The Presence of Evil

Psalm 121:7-8, "The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul. The Lord shall preserve your going our and your coming in From this time forth, and even forevermore." (NJKV)

I do not want this blog post to simply serve as a reminder to the presence of evil in this world. I am sure that each of you are very much aware of the presence of evil and have probably been effected in one way or another in your lifetime. It seems the various news media outlets do a superb job keeping us aware of the tragic events that are perpetrated by various individuals or groups of individuals. We hear the terms "lone gunman, terrorist group, sub-terrorist group, supremacy groups" and the list could go on and on. We read and hear about racial prejudice, ethnic prejudice, discrimination and even crimes that were motivated by hate. But where do we turn in the midst of all this alarming information?

Christians choose turn to God and to His Word. His Presence and His Word will bring the comfort and solace that we need during our time of great concern. Mother Emmanuel AME Church taught us that on Sunday when they conducted their Sunday service just a few days after the tragedy of the "lone gunman" who attacked one of their Bible study groups. Humanity has been fighting against evil ever since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden. But only God can change the heart of a human being. Only God can turn hate into love and only God can redeem and rescue the soul of mankind. 

Thank You Mother Emmanuel Church for showing us how to respond to the injustice of evil!! Thank You Mother Emmanuel for showing forgiveness rather than retaliation!! Thank You Mother Emmanuel Church for putting into practice (living out) the promise that the Psalmist David declared in Psalm 127!!

Many spiritual leaders are calling America to pray for each other and for the spiritual direction of our nation. WILL YOU ANSWER THAT CALL? The Prophet Ezekiel wrote of a time that God was looking for a man to stand in the gap. Will you be that man or woman today?

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