New hope (Part 2) – Day 9

I received an e-mail from a dad who wrote: “My son was shot dead at the beginning of 2012 in Modimolle. It changed my life forever. I have many questions about the event. If it was God’s decision, I will accept it, but I don’t think it was.” When the 17-year-old Anene Booysen from Bredasdorp was violently raped and murdered, several readers asked me where God was during the event and why he allowed it.

The age-old question emerges again: why does a good God allow evil in this world? There is no easy answer to this question. What we do know, is that God is love and it breaks his heart to see us suffer. The murder in Modimolle and Anene’s murder was, therefore, definitely not “God’s plan”.

In Ephesians 6:12 we read: For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Satan and his demons rule over the earth. Their goal is to cause destruction and then try to get us to blame it on God. In 2 Corinthians 4:4, Satan is called the “god of this world” who blinds the minds of unbelievers, so they will not see the glory of Christ. People who have no relationship with Jesus Christ, therefore, knowingly or unknowingly, become a target lured into Satan’s plan to cause destruction. It is, therefore, understandable that with the dwindling number of believers, we have a bigger problem with things like burglaries, affairs in marriages, corruption, murder, rape and many other problems in our society.

Yet, there is hope in Jesus Christ, because he has already overcome evil on the cross and gave us the authority to do the same. In Luke 10:19 Jesus said, “I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.”

How do we fight daily against the enemy? Remember, we are in a spiritual battle, which requires spiritual weapons. In Ephesians 6, the armour that we need to wear daily is listed:

1) The helmet of salvation: The enemy attacks us greatly in our thoughts. Therefore, put on your helmet by renewing your mind daily;

2) The breastplate of righteousness: Recognise that Jesus died for your sins and thank him again for that sacrifice;

3) The belt of truth: Take time to read the Bible. It is the only way to distinguish the truth of God from the enemy’s lies;

4) The shoes of readiness to share the gospel: Pray for wisdom and discernment from the Holy Spirit to know when to share the gospel message and when to just pray for an unbeliever;

5) The shield of faith: Hold on to God’s promises for a breakthrough. When your faith weakens, praise him. You might be surprised at how it will strengthen your faith;

6) The sword of the word: God’s word is our only weapon in the fight against evil. Make sure you memorise Scripture as it becomes your ammunition in your daily fight against the enemy.

In Psalm 18:30, we read that we can trust God for our protection: The Lord shields all who take refuge in him. And in 2 Corinthians 12:9, Paul writes that he asked God three times to remove the thorn from his flesh. God’s answer was: “My grace is sufficient for you. My power is made perfect in weakness.”

Whether you are in a difficult marriage, have a sick loved one at home, lost a lot of money, are struggling to overcome an addiction, have a challenge in the workplace or perhaps, like the above reader, are battling to come to terms with a traumatic event in your life, know that God will give you the amount of grace and power you need to handle your situation. Nothing will ever cross your path that he knows you cannot handle. Most of the time, we experience God most in the middle of a storm in our lives. Why don’t you choose to wait patiently in his presence? God bless.