Do not be overcome by
evil, but overcome evil with good
During my early years, I got a lot of grief from my peers at
school. Some of it was “welcomed” by my own foolish actions while others of it
was just the product of a broken world of school-aged kids. I would return home
each day in pieces looking for a way to build myself back up. But instead of
choosing a path of righteous restoration, I chose a path of foolish
destruction. I dished it out on my younger brother. I felt so bad about myself that,
whether consciously or subconsciously, I chose a path to healing that started
by bringing someone else down to my level. So I lit into him each day, tearing
him down to the miserable level that I was at. I was responding to the evil I
was experiencing with my own form of evil. I was wrecking my brothers confidence,
security, and happiness because I was unhappy. And in the end, there stood two
guys, broken, beaten, and worse than they were when the day started. It was
like I was trying to put out a house fire by throwing more fire on the house.
It made no sense. Trying to manage the evil in this life with evil accomplishes
nothing…it makes everything worse. The evil that we encounter each day can be
overwhelming at times. But if we respond to sin with more sin, then we are simply
serving to promote the problem….we are simply digging the hole deeper. If we
allow sin to overcome us, we start to submit to sin and we chart the foolish
path that it places before us. But when we seek righteousness…when we seek to
respond in a manner that aligns with God’s instructions, we start to see evil taking a back seat in our lives. When
we seek God’s hand in guiding our thoughts, words, and actions, we start to win
battles against the sin in our lives, instead of getting repeatedly pinned to
the mat. We can’t beat sin alone…history displayed that very clearly…and God
understands that fully. After all, it was our inadequacy that required God to
send Jesus into this world. And through Christ, we have the ability to overcome
evil with good. Through Christ, we have the Holy Spirit leading our daily lives
so that we won’t be overcome by evil…and so that we actually CAN respond in
righteousness. I pray that we remember this text from Romans each day, that we
pray to God for wisdom, strength, and confidence to not be overcome by evil,
and that we give thanks to the Lord that we don’t face the challenge alone. To
God alone be the glory!
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