When Darkness Strikes: A Call to Spiritual Overmatch
School & church shootings. Assassinations. Terrorism. Human trafficking.
We live in a highly contested environment of spiritual warfare that manifests itself in the most heinous acts against humanity. These aren’t random tragedies. They are reminders that our battle is not just physical, political, or cultural — it is spiritual at its core.
Paul warned us: “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12).
When Evil Hits Home
Recently, violence shattered a Michigan church — a place meant for prayer, safety, and refuge. On the same day, an arson attack added to the devastation. No matter what your religion or worldview, it should be agreeable to all that this was an evil act of hate. And because it was evil, it demands more than thoughts and sympathy. It demands that we take a stand — both in our communities and in our own personal walk with God.
Unfortunately, these acts of evil are becoming the norm in our society, and sometimes we have the pain of experiencing it directly in our lives or in those closest to us. But this isn’t the first time I’ve seen evil up close. Years ago, my wife and I stood beside our friend Ashley as she buried her three-month-old baby girl. Her daughter’s life was taken violently — by her own father, a man whose hand I shook just days before he took the life of his innocent baby girl.
Something like that rattles you to your core. It continues to bother me: How couldn’t we see it coming? Did we miss the signs? Those questions haunt you in the aftermath. And if we’re honest, the aftermath of evil often pulls us into its orbit. We retaliate with harsh words. We slip into bad habits disguised as “comfort.” We let bitterness, anger, or self-medication creep in. And slowly, almost without realizing it, those things infect our own walk and draw us further from God instead of closer to Him.
Yet even there, in the wreckage, the battle lines are drawn. Evil wants to multiply itself in us. Christ calls us to stand, resist, and overcome.
Spiritual Countermeasures
When the enemy strikes, we cannot fight back with fleshly weapons. We need God’s spiritual defenses. Here are four countermeasures that keep us from spiraling in the aftermath of evil:
Prayer as First Response — Not as a last resort. Pour out your grief, your anger, even your confusion to God. The Psalms are full of prayers that sound more like cries of war than polite church words. God can handle our raw honesty.
Scripture as Anchoring Truth — In chaos, lies multiply: “You’re alone. God doesn’t care. Evil wins.” Combat those with truth. Memorize verses like Romans 8:31 (“If God is for us, who can be against us?”) and John 16:33 (“In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”).
Community as Shared Shield — Soldiers don’t fight alone; neither do believers. In moments of loss or outrage, isolation is a trap. Surround yourself with brothers and sisters who will weep with you, pray with you, and hold you accountable when you’re tempted to slip into destructive habits.
Worship as Resistance — Worship is not ignoring the pain; it’s declaring that God still reigns in spite of it. Lifting your voice in song when the world feels dark is a direct act of defiance against the enemy.
These are not quick fixes. They are disciplines of resilience — ways to ensure that when tragedy shakes us, it does not shatter us.
Spiritual Overmatch
In the military, overmatch means achieving decisive advantage in contested environments. Spiritually, the same principle applies. We cannot meet evil with shallow faith or outdated defenses. We need adaptive overmatch:
Equipping the armor of God daily (Ephesians 6).
Anchoring ourselves in truth when lies spread like wildfire.
Building resilient communities that share the load when tragedy strikes.
Living on mission, refusing to let fear silence the gospel.
Christ’s victory is already secured. The cross and empty tomb prove that death and darkness do not get the final word.
A Question for You
These stories — a church violated by violence, a baby stolen by evil — remind us that the war is real and personal. Which means we each must wrestle with this:
How are you protecting your soul from the evil forces of this world?
Because the battle is here. The enemy adapts. But in Christ, so can we.
