Good vs Evil!

Doom to you who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness in place of light and light in place of darkness, who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Isaiah 5:20 The Message

One of the scariest times that I ever remember was in October of 1962 when the world just seemed to pause while we were living under the threat of a nuclear war. A U.S. spy plane secretly photographed missile sites being built by the Soviet Union in Cuba. President Kennedy met with advisors in secret and decided to put a naval blockade around the island to keep Russia from building any more sites. He then demanded the removal of missiles already there, and the destruction of the sites.

It was a secret until he addressed the nation. After the address, I can remember the utter panic in our community. People were canning water in anticipation of nuclear fall out, plans were made for a safe place for families to gather, and each day was scarier than the next. Randy recalls with great clarity troops moving through his small town in route to areas in southern Florida close to Cuba. Nobody knew what would happen next, but fortunately the leaders of both superpowers realized the devastating possibility of a nuclear war and an agreement was reached. It was a few days of good vs. evil.

In our world of today, I am certain that negotiations and threats go on daily on a much larger and more intense scale, but most of us are oblivious to the evil that threatens us everyday on a national scale. However, we should be much more worried about the shootings, the muggings, the burglaries, the drug and human trafficking, and general decline in Christian principles and observance of The Ten Commandments right here in our own neighborhoods and community. Evil is alive and real.

Satan first appeared when he and his angels rebelled against God in heaven hoping to match their strength with His. God overcame Satan and his followers, and the Bible says he sent them like lightning from heaven to hell. From that time to this, there seems to be something akin to a chess match between God and Satan. Every time God makes a move for good, Satan tries a counter move for evil. We know who will win in the end, but in the meantime, the war rages, and it seems that people are just content to let the evil continue.

Charles Martin says, “The greatest trick ever pulled on mankind is that somewhere, somehow, somebody convinced us that evil isn’t real.” The truth is that evil is alive and very real in this world of today. It has always been here, but recently the pure senselessness of it all has begun to frighten even the most trusting and strongest of us all.

A battle for our very existence is raging all around us, and whether we win or lose depends on the common people, not the politicians. Whether we like it or not, this is a battlefield. It has been since Cain killed Abel. There is no reason to complicate the issue because there is no gray area in this battle. It is either good or evil, and we might as well go ahead and choose sides right now! Charles Martin

There will come a time when we will have to choose a side and begin to fight. David says in Psalms144, “Praise to the Lord, my rock, He trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle.” It is time to begin training for the battle that is surely coming in our community, our schools, even our churches, because if Christians won’t stand up against evil and injustice, then who will? As Louis L’Amour once said, “If you go amongst the Philistines, it’s best to go armed.” The way to “arm ourselves” is to be courageous enough to stand for good and strong enough to fight against evil. Remember “courage is being scared to death and saddling up anyway.”

There will come a time when God will announce “checkmate” in this game of good vs. evil, but until then: Rise up o men (and women) of God, Have done with lesser things. Lift heart and soul and mind and strength, to serve the King of Kings. William Merrill