Do you ever after a mind numbing tragedy think to yourself “I cannot think of an explanation why anyone would do such a horrible thing.” What would drive someone influence them to do such things?”
Sure we know there is evil in the world. September 11, 2001 opened our eyes here in the western world in a personal in your face way, that left no doubt if we did not know it before.

Colombine
Aurora
(In Colorado there have been four different shootings from Colorado Springs to Denver.)
Sandy Hook
San Bernardino
Orlando
Memphis
Parkland
Church shooting Antioch
Church shooting South Carolina
Church shooting Texas
Las Vegas
And other close calls where had there not been alert security the outcome would been much worse.
With each tragedy that occurs we try to make sense of it all.
And there seems to be a reluctance to admit there might be something at work that defies our normal understanding.

In his book “God has a name” John Mark Comer describes this something after a visit to India.
” India is a place with no parallel. The people, the culture, the landscape- it’s colorful and multi-sensory and vibrant and exotic and strange and there are so.many. people.
But to me, the most fascinating thing is the spiritually charged atmosphere.
There are literally millions of gods in the Hindu pantheon, so everywhere you look there are temples and shrines and idols and priest praying and incense burning and animals being sacrificed to Shiva or Vishnu or one of the gods.
And you feel it the energy the electricity are the spirituality.
But the crazy thing- at least for a Westerner like me- is that it doesn’t feel fake, like a hoax or a sham or primitive superstition.
It feels real
When you walk past an idol or a temple it feels like….something is there.”

Some of you may have had that experience John Mark talks about.
A time when in the midst of the ordinary, something extraordinary, is happening.
Your brain and experience tries to explain it away as nonsense but you can’t get away from the feeling that there’s something to it. Something is at work.
And there is.
Something people in ancient times and in parts of the world today would call gods. God demanded that we put no other gods before Him. The Old  Testament is full if references to them. Jesus identified satan as the god (Yes little g) of this world. Ephesians 6 even explains the hierarchy.

In our nation it is obvious these gods are at work in every aspect of our culture. And sadly few even in the church recognize them.
Our calling to be salt and light has never been more important than it is now.
Remember we battle from victory not for victory.
The stakes are high.
He is strong!
The fields are white.