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PINIMAGETonight Sophie’s MOT Little League team will have their final game of the Fall season. Since she is now in the Senior division, the games are later in the evening. Most of them begin at 7:45. This is new for us. They are usually ending up after I am already in bed. But being the team mom…I’m there in the dugout cheering them on. That’s the only way I’d want it to be.
It’s been a interesting season. I have noticed that the 7:45 games lack the intensity and the drive the 5:30 games used to have. There’s no yelling, no crazy complaints with the umpire, no crazy parents. The girls are tired. The coaches are tired. The fans are tired…and recently freezing due to the colder temps.
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PINIMAGEI’ve noticed the dugout can become pretty quiet. I mean really quiet. Our girls have not been much for team chants and cheering this season. However, we have played some teams who have had quite a bit of energy in the dugout. I’m wondering what their secret might be. By the way, have any of you experienced the decibel range of middle-school girls? It’s no joke. I’ve been pretty comfortable with our arrangement.
I often here a particular chant from the teams we play and it runs through my head over and over…”Win the battle, win, win the battle. Win the battle, win, win the battle.” I don’t even know if there’s more to it. They just say that over and over.
When I look down the line of girls in the dugout…some of them look sleepy, others dazed and confused, staring off while they daydream. Still others look like their battery has just hit 10%. In fact, one of our girls ran out to the field wearing her batting helmet in the last game, totally unaware. We were tempted to see how long it would take her to realize it…but we had to tell her. We all got a good laugh.
But needless to say, the atmosphere has been very low key.
I wouldn’t say these girls see these games as a battle at all. Don’t get me wrong. We’ve had a great season and I love the girls. There has been lots of laughter and fellowship – even between the teams. We’ve even won a lot of games.
But Battle? It’s been no battle. In battle, emotions run high. There’s a lot at stake.
This illustration came to mind as I was meditating on the Bible apps verse of the day.
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12:21
I used to sing a song to this verse. It’s very familiar to many.
I would guess over the years my interpretation of it has basically been:
Don’t be bad. Be good. It’s low key. It’s straight forward.
But there is so much more here in this verse.
The Greek word here for overcome is nikō: ‘to carry off the victory, come off victorious. The verb implies a battle
What I’ve never thought of is when I’m fighting for the good in my heart, my family, my relationships, my marriage, my life…I am defeating evil. Because the Bible says, when we are not overcome by evil…when we choose good, we (disable, overpower, incapacitate) the work of evil in our lives.
Have you ever thought of it that way? Each choice you make for God and for good, defeats the enemy. And every time you choose evil, you hurt the cause for the good.
The enemy cunningly tries to convince us that our moment to moment choices are benign – that there is no cause and effect. He keeps things “low-key.” But that’s not what today’s passage warns.
Truly, the good or bad we do, comes from within and it reinforces the ranks of the opponent to whom our hearts are loyal.
The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. Luke 6:45
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PINIMAGEMy husband was preaching a sermon on Sunday and he asked us…”Are you faithful to God? Are you living in faithfulness to Him right here, right now?”
We tend to claim that we are faithful to God over the whole of our lives and our individual choices betray us because they are unfaithful. Evil is overcoming good.
I’m convicted. Perhaps the reason we don’t see the battle that’s being waged because we don’t spend enough time considering the cost – the price that was paid for us.
As many of you know, I am discipling seven middle-school girls. We are spending time right now talking about the greatness of the God who loves us. He is beyond comprehension. He is worthy of all praise. He is Creator God, Who loves us with an immeasurable love. And seeing our great plight, seeing our sin and our inability to pay the penalty for it, this Great and Glorious God, sent His perfect Son to pay that sin debt for us. What a wonderful gift!
11 Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. 12 Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. 1 Chronicles 29:11-12.
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21
This God made a way for us. And once a person places their faith in that great work Christ did on the cross, the enemy goes about rendering us incapacitated in the battle.
The battle is great. Win the battle! Win! Win the battle!
I like The Message translation of Ephesians 6:12 which talks about this battle.
God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels.
Are you being overcome by evil today? Or are you FIGHTING for evil to be overcome by good.
God promises His power to us in this battle and His victory is guaranteed.
Friend, let’s ask God today to show us the truth about our choices, the sins we protect and excuse, the bitterness we justify…are we being overcome by evil?
Let’s not be led astray. Let’s not faint in the battle. Let’s not turn on our own and allow the enemy to break ranks, don’t let evil overcome.
Instead, overcome evil with good.
