There is a lot of talk today about the reality of a global system of organized evil that controls the governments and social politics of the world.

There are many different attitudes, from thinking this is silly to being consumed with anxiety and stress. Those who pay little attention to the news have learned that ignoring negativity makes them more calm. However, just because someone puts their head in the sand does not mean the problems are not real. For those who carry the heavy burden of worrying about the future and their own safety, fear can take a devastating physical, emotional and spiritual toll on our personal well-being.

In psychology, we know there are subconscious reflexes that cause us to reject information that challenges our worldviews. When certain information is just too overwhelming, we can build barriers to prevent knowledge from intruding into our thought processes and also develop a familiar internal security system that allows us to feel contentment by concluding it’s not true. In other words, hiding our heads in the sands of denial is the easy way to avoid dealing with uncomfortable knowledge.

On the other hand, truth seekers embrace all opinions because they want to research as much as they can to discover what is right and wrong. Even if it’s painful.

As Christians, the empowerment of being indwelt with the presence of God and having the opportunity to renew our minds can completely transform our attitude. Instead of thinking about how weak we are and submitting to the imagination that we are going to be devoured, Christians must realize they are in covenant with the God of all creation, and as a part of His family, nothing is more devastating to the forces of evil than His authority. In our daily lives, darkness is never confronted or cast out by those who are shaking in their boots. Faith is having confidence in who God is and who we are in Him.

When the Bible says the enemy roars like a lion, it means he likes to make a lot of noise, but if we study this closely, this is a scare tactic he uses to make people believe he is stronger and more fierce than he actually is. This is a common strategy used in the animal kingdom, where certain species will puff themselves up, spread their feathers or do a lot of screaming to make their opponent afraid. The old saying that a dog’s bark is worse than his bite applies here.

As we pray for spiritual wisdom and discernment, we understand the devil is not a carnivorous beast looking to literally eat humans. He is trying to persuade and deceive someone who does not comprehend spiritual truth, and because of a lack of understanding, he will harass and bully them until they learn how to stop him in the Name of Jesus.

When we realize that Satan is a faker and underneath the mask is a sniveling coward, we can walk in the revelation of spiritual victory. God says, “My people perish from the lack of knowledge,” and this explains the foundation of spiritual warfare. The devil is sneaky and can throw obstacles in our path and he can make things difficult by launching ambush attacks, but the dark side cannot separate us from the love of God or stop us from accomplishing God’s will. What the enemy is trying to do is convince us that we are a failure, our mission is impossible, no one cares about us and we might as well give up.

Of course, this is a lie and has no effect on anyone “until” someone believes it. It’s true that mountains are moved by positive faith, but negative faith can also steal our joy and crush us under the weight of pessimism and doubt. Believing is the fervent acceptance of something we accept as true and releases power into whatever we agree with. Why is this important? The attitude of our conscience is forming the basis of who we are and who we will become. I encourage you today to guard your thoughts and your words and remember that God never fails.

When a room is dark and you turn on the light, what happens? Darkness runs and hides. God is Omnipotent, and evil will always bow down to Him.

William F. Holland Jr. is a minister, chaplain, psalmist and author. As a freelance faith writer, his books and newspaper and magazine articles are enjoyed around the world. Dr. Holland’s weekly column, “Living On Purpose” is focused on bringing spiritual hope and encouragement through God’s Word. Read more about the Christian life at billyhollandministries.com.

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After reading Dr. Cloer’s stories on the Appalachian dialect a couple weeks ago, my inner Scots-Irish, long buried in my subconscious, re-emerged, and before I knowed it, I was writin’ thataway. My ancestors come down the Great Wagon Road, like many of y’all’s, before heading out to Tennessee and Arkansas. This story has nothin’ to do with that, but that’s how come it come out like this. I’ll be back to normal next week — I thank. So here goes:

It was purt nigh 33 yars ago this summer, I reckon, when me and a feller name Mike Gallagher was out in the woods ep above Wahaller ookin’ to talk to a feller who’d done clumb up a tree to protest the gov’ment fixin’ to cut down way too many trees, accordin’ to his figgerin’.

Now, I didn’t know Mike Gallagher from Adam’s housecat and still don’t, ‘cept I hear him once’t

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