Overcome Evil with Good
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Romans 12:21, NIV
Overcome evil by kindness. This may sound crazy in the eyes of this world, but it’s how God wants us to live. Imagine the people who broke your heart. You may want to do something that would make them realize the wrong things that they did, but contrary to what you want to happen, Paul reminds you to be kind to them. Bad things can never defeat the enemy. In fact, it could possibly strengthen them. You know what would stop them? It’s goodness. A dark heart can never defeat evil. It’s God’s righteousness and love that could possibly overcome them.
Sometimes, we think that justice can only be found when we try to do what we wanted. But only God can heal your heart and give you peace. It’s in His arms that you can find true justice. Your task is not to judge others, but to stay kind and to serve them. This may not sound easy, but with the help of the Holy Spirit, you can do it. He will give you the strength to fight the darkness. His light will shine within. And as long as you allow Him to take over, then He will use your life to become a message of hope and forgiveness.
It’s not that God never understands your heart. In fact, He wants to heal you. It’s just His healing will only flow the moment you allow His light to pass through. Just because He asks you to love your enemy doesn’t mean His favor is with them. It’s just part of the healing process. Pain will always be there if you keep on entertaining the negative things. If you wanted to be restored, you need to learn His ways. Sometimes, what He wanted us to do is beyond our understanding. But do it anyway. At the end of the day, our Healer knows what He is doing.
Paul also shared some practical ways to overcome evil, in Romans 12:20, he said, “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Imagine, it’s like telling your pain that it’s not powerful enough to stop the love of God from flowing. Feed those who lied to you. Help those who broke your heart. Love those who mistakenly take you for granted. This sounds so impossible if we will just rely on our own strength. It’s God’s love that will help us stay kind in this world full of darkness. It’s His grace that will lead you to serve others.
Now, don’t take this verse as a confirmation to stay in a toxic relationship. That’s totally a different story. You can’t love others if you never realized that God loves you first. What Paul is saying is to let go of the grudges and bitterness. He simply encouraged all of us not to take revenge in our hands, but to offer it to God. He is just reminding us to be kind to those who have committed mistakes and failures in life. He knew that the goodness of God was powerful enough to overcome the works of the enemy.
Prayer: Father God, thank you for this opportunity to overcome the enemy. Please give me a courageous heart to do your will. Teach me how to serve my enemy. Teach me how to help them. I can’t do this without you, Lord. I badly need your strength. I badly need faith. Thank you so much for your kindness. May I never forget about your grace and goodness as I continue to do what’s right in your eyes. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
