It surrounds us every day. You cannot watch the news, read the newspaper, or look at your newsfeed without realizing this sobering reality. Even were you to try to cut yourself off from the events of the world, you cannot fail to witness evil in your own community. Theft. Murder. Abuse. Neglect. Deceit.Terror.
Evil is real. It's out there. It's everywhere. It's here.
You cannot avoid it. You cannot hide from it. You can ignore it, but not for long. One day, some way, evil will touch your life.
Evil is powerful.
Don't kid yourself. Evil isn't some caricature of Satan dressed in a red suit carrying a pitchfork. Evil is a real, powerful force threatening to consume our world. Evil is not confined to a certain religion, a particular people group, an isolated party of philosophy. Evil is ubiquitous and enduring. Evil is found everywhere, every-when.
Such a force, one that is found in every nook and cranny of the world, is inevitably and inherently powerful. Evil drives men to commit atrocities unthinkable on their own. It controls, it manipulates, it overwhelms.
Evil is a force to be reckoned with.
Do not be afraid.
Facing such a terrible and terrifying force, it would be easy to lose heart and faith. Looking around, we may think we stand not a chance against the tides of evil befalling our world. Hearing yet another report of someone cheating, someone killing, someone terrorizing the world, it would be easy to become frightened. It seems reasonable to hide ourselves, to seek safety, to cover our heads and wait for the storm to blow over.
It's not going to. Evil is here to stay. It has been here, and it will remain until the end. Evil is not new. As does the tide, evil waxes and wanes, but it never goes away. To give in to the fear of evil, to hide away and wait for it to pass, is to give up on living. If you're waiting for evil to disappear, I've got news for you: It's going to get worse before it gets better.
Do not be afraid. I know how the story ends. Evil will not win.
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
The latter half of Romans Chapter 12 addresses the reality of evil, and how we are to live with it. Paul tells us to hate what is evil, and cling to what is good. He tells us to be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. He reminds us to bless those who persecute you, and do not repay anyone evil for evil.
"Do not take revenge, my friends," says Paul, "but leave room for God's wrath."
Pulling from wisdom of old, Paul quotes Proverbs 25:21, 22. If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.
In summary, Paul says this: Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
We are surrounded by evil
We do not have to be overcome by it. Recognize what is evil, and hate it. Joyfully consider the hope we have in Christ Jesus. Be patient when evil afflicts us, pray faithfully. Do not seek revenge--let God take care of that.
Follow Paul's advice; it is God's recipe for victory.
We cannot help but be inundated by evil--that's out of our hands. What we can do is avoid being overcome by it.
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