Psalm 140:6-8

Evil is emboldened when it gets its way. As the saying goes, “Evil flourishes when good men do nothing.”

Proverbs 28:28 states:

“When the wicked take charge, people go into hiding. When the wicked meet disaster, the godly flourish.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭28‬:‭28‬ ‭NLT‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/116/pro.28.28.NLT

We are called to stand for truth; however, there are times we get duped into believing someone who says one thing but does another. It happens in politics all the time. Have you ever received one of those polls they send out around election season, asking you to rate your concerns in order of importance? It’s one of the tools they use to figure out what topics are on the public’s mind. This information helps them “test the waters,” so to speak, and tailor their message to resonate with the people for maximum impact. Yet how many times do we hear them say exactly what we want to hear, only to find when they get into office that it was all a ruse?

Satan’s primary tool is deception, and he doesn’t usually show his hand until he already has you. When that happens, we must appeal to Someone greater than him.

Jesus said in Matthew 12:28-29:

“But if I am casting out demons by the Spirit of God, then the Kingdom of God has arrived among you. For who is powerful enough to enter the house of a strong man and plunder his goods? Only someone even stronger—someone who could tie him up and then plunder his house.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭12‬:‭28‬-‭29‬ ‭NLT‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/116/mat.12.29.NLT

Guess who lives inside of you? The same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead—and He demonstrate His power through willing vessels.

Consider the words of Paul found in 2 Corinthians 11:12-15:

“But I will continue doing what I have always done. This will undercut those who are looking for an opportunity to boast that their work is just like ours. These people are false apostles. They are deceitful workers who disguise themselves as apostles of Christ. But I am not surprised! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no wonder that his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. In the end they will get the punishment their wicked deeds deserve.”
‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭11‬:‭12‬-‭15‬ ‭NLT‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/116/2co.11.12-15.NLT

I love how Paul declares that he will continue to do what he has always done, knowing it will undercut what the false apostles were trying to accomplish. As Christians, we are called to not grow weary in well-doing (Galatians 6:9). It is easy to become discouraged when we see evil seemingly taking over; however we must encourage ourselves in the Lord, just as David did when he wrote Psalm 23:4:

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭23‬:‭4‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/100/psa.23.4.NASB1995

A shadow always appears larger than the actual object casting it, which is part of the enemy’s deception. As the saying goes, it is always darkest before the dawn. If the enemy is trying to discourage us, it may be an indicator that we are very close to the answer. The only way we lose is if we give up.

Earlier in Psalms, David expressed these thoughts:

“The foundations of law and order have collapsed. What can the righteous do?” But the Lord is in his holy Temple; the Lord still rules from heaven. He watches everyone closely, examining every person on earth. The Lord examines both the righteous and the wicked. He hates those who love violence. He will rain down blazing coals and burning sulfur on the wicked, punishing them with scorching winds. For the righteous Lord loves justice. The virtuous will see his face.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭11‬:‭3‬-‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/116/psa.11.3-7.NLT

We can trust in the Lord to right all wrongs. In the meantime, we must continue to stand in faith and shine His light, putting darkness on notice. Not on our watch!