A few days ago, singer Christina Grimmie, of Voice-fame, was gunned down as she signed autographs after a concert. Then, today, Sunday, June 12th, a gunman, shouting “Allah Akbar”, murdered at least 50 people, and injured another 53 people in a packed Orlando Florida nightclub during a nearly four-hour siege from 2:00-6:00am Sunday morning, before the SWAT teams stormed the building and killed him. ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attack calling the gunman an “Islamic State fighter”.
One event is a senseless murder, and the other is another, equally senseless, radical Islamic terrorist attack. It was the worst terrorist attack on our soil since 9/11. Whether it’s a national-level tragedy like today, or the personal, more private tragedies that happen every single day, evil knows no boundaries. We live in a broken, dark, depraved world.
I cannot imagine the level of evil required to walk into a packed nightclub, or to a signature line, or a school, or an office party, etc and just start shooting. But I do know evil obviously exist and is intent on destruction. I have lived in a small town (Carlinville, IL) for the past 16 years. In that time, even our small, safe, friendly town has seen tremendous tragedy. Beyond the young people who have died WAY to young due to car accidents, suicide, drugs, drunk driving, or disease, we have had shootings and murder here even. Sheer evil exist in every corner of the world, even in small hometowns where “nothing ever happens here”.
In Revelation 12:10-12 the story is told of a war in heaven, and Satan being thrown out. It says Satan was “hurled to earth, and angels with him”. God’s commentary was, “The accuser (Satan) has been hurled down. Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.”
Evil will not end. More laws, including gun control ones, do not change the human heart. Only Christ can change the human heart. Hope is found in Christ, and in Christ alone. Everything else will always come up short.
The best response you can make to rampant evil expressing its ugly reality is to start chasing after the heart of God full speed! Some of you who are reading this post feel the Spirit of God stirring you right now. You know you need to make a decision about living your life a little more intentionally. You know God is turning your heart toward Him. He feel him right now. Turn tragedy into triumph!
Bring your anger, fear, and broken hearts to Him. He is broken-hearted by what happened today too. In the midst of tragedy and absolute darkness, there is ALWAYS hope in Christ. That doesn’t mean evil stops or goes away. It means that the light of Christ is greater than the deepest darkness evil can create. It doesn’t mean that the pain goes away. It means that Love wins!… Hope wins!… Peace wins!… because Jesus has already won!
The best way to overcome evil is to give everything to Christ. Total, and absolute surrender. How that passage in Rev 12 says it is “They triumphed over him (Satan) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.”
Take something Satan mean for destruction and let God use it to transform you!