Daily Digest #216

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. —Romans 12:21

I would like to share a story that Joyce Meyer told us in the conference. During her younger years, she was a very unhappy child. Her home didn't give her the love and protection a growing child needs. She was abused by her alcoholic father, and her mother kept silent about it. She went through high school, without experiencing a normal childhood. After many years, already a wife and a mother, her father became seriously ill. Bad memories came rushing back. But this time, she already knew God, and she was drawing strength from Him. God made her realize that evil was just feeding on her father's weaknesses. So she made a decision. She took her father in and cared for him till he drew his last breath. And finally, she had the peace she was longing for. That was what she called "giving the devil two black-eyes".

I wish I could punch the devil straight in the face each time I came across it. Every day, my better judgment is clouded by my own weaknesses, and most of the time I allow myself to get carried away. Little things like yelling at my students when I lose my temper, or delaying tasks only because I don't feel like doing them. What I don't immediately realize is that other people are affected by my actions. I have already bruised a child's spirit, and my delays have echoed on others' work. Sometimes, I allow the devil to take hold of my life when I could actually defeat it by doing goodness instead.

Looking back at those moments when I called upon God and gave the devil a black eye, it reassures me that God is watching, and that goodness will always overpower evil. It is all but a matter of choice.

For this, let us pray. May we make the choice to be on God's side. May we call upon Him in moments of weakness. May we learn to pray, especially when we are tempted to sin. May we be assured that our weakness becomes His strength, if we allow it to. Pray always.