Overcome Evil with Good

When tragedy strikes we take a stand back and wonder why. Why would a “so called,” All Powerful, All Knowing, and All Loving God allow such a thing? Where is His hand in the midst of such a terrible situation? The shock of the news leaves us numb as we sort out the information that trickles in. As for the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, it was a tragedy. A tragedy that we wished never happened. So many young innocent victims lost their lives, all too soon. It was a tragedy, at the hand of an ill young man. A tragedy where evil showed it’s ugly face once again.

Our world is the place where each and every person has the opportunity to choose how they will live. Will they live in goodness or evil? Our all loving and mighty God allows mankind to have that free will. We are not puppets on a string. As much as we could live our lives to help mankind, we can also live our lives to destroy mankind. Just as God and goodness needs willing vessels to make it known in this world, so does sin and evil. Sin is a friend to Satan and needs willing vessels in order to prove it is alive and active in humanity. Each time a person surrenders to sin, evil prevails. Sin always leads to death. It destroys relationships and lives. It has a way to eat at the core of all God’s goodness and mandate to mankind, “Be fruitful multiply and subdue the earth.” The enemy knows he is the prince of the air. He sends out commands to his demonic forces to work directly against the goodness of God for mankind and His creation. For every good thing, there is it’s counterfeit of evil.

We mourn with those who have lost their loved ones because we know the pain of loss is great. We may even ask ourselves, how can we help now? We cannot ever bring back their loved ones. Since God does call us to "partner" with Him, we too can overcome evil with good. Here are just a few ideas:

• Pray for the families and the community. We can ask that the Lord to pour out his grace and mercy in a special way. We can also pray the Lord keep them from going into bondage of fear and anxiety. 
• Focus on the "heroes" of that day. Rather than allowing evil to consume our thoughts. We need to praise the Lord for those who were willing to take a stand against evil. 
•  We can hold prayer vigils on their behalf and let our tears flow “with them” as our hearts ache for them.
• We can also send cards and gifts to them and their community. Even though the whole community's lives have been turned upside down, there will be children and families that need to have a sense of normalcy. For some of them it means Santa is suppose to come to on Christmas. With so many families being impacted by this tragedy, it's possible "Santa" could "forget." But with the help from so many, I believe we will see something positive coming from something so extremely difficult. For further information on sending cards or gifts - click:
•  http://www.ktvn.com/story/20358955/sandy-hook-school-fund-established

As people press into God for help, God will provide “out of this world” answers to their sorrow and pain. He WILL overcome evil with good. God will impart compassion and ideas, which provide ways for believers to help in this time of need.

Even though it seems like evil has prevailed, God in His abundance of life will have the final victory and we can join Him in this endeavor.

 

May this video provide some hope, healing, and restoration to those in need...