it's the elephant in the room.....let's talk about it....

 You know your Goliath. He taunts you with bills you can't pay, people you can't please, habits you can't break, failures you can't forget. But just like David, you can face your giant, even if you aren't the strongest, the smartest, the best equipped, or the holiest. God is bigger than your biggest challenge! Your challenges provide an opportunity for God’s power to be manifested-Max Lucado


Evil. It's in our midst and has been since God looked over the earth and declared it all good. Evil is like the playground bully who spies on what the other children are doing and comes up with a plan to create chaos. Why? Because of many reasons: jealousy, spite, anger, greed...who knows what lies in the heart of one who wants to have things the way they see it? Evil creates pain, distortion, sadness, fear, and chaos.
A dear friend of ours just checked himself into detox and rehab. I am grateful that he can see how alcohol is robbing him as well as all who know him of the truly wonderful person that he is. Alcohol, AKA Evil, is a snide, insidious, odious thing that can wreak havoc on even the strongest relationship. Just like water or fire, this evil seems harmless, but left unguarded, is perhaps the strongest thing in the universe.

Unless you are talking about God.

That's right. God is the strongest Thing in this Universe. God is stronger than the longest, darkest night of the soul, when the walls are crashing in on you. When all that you can see is the despair, God is there in the middle of that. God is holding out His hand and hoping that you will accept it. Once you have hold of God, don't ever let go.

Now, this evil...<chuckle> evil is that bully, the one who is spying on you. He shakes his head in anger. "This will never do!" he cries out. He takes hold of the other hand and pulls. "Come on," he whispers, "I know of an all night place where you can do what you want to. Sure, the wife, the kids, they may SAY they need you more, but you need what I have MOST of all. That God over there, he has nothing that you want....come with me..."
and so it goes....temptation, I mean Evil, may win yet again.

Friends, we see Evil every day. You mean you can't? Why, Evil is in the news, splattered on TV.....he appears in many forms: wars, robberies, rape, murder, drug abuse, alcohol addictions, pornography, sex for sale, lying, stealing, and even in the subtle things...those things that you may not think to see Evil.....Evil is always lurking around the corner. And Evil has many, many friends. Friends in the form of deceit, greed, sloth, envy...I can name all of them. I can tell you of how those "friends" will eventually destroy your life. Oh not right now, and maybe not tomorrow, but like water that erodes even the toughest limestone, those friends of evil, they know alllll the tricks. Believe it when I say, they do know how to make your life miserable!

I urge you now, pray. Pray to rid yourself of Evil. Walk in the Hand of God. Tell God about how afraid of Evil you are. God knows....His only Son also met Evil...took him on--and won! God did not let His Son down...He will also never let you down, either.