ISIS and Planned Parenthood demonstrate the darkness of the human heart. These two examples of evil have become familiar headlines. The problem with headlines is that they become political issues to be solved by elections. The truth is that laws, social norms, military force, education, elections, and 24/7 news coverage will not rid the earth of deeply entrenched evil. This kind of evil cannot be talked out of existence. There is only one way to defeat evil.
Jesus said that the gates, or strongholds of Hell, cannot stand against his church. That’s right, the church that is so easily dismissed is the only force capable of defeating evil. Only a praying church, committed to being salt and light can throw off the forces evil.
As a culture and a nation we have come to tolerate evil gradually. We bargain with evil rather than destroy it.
Sexual immorality is evil. But rather than face this evil directly we use a different strategy. We have made sexual immorality legal and socially acceptable, even desirable.
Murder is evil. But it has become a culturally accepted method of dealing with the inconvenient consequences of embracing sexual immorality.
It is evil to worship any God but the living God of the Bible. But in the name of tolerance other gods are preferred to the One True God.
Many act as if we can negotiate the horrific religious warriors away. The slaughter of babies for profit is defended as an act for the greater good.
Here is the truth:
Sexual immorality is not just about having sex outside of marriage. It is really about the destruction of the family and the ultimate degradation of all people.
Abortion is not only about preventing unwanted pregnancies. It is about the slaughter of unborn children for personal convenience and profit.
A moment of tolerant silence is not about personal religious liberty. It is about mocking of the one true God and living in defiance of Him as if He did not exist.
The war of the jihadist cannot be controlled by political boundaries and agreements. There is no human law, no bargain, no appeasement, no deterrent that can stop evil. Western culture has tried to bargain with evil before. It doesn’t work.
The threat represented by ISIS and Planned Parenthood is spiritual one. The only weapon which can defeat such evil is humble dependance upon the Sovereign Lordship of Jesus Christ.
By committing to prayer and to becoming salt and light, the church can stand against the evil among us. There is no other option. May God humble us and cause his truth to reign, first in our hearts and then in our land.
9 thoughts on “ISIS & Planned Parenthood – the evil among us”
Just because people do not believe what you believe, and live their lives in ways you don’t agree with does not make them evil. We’re all human beings, trying to make our way through this world. Some people are religious and some are not. That doesn’t make them bad or wrong, It is wrong, I believe, to try to force your view of life on someone else. If they views and choices have nothing to do with you, and they are not putting anyone or themselves in danger, then let them be in peace.
Your request is to let the people of Planned Parenthood and ISIS to live in peace. Yet when ISIS disagrees with someone’s religious beliefs, they often choose to behead those people. Planned Parenthood dismembers the bodies of living unborn babies and sells the body parts for profit. This hardly sounds like living in peace. You also say that I am forcing my views upon you. Yet your claim that there is no God to Whom we all must give an account requires me to believe what you believe. So, you want others to accept your belief but not the other way around. Thank you for commenting. None of us has the right to require others to think as we do. However, if there is a God to whom we are accountable then it is a much different picture than you and me disagreeing on something.
SHEPBLOGERI ICOULD NOT HAVE SAID IT BETTERMYSELF.
Thank you for this post. I’ve been recently discussing this very topic with friends and family.
I would agree that true influence on the culture of this modern world can only come through the power of the Messiah Jesus changing hearts and minds by the power of His Holy Spirit.
But would you agree that prayer and soul-winning alone is not all that is required of us as His people?
My view, that I feel I’ve learned from scripture, is that we are both spiritual and physical beings; both in this world and not of it; both free from sin and weaknesses, and struggling against our sin nature and illness, disease and degeneration. So, I’d say that both spiritually and physically we stand against evil, though it must be done by allowing the life of Christ flowing through us to rule over our physical being. He truly is Lord, but we first allow Him lordship individually, then in our families, in our communities, and finally among the nations.
As I’m currently working through this, I’d like to hear your thoughts.
Esther, Living for God’s glory includes every facet of life. As Paul says in 2 Cor. 10 we are to wage war with the weapons of the Spirit. All of life is spiritual. Thank you for your comment.
Just to clarify – there is no physical action that is also not spiritual, in the negative or positive sense. Paul physically stood up the Roman, yet his acts were also spiritual in nature. Everything we do is to be for the glory of God. ( Cor. 10:31 )
That is a very good way to put it!
Don’t you think that it’s just a bit atrocious that you’re comparing a heinous terrorist group to an organization that’s primarily focused on women’s health (cancer screenings, STD testing, etc.)?
How would you describe the taking of viable life inside the womb then taking these babies and dismembering them for sale of their body parts? The comparison with ISIS is more than fair.