| Our verse to DATE the Word on December 21 (12/21) is Romans 12:21 |
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| Romans 12:21 says, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” |
| TWO POWERFUL RESPONSES TO EVIL I want to make an appeal as we start to DATE Romans 12:21 and that appeal is that you MEMORIZE this verse as I am convinced you will need to apply it.  While I would hope you memorize a lot of the DATE THE WORD Scriptures this is one that needs to be HID in your heart! As we consider Romans 12:21 we need to know it has TWO commands.  First is the command to NOT BE OVERCOME BY EVIL.  The second is to OVERCOME EVIL WITH GOOD.  Let’s look closely at both because both are going to be needed. The verse begins with the strongest of admonishments to not allow EVIL to get the best of us.  No matter what evil is done to us we do not let it DEFEAT US. Proverbs 24:10 “If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small.” Romans 8:37 tells us, “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” A quick personal note: one of the most moving places I have ever visited is the Martyrs Memorial in Oxford, England.  It was built to commemorate the martyrdom of 3 Protestant leaders in 1555, Hugh Latimer,  Nicholas Ridley, and Thomas Cranmer.  They were burned at the stake with Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley side by side and Thomas Cranmer not long afterward.  As an illustration of not being overcome by evil, it is reported that Latimer said, “Play the man, Master Ridley; we shall this day light such a candle, by God’s grace, in England, as I trust shall never be put out.”  And the light of their “candle” has never been put out!  They did not allow evil to defeat them! And we do not let evil DRAW US DOWN to its level.  We look back at Romans 12:17 to be reminded that we are not, ABSOLUTELY NOT, not to repay evil with evil.  As the old saying goes two WRONGS do not make a right.  While wrong is being done we must continue to do RIGHT.  For the believer to do evil betrays our testimony and gives evil a win.  So, number 1, we are not going to be overcome by evil.  We will not be defeated nor drawn down to its level. The second command of the verse is to TAKE POSITIVE ACTION and do good to those who are doing evil TO YOU and to others.  One OVERCOMES (defeats, wins) against evil by DOING GOOD.  It is helping the very person who is hurting you.  It is praying for the very one that is persecuting you.  It is blessing the very one that is cursing you.  It is giving a cup of cold water and a hot meal to the one who would like to starve you to death.  It is being nice to the one who is mean.  Are you getting the picture?  You overcome evil by DOING GOOD!!  And yes, I know what has been written is HARD.  It is easy to give up when evil is done to you.  It is easy to give in to doing evil when evil has been done to you.  And it surely is hard to be nice to a mean person.   Yet this is what we are called to do.  We are called to be OVERCOMERS OF EVIL, not overcome by evil!  Verse to DATE the Word on December 21 (12/21) is Romans 12:21. It says, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Continue Strong as an OVERCOMER of EVIL! And remember to DATE THE WORD |