2:116 – Together We Can Defeat Evil

#faithbites #faithjourney Defeat

For family movie night, we watched the Kid Who Would Be King. It is a modernized version of The Sword In The Stone about who would follow King Arthur. Without going into details, the movie stressed how King Arthur brought together warring clans to his roundtable and they were able to defeat Morgana and any evil that came their way. In the movie, and the stories if good is divided, then evil wins.

Our lives are no different. Satan wants us to fight each other. He wants us to label each other so we can divide ourselves and see our neighbors as enemies rather than the one true evil.

We, through Jesus, need to defeat evil by befriending our enemies and coming together over our common Father rather than divide ourselves over our differences.

Scripture

• I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people. – Romans 16:17-18
• And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. – Mark 3:25
• A Song of Ascents. Of David. Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity. – Psalm 133;1

Reflection

Without seeming too preachy, we are in a battle with evil. We are bombarded daily with images and news that wants us to turn against each other. We may not have zombie horsemen or the undead coming after us like in the movies, but nonetheless, it is real.

In Romans, we are instructed clearly to keep away from those who strive for division. These people are trying to take us away from the Lord. It doesn’t mean we can’t disagree and debate, rather those whose sole purpose is to divide rather than unite us. This is the work of Satan.

In both the Mark and Psalms text, we see how important being unified is. Without that we fall. The hard thing is we don’t even see it when it happens. First a little rift, a bit if separation, and then before you know it, you are miles apart from those you love.

We are not Knights of the Roundtable, but we are soliders in God’s army. We need to be together and love each other as he loves us. If not, then we will fall

Charge

Do you see evil separating you from God and the ones you love? Are you one who casts division? It is easy to do. Ask the Lord for guidance on this. Help others see how words and actions fuel the devil and hinder the multiplication of God’s blessings.

Prayer

Gracious God. Help us to recognize those who try to divide us and cast us upon each other. Teach us how to disagree without being disagreeable or causing division. Show us that only through unity will we be able to defeat the energy and achieve your goals for us. In your Glorious Name, Amen.