As you read this, there’s one word that comes to mind: depravity!
If reading the news headlines makes you cry out, “Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20), you are not alone. It seems that evil men and women prosper with no consequences while the righteous are treated with contempt and hostility—and it’s just getting worse! Seeing this is both discouraging and sobering as we consider the consequences of evil flourishing in our nation—consequences that most dramatically impact the most vulnerable among us. What can we do?
As just one example of evil impacting the most vulnerable, consider this headline, “Professor encourages activist to start ‘mass movement’ for kids’ right to sex work.” Yes, a Johns Hopkins University professor appears to have urged an activist during a recent Q&A at a conference to help remove the stigma around supporting child “sex work” (really child sexual abuse) by starting a “mass movement” to turn the tide of “moral panic” over the idea.
One of the people on the panel – a professor at Johns Hopkins University – answered that if Chanel wants to fight for the rights of child sex workers to be child sex workers, she just needs to create a project, get other people involved, and create a mass movement on the topic: pic.twitter.com/6GCIlyjgjO
— Karlyn Borysenko (@DrKarlynB) September 6, 2023
It’s nothing more than an attempt to normalize child abuse in the name of adult sexual desire. It’s disgusting, it’s vile, and it’s hard to even begin to grasp the consequences of such depravity.
So what can we do when these headlines make us feel so helpless to stop the evil around us? Well, we do what Christians have done throughout the ages—we believe and obey God’s Word. We understand that, even in the midst of great evil, societal chaos, and depravity, God is still sovereign. He is still working out his plan, and eventually, every single evildoer will receive their just punishment for their sin (unless they repent and trust Christ, as we pray they do!). A great book of the Bible to turn to when you feel discouraged by evil is the minor prophet Habakkuk. He had the same questions about the ruthless Babylonians, and God’s answer to the prophet’s complaint points to God’s sovereignty and mercy.
Throughout human history, evil in various forms has flourished. And God’s people have walked into the darkness with the light of Christ, starting ministries to rescue those who are exploited and abused. God has always used regular, faithful, obedient Christians to be salt and light during dark times, pointing people toward Jesus Christ and his gospel. And no matter how utterly hopeless our times may appear, we must continue to “do the business of the King” until he returns, understanding that the results aren’t up to us—they are up to God. We are just called to be faithful.
And we also must understand that the weapons we wield aren’t the weapons of the world—they are spiritual weapons designed for the spiritual battle we are in.
2 Corinthians 10:3–6 KJV – “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.”
In the face of great darkness, don’t be discouraged. Put on your armor and fight as God has called us to do—by clinging to his Word, praying without ceasing, loving God first and neighbor second, and making disciples of all nations. And leave the results to our sovereign God!
Ken Ham is an author, speaker, and the founder and CEO of Answers in Genesis and its two popular attractions: the acclaimed Creation Museum and the internationally known Ark Encounter.
