It happened again, in Parkland, just a 30-minute drive from my seminar, March 2, in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. By the time you read this, the death toll, initially set at 17, will likely be higher. This tragedy has been called “catastrophic” by USA TODAY and “pure evil” by Florida’s governor. Journalists, political pundits, and talk show hosts have been positing theories as to why it happened and solutions to prevent it from happening again. But most have missed the point. More guards at schools and better detection of mental illness may mitigate such carnage; however, the problem we face is not one of identifying madmen or restricting their ability to commit mass murder. We must look deeper at the moral conditions than spawn such killers.
Since 20 first graders and six adults where shot in Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012 there have been 239 more school shootings, with 438 being shot and 138 killed! There have been three mass shootings in the last four months. Those my age, and even those several decades younger, find such outbreaks of violence unimaginable. When I attended high school, we had no metal detectors at our school entrances. There were no armed security guards or police on duty at the schoolhouse steps. What’s changed isn’t the impulse of evil in the hearts of potential criminals. What’s different is the generational change in moral behavior.
Until recent decades, there were no wardrobe malfunctions at football games. No abortion on demand. No identity politics polarizing the left and right. No rap “singers” advocating the killing of cops. No basketball stars like Lebron James, who didn’t even finish high school and can’t speak a grammatically consistent sentence, cursing the President. No movies like “Pulp Fiction,” “Fast and Furious,” and “Kill Bill,” and no violent video games such as “Mortal Kombat,” “Thrill Kill,” and “Grand Theft Auto.” No legal, recreational drugs like weed.
Here’s what we did have: Everyone recited the pledge of allegiance every day; everyone stood for the National Anthem; prayer in schools; graduation with a baccalaureate service and a pastoral sermon. Our butts got paddled if we broke school discipline. (Yes, it happened to even me.)
What we face is a spiritual problem of moral rebellion, disrespect for authority, lust and greed at every level of society, and smooth talking mega-pastors who wouldn’t know a demon if it spit in their face. Consequently, demons run rampant with little restraint upon their evil. Here’s what will stop the killing: tougher drugs laws, faster sentencing of criminals, stricter behavior codes in schools, no-nonsense teachers, and more hellfire preachers. And a lot more exorcists.
An encouraging word: COMPARISONS
We are all prone to compare ourselves to others. The car they drive, the house they live in, what they look like are all factors we may consider when making comparisons. First Samuel 16:7 says, “The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” Remember that the next time you compare yourself to another person. As someone who counsels those with deep, dark secrets I can assure you that things are not always what they appear on the outside.
Bob Larson has trained healing and deliverance teams all over the world to set the captives free and Do What Jesus Did® (Luke 4:18). You can partner with Bob and support this vision to demonstrate God’s power in action by calling 303-980-1511 or clicking here to donate online
