Don’t ya love stories about people who overcome great odds and trials in life? We watch movies, read books, and tell others about those stories. It makes us feel good to watch someone overcome evil, whether it be their own or that of others. We put ourselves in their shoes and allow ourselves to feel the struggle they had and the victory they won. We cry with them. We cheer for them! To be able to overcome is the great desire we all have for ourselves and others.
The truth is we all live our own story every day. We are all faced with the same evil of sin. So how is our story going? Have we been overcoming the evil around us? We all face our own temptations to sin. We have to overcome it. We are pressured by so much evil around us in this world. But we have to overcome it. What we need to know is that in Christ Jesus we can all be overcomers! We can overcome our sins. We can overcome the evil done by others. We can resist Satan. He will run away. We will stand winners. Overcomers. Paul tells us how we will overcome in Romans 12:21 when he says:
“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
Seems almost too simple, right? Well it’s not. That’s it. The way we overcome evil is by giving our hearts to doing good. If our hearts are fully on God, then our desire to do good will overpower our temptations to do wrong. If our hearts are completely given to God, then our commitment to do good will overcome the evil things others are doing around us.
Paul tells us that we can’t give in to temptation. We can’t give in to the moral pressures of friends, family, or coworkers. Do not let yourself be overcome by evil. Instead, you overcome evil! How? By doing what God has shown us to be good in His eyes. Good will always overcome evil. Light will always overcome darkness. God will always beat the devil. We can always be overcomers. We have to do it one thing at a time. One choice at a time. One situation at a time. One prayer at a time. We can overcome the evil of this world if we want to.
Look in the mirror. Look all around you. Are there any temptations to sin that are bothering you and Satan won’t leave you alone? Are there people around you doing sinful things that seem to be trying to pull you in? Are there people mistreating you and you feel the urge to do evil against them? Whatever it may be the answer is this: find out what the good and right thing to do is, then go and do it. If you’re tempted to steal, instead go count your blessings and give thanks to God for what you honestly have. If your anger is leading you to want to hurt someone physically or emotionally, instead do something good for them and find a way to bless them with God’s kindness. If you’re tempted to cheat on your spouse, instead find ways to show your spouse how much you love them and see how God has blessed you with them in your life. If you’re tempted to have sex before marriage, instead find the right ways to live to show that you are an honest, respectable, faithful person so that you can one day cherish that fact that you remained pure and holy for the one you would marry. If someone is belittling you and being hateful, think instead of how God loves you and cares for you and how God has given you brothers and sisters who will love you. If you’re scared and depressed by all the evil things going on in the world, then go to God in prayer and spend a lot of time with Him. Think about Heaven and all the good that does exist in this world. The list could go on and on. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
How are you doing? Are you facing some evils that you’re trying to deal with? If you are then remember to turn from the evil, find what is good, and then go do it. Overcome evil with good. Maybe you’re not struggling with evil right now. But somebody else might be. Be a help to them. Share good things with them. Be a good friend. A good brother. A good sister. A good neighbor. We are all in the same fight. We live in the same sinful, dark world. Let’s all join hands and overcome evil with good.
A Cord of Blue 