It didn’t start with falling towers or school shootings. Evil isn’t a modern invention like TikTok or congressional gridlock. It’s ancient. Primeval. Crawling through time since the serpent whispered lies to Eve and Adam sank his teeth into rebellion. That first bite cracked the foundation of paradise and let the darkness leak in.
Evil is not an idea. It is not a political platform. It is not an opinion you disagree with on Twitter. It is a prowling, breathing, soul-thirsty force, and its goal has never changed: to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). That’s not a metaphor. That’s the mission statement of hell.
And yesterday? Evil showed up again – this time armed, violent, and merciless in a Colorado classroom and on a Utah campus. Twenty-four years ago, it hijacked airplanes and turned them into weapons of hate. The methods change, but the fingerprints are always the same: chaos, despair, blood, tears.
You want to know what links 9/11 and yesterday’s tragedies? It’s not politics. It’s not policy. It’s not your Facebook feed or your favorite 24-hour news channel. It’s evil – pure and unfiltered. And until we name it, we’re just throwing sandbags at a tidal wave.
Paul wasn’t subtle about it, either. In Ephesians 6:12, he rips the curtain back and tells it like it is: “We are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world.” Translation? You’re not battling people. You’re battling principalities. You’re in a war you can’t even see – and if you’re walking around in your Target joggers thinking this is peacetime, you’re already losing.
So here’s the real question: are you armored up, or are you just aesthetically Christian?
You think evil’s just “out there?” Think again. It slinks into your living room through bitterness. It slides into your marriage through resentment. It festers in your finances, tempts you in your thoughts, attacks you through anxiety, and steals your sleep with fear. It doesn’t need a bomb or a bullet when it’s got your pride on a leash.
Sickness? Temptation? Debt? Division? Addiction? Those aren’t just unfortunate life events. They are beachheads – spiritual invasion points. Evil worms its way in wherever we let our guard down. You leave the armor in the closet, and don’t be surprised when your peace gets snatched like a purse in a dark alley.
And yet – here comes the thunderous good news – evil doesn’t get the final word. Jesus didn’t sugarcoat our situation, but He also didn’t leave us hopeless. John 16:33: “Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”
Did you catch that? Not “might overcome.” Not “will eventually get around to it.” He already did. Victory is in the bag, sealed with blood, shouted from the mouth of an empty tomb.
So what now? Do we fight fire with fire? Nope. We fight fire with faith. We don’t out-hate the haters. We don’t win by posting the snarkiest meme or owning the libs – or the cons – in the comments section. We overcome evil by doing good (Romans 12:21), which is maybe the most counter-cultural rebellion left in this cynical age.
It means showing up. Praying like your life depends on it – because it does. Forgiving the unforgivable. Giving generously when you’re broke. Loving radically when it makes zero sense. That’s not weakness; that’s divine warfare. That’s throwing punches the devil can’t dodge.
So here we are. Twenty-four years after the skyline changed forever, and one day after a classroom and a campus were soaked in grief. America’s still trying to duct-tape itself together with politics, platitudes, and presidential hopefuls who can barely string a sentence. News flash: we don’t need more hollow promises or bloated bureaucracies.
We need a nation on its knees.
We need dads who pray over their kids like they’re heading into battle – because they are. We need moms who don’t just worry but worship. We need teens who carry their Bibles like they’re loaded weapons and men and women who walk into work wearing the full armor of God like they’re storming Omaha Beach.
Helmet of salvation. Breastplate of righteousness. Shield of faith. Sword of the Spirit. You’re not just dressing up for VBS. You’re gearing up for war.
The enemy hasn’t stopped prowling. But neither has our King. And He doesn’t just win. He’s already won.
So stand up, soldier. It’s not over. It’s never been over. And it’s time to fight.
