People are subjected to traumas every day – whether to them personally or to those they care about – and people have to make a choice as to whether to put their trust in themselves or in God. Faith in God means trusting Him even though we haven’t a clue what His plan is or our place in it. Evil Does Not Have The Last Word shows that by trusting God in the midst of trials that what others intend for harm, He uses for good. Evil Does Not Have The Last Word is not only a story of faith but a message of hope to those who may be struggling with how a loving God can let evil things happen to Christian and non-Christian alike. This book shows how easy
it is to trust God when life is smooth and predictable but the true act of faith is how you handle yourself and life when situations turn sour or circumstances deadly.
Evil Does Not Have The Last Word is a quick, yet poignant read from a pop culture fan’s perspective and sensibility coupled with a conversational, not theologian, point of view. Dr. Eric Shoars provides “snapshots” of his own experiences to give readers insight as to how life looks when lived through the prism of the modern-day superhero and of those in Biblical times. Evil Does Not Have The Last Word includes a personal story from Dr. Shoars of a personal trauma that led him away from God and how, eventually, he found his way back to God and put his trust and faith in Him again. Shoars’ story is just another example and message of hope that Evil Does Not Have The Last Word
We see Evil every day. All we need to do is turn on the television or radio, open a newspaper, or surf the web and we see Evil touching lives in the forms of murder, assault, rape, wife beating, baby killing, war, or human trafficking...and that’s the short list. Sometimes Evil touches us or someone we love or care about. When Evil overtakes us, what do we do? Do we trust in a loving God even though we cannot understand why the Evil happened or do we choose to trust ourselves and handle the Evil our way, on our terms, with our sense of justice?
Evil Does Not Have The Last Word is a quick, yet poignant read from a pop culture fan’s perspective and sensibility coupled with a conversational, not theologian, point of view. Eric provides “snapshots” of his own experiences to give readers insight as to how life looks when lived through the prism of the modern-day superhero and of those in Biblical times. Evil Does Not Have The Last Word includes a story of the author's personal trauma that led him away from God and how, eventually, he found his way back to God and put his trust and faith in Him again.
I think my favorite part of the book - and the one that readers will be most affected by - is Chapter 6. This is the "rubber meets the road" chapter about trauma, injustice, forgiveness, and that in the midst of great evil God is still working in ways we cannot fathom but know He has not forsaken us. Out of all the chapters in the book, this will be the one that readers will ponder the most.
How then is faith spelled differently than religion? Faith is spelled “DONE” because salvation is a gift. People are saved by their
faith, by His grace…not by their works. Faith is about a relationship – living, walking, and talking – with God. A person bases his or her standing with Him on what He has already done through Christ on the cross for us. Faith depends on Christ’s finished works. Obedience comes more from a desire to express love for Him, in order to meet His standard. Obedience also comes from who a person is in Christ (a child of God who wants to please the Heavenly Father); not from some desire to hope I can make the grade. Faith asks you to have a relationship with God and trust Him with your life, evenwhen you don’t understand what is going on around you. Faith means believing in things you can’t see or touch. Faith means you trust God in situations you do not try to control even in times when you lose hope. Faith is not about choosing a religious team. Faith is about choosing God, even when you don’t understand what He’s doing. Or why.
Faith can be a difficult thing to wrap our minds around because we can’t wrap our arms around it. Faith is easy to have when life is going well. The true test of faith comes during the rough times when our faith is tested. Faith, in and of itself, is meaningless because it’s not how much faith you have but who you have faith in. Another friend characterized faith this way in a Facebook™ posting:
“Faith is exactly what it takes to get through uncertainty. Faith is not necessary when you know how things are going to work out, - that's knowledge. It's in the time of unknowing that having faith is what sees you through to the other side. Faith is what
gives you strength. Faith is that light in your heart that keeps on shining even when it’s all darkness outside…”
When I was a kid, I tried to pray my way out of bad circumstances because that’s what I’d been told to do. When you need help, you ask God. I looked at God as this eternal, invisible superhero who was supposed to get me out of jams. When we view God as something He isn’t, it can be easy to think He’s failed us, has forgotten us, maybe just plain doesn’t like us or doesn’t even exist. That’s when the Mike Wasdins of the world begin questioning God’s job performance. That’s when we start shopping for a god that offers what we need. What do we look for when we look to God? The best way to see the various perspectives at work is summed up nicely by my friend Amy. One Sunday at our church she shared this thought with the congregation:
“If you’re looking for a god that offers something easy and comfortable so you can stay in your comfort zone, you will not find him here. If you’re looking for a genie where your wish is his command and you tell him what to do so he stays small and worldly, you will not find him here. If you’re looking for a god that’s a lottery ticket who will give you unlimited wealth, you will not find him here. If you’re looking for a god that is a vending machine where you put in your time and your knowledge and get out what you want, you will not find him here. If you’re looking for a god who offers encouragement, mercy, strength, security, excitement and adventure…who offers you intimacy, acceptance, and freedom…yes, freedom from having to measure up, from having to pretend, from slavery to sin, from death to living an eternal life…you will find Him here.”