’s this simple. Do not dwell on evil, but replace it with good. Then you will be free from it.
Sunny side up,
Z Gardener
I guess by posting this comment I am already going contrary to the advice in your post but here are a few other verses to consider:
Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ. [Jude 1:3, 4]
Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. [2 Tim 4:2-4]
And we have the example of John the Baptist:
But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? {Mat 3:7]
And we have the example of Jesus Himself.
You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. [John 8:44]
Thanks for the comment. It is my prayer that these posts and responses will be a blessing to the readers and the authors.
The post advises us to turn toward love and grace and away from evil instead of fighting it. In the examples you cite the speakers characterize evil but instruct us to teach, convince, yes even rebuke (I Timothy 5:20 “turn away from”) and suffer (be patient), instead of fighting and focusing on them.
That is not to say we should allow something to harm us. For instance, if an alligator is clamped on your leg, you can not turn away from it. But once you have removed your leg then move away from the beast instead of wrestling further with it. A few other corresponding thoughts…
“Judgement is mine…”
“Turn the other cheek…”
“Love your brother as yourselves…”
Peace.