My reaction when I am confronted by evil must be more than negative; it must be positive. I must seize evil and turn it into an actual triumph. Jesus did more than ignore Satan; He defeated him at the cross. Joseph’s brothers meant to do him “evil,” but God turned it into “good” (Genesis 50:20).
How do I do that? Isn’t it God’s prerogative to operate on evil, “defang” it, and transform it into an opportunity for good? Absolutely! That is God’s continual relationship to evil. Calvary is once for all, official. Yet the principle of Calvary is always with us, because God and evil are antagonistic; even more, evil is a necessary matrix out of which redemption comes.
If I am a true disciple of Jesus Christ, then I will manifest Calvary’s principle of compelling evil to yield a victory to me. That means illness can be a pulpit to preach God’s patience, strength, and glory. That means a complete reversal of my former attitude toward evil — fear of it. That means I welcome evil that occurs in my life as an opportunity for God’s grace to transform it into positive steps of progress in my growth. Thus, I am transformed from a worried, harried, fearful disciple into a citizen of heaven who reflects the serenity of the country to which he belongs.
I will be a living example of the riddle of Samson: “Out of the eater came something to eat, and out of the strong came something sweet” (Judges 14:14). As with Samson, I must do more than put the lion to death; I must compel it to yield its honey, by which I am made the stronger. That is my goal: to make evil become honey!
“‘Let us tear their fetters apart, and cast away their cords from us!’ He who sits in the heavens laughs, the Lord scoffs at them” (Psalm 2:3–4).
Daily with the King 