"Evil in their hearts"

On the heels of today's terrorist attack in London, President Bush stated the terrorists have "evil in their hearts." This is not the first time the President used such a term. On previous occasions President Bush has refered to terrorists as "evil doers."

The use of the word evil in his statements raises questions. What does President Bush mean when he says that terrorists have evil in their hearts? More to the point, what is the world's understanding of evil?

Just as the world does not accept the active presence of God operating in our physical world, neither can it accept the active presence of Satan operating in our world. If someone is described as being evil, the world understands that peson as having a destructive state of mind, not someone under the influence of an unseen, spiritual force.

The word "spiritual" means unseen, or of another realm. The world only understands and accepts what it sees. If in the case of evil, it can understand suicide bombimg, not its unseen cause. If in the case of sickness, the world can understand its symptoms, not its unseen cause.

Satan has long used religion to advance his cause, the destruction of man. This is why America battles a fanatical Muslim fringe sect in a so-called jehad (holy war). This is also why many Christian churches dismiss healing that involves faith. Satan has whispered in the ear of well-intentioned believers that God has ended spiritual healing.

Evil is real, just as all that is holy is real. Our struggle is not against one another, but against the unseen, spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. That we hem and haw over whether God heals shows the influence that Satan holds in the Body of Christ (His Church).

Imagine the power, the witness, the impact churches could have on their communities, if churches actively involved themselves in spiritually healing the sick. Whole communities would come to know God and His Son, the Great Physician.