The political turmoil of the past several years has served to put an exclamation point on something I’ve read about in Scripture and believed for most of my life. Evil is real. Evil predates the human race and it is still hanging around and becoming more and more pervasive in our everyday lives. One of the big issues related to why evil has such influence is because believers are often asleep or too caught up in this “temporary” world and its demands and allurements to recognize what’s going on.
What has happened to our country? It’s deeply concerning to consider just a few of the problems. We have a national debt that is approaching thirty trillion dollars ($30,000,000,000,000). The implications of that should tell us something about the direction we are heading. But worse than that, our soul is terribly sick, if not lost. For almost fifty years we have been taking the lives of innocent babies through abortion(estimates vary from 50,000,000-60,000,000). Illegal and prescription drugs are killing our youth. Violent protests promote looting and destruction of property. It appears that many educational institutions and local schools are promoting ideas that are void of the idea of any absolute truth, re-writing our nation’s history and undermining our constitution. There also seems to be a noticeable dearth of news organizations that aren’t political and work hard to give us a “no spin” approach to what’s going on. And Washington, D.C. We are living a culture that has abandoned the One, True God. Do I need to say more?
The issues we face in our personal lives and the societal ones just mentioned can be enough to bring on feelings of helplessness and despair. Most of our personal and national problems didn’t just happen overnight. And, they won’t get fixed overnight. Here are some suggestions I have for all of us:
1. Take responsibility for yourself. I can’t solve the problems of the world but I can do a lot to fix what’s wrong with my attitude, the way I talk, and the way I invest my time and money.
2. Focus on some areas in which you can have influence. Do you have concerns about certain issues? Find ways to address them. Align yourself with causes that reflect your core beliefs and values. For example, I give regularly to one or two pro-life organizations, Judicial Watch, and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Do what you can in areas that concern you. Don’t worry about fixing the world but do something every day to encourage someone, lift a burden and give hope. There is a saying of Mother Teresa on my refrigerator that says, “Do small things with great love.” If each of us will lovingly do the small things we can do we will make a big difference.
3. Prepare for the battle. Paul reminds us in Ephesians 6:10-18 that we are battling an enemy that we will not defeat in our own strength. Put on the armor God provides and stand against evil. And pray, pray, pray.