Never be surprised by evil; never be afraid of evil.
After any evil tragedy takes place, the inevitable commentary begins to pour forth. We first express shock and amazement that man could sink to such depravity, and then we typically follow with an expression of fear for the ever-increasingly evil world in which we live.
But such a line of thinking accomplishes very little good.
No matter how ghastly a man’s crime may be, it should never come as a surprise that man is capable of such terrible evil. For evil is nothing more than another name for sin, and sin is homage to the devil. Every time we acquiesce to the slightest sin, we are choosing to worship the devil rather than God. Should it come as any surprise then that man is capable of the worst evils when we give Satan such power over our souls?
We should never be surprised by evil, nor should we ever be afraid of evil. No matter how much evil surrounds us, it has absolutely no power over us unless we voluntarily grant it that power. No man will ever be tempted beyond his ability. Evil men can harm the body, but the soul can never be harmed unless we allow to it be.
As an alternative to fear of evil, we should fear our own weakness and inability to stand firm in our love of goodness. This distrust of self should lead us to place our hope in One greater than us, and that hope will most assuredly lead us to an everlasting peace.
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