An enemy is never conquered by running away from him, for we thus acknowledge him to be the stronger. When next we met, it would be with greater fear and trembling; and thus fear would grow, in increasing ratio, until in the consciousness of our God-derived strength we rose up and overthrew him. It is only our belief that evil is power which prompts us to flee from it. Fearful shrinking from our difficulties serves to increase them and to weaken our position, while a determined stand in the face of opposition will often vanquish the foe and redeem the situation.

Mrs. Eddy writes: "Evil is not something to fear or flee before, or that becomes more real when it is grappled with" (Miscellaneous Writings, p. 284); "It is neither person, place, nor thing, but is simply a belief, an illusion of material sense" (Science and Health, p. 71). Since evil is not a real something, and has no existence or action separate from human belief, there can be nothing in it to fear except the mistake of believing in it. Strong men are sometimes terrified by mere shadows, but when the unsubstantial nature of these shadows becomes apparent, then their terror disappears. Even the most timid are not afraid of a shadow if they recognize it for what it is; but if unaware of its nothingness, they may run away from it. One who tries to grasp a shadow, thinking it is something, sharply realizes its utter blankness, its absolute lack of being anything; but often we fail to recognize that the evil confronting us is as unsubstantial as a shadow, because we lack the courage to grapple with it.

Our trouble, to a large extent, comes from the fact that we face our difficulties as stubborn realities; we accept them for what they seem, not for what they are. We think it is a personality that persecutes us, a material disease that afflicts us, the lack of money that impoverishes us, etc. Is not the root, or fundamental evil, underlying all human discord, the supposition that there is something real besides God? Then, if we believe that God is All, infinite, we should know that such a supposition is false, in whatever shape it may appear. That which opposes our progress or our welfare is not a thing nor a person, but a belief in the reality of evil, an erroneous sense of being as separate from God, and of itself it is nothing, no one. This view does not imply that we have no work to do in removing our difficulties, but that this work is to dispel an illusive belief and not to destroy a reality; to overcome a sense of evil and not an evil person. Facing our problems thus, we shall not be so easily discouraged or discomfited, for though complete success may seem distant, we know that we are steadily winning our case in the degree that we are gaining in the understanding of Truth.

What Bible student does not pause at the story of Daniel's deliverance from the lions, to admire his lofty courage and unshrinking allegiance to the right? Although he must have realized the extreme peril of his position, from the human point of view, there was no weakening of his faith, no wavering in his loyalty to conscience, no cringing before the murderous machinations which had been evilly set at work against him. If ever one had reason to run from his difficulties, or to compromise with evil, Daniel surely had; but he faced the situation, beginning his work with prayer and thanksgiving, and winning because he had served God "continually." He knew that the lions could have no power over him unless it were given them of God, hence he could face the seeming terror and prove its unreality.

The general who is informed of the weakness of the enemy goes forward with confidence to the battle, whereas one who believes himself inferior in strength and numbers retreats in fear of defeat. In the Christian warfare, with God on our side, we should know that in numbers and strength we are always superior to the enemy. Jesus, knowing the powerlessness of all evil, of all that is opposed to God, said, "Be not afraid." Common experience proves that appearances are often but optical illusions; and did we know all of Truth, did we but realize that God, good, is infinite, we would regard the human sense of evil as only a mental illusion, and the sin and suffering resulting there-from as false experiences, which will diminish as the truth of being is discerned and understood. The fact that evil has no influence over goodness, proves that it is nothing to be feared if one lives righteously and relies wholly upon God.

Each mortal has his individual problem to solve, his own salvation from the sense of evil to work out, and success demands that the conditions which would hinder that work or render it difficult be courageously grappled with and overcome. If one is tempted to despair because his efforts seem ineffectual, he should awaken to the real nature of whatever opposes him, and watch lest he be deceived by an illusion or attach reality to that which is unlike God. Without one's consent, nothing outside of his own thoughts can prevent his prosperity or bar his progress. Even the bitterest persecution from those most dear cannot shut God away from us, nor prevent daily growth in reflecting Love. Like wise generals let us send out our scouts—our true thoughts of God—to examine the strength of the enemy; and these true thoughts of God will report that evil, with all its pretensions and change of face, is but a deception, or a deceived sense, and that God does not give it one iota of power or intelligence or reality. This being true, we have but to face every adverse condition and hold our ground until we prove God's power over it, however long this may seem to take.

It is the spirit in which we face our difficulties that always counts. The right attitude is not that of stubborn resistance, but of quiet, unshaken confidence in the integrity of our Cause, and the conviction that in maintaining it we are working with God and He with us. It is not the spirit that wearies itself in contemplation of the seeming resources of evil that conquers it, but the spirit that renews its strength in contemplation of the omnipotence of God, good. Instead of fearing what some evil may do to us, or giving up in discouragement because we seem unable to meet it, let us, like Daniel, give thanks that we can be faithful to God under all conditions and can trust to His protection in the face of every threatening appearance.

We are prone to think that our difficulties lie in the circumstances, the conditions, or the environments in which we find ourselves, when they really lie in our lack of the knowledge of God. Instead of battling with evil persons and things, as they seem to us, we should strive to overcome the sense of evil in ourselves; for we can have no worse enemy than ignorance of God. The truth that good is infinite holds the remedy for every evil. There is no error so great but the truth exists to correct it, no difficulty so hard but there is always the way out of it, no righteous demand so large but God has provided the means of meeting it. In working out our salvation, then, the vital point for us is to learn more of Truth, to become more Godlike, to realize more clearly the presence of the infinite.

We cannot evade the final working out of our problems, for all that the erring sense of evil claims concerning man must be met and destroyed before mortals can "put on immortality." Turning away from this work because of indolence or discouragement, leaving evil in undisputed possession of the field, brings but a temporary sense of release, a dangerous respite in which our adversary increases its asserted power. Mrs. Eddy writes: "Evil let alone grows more real, aggressive, and enlarges its claim" (Miscellaneous Writings, p. 284). Evil never recognizes a flag of truce, never modifies its badness, never ceases its enmity to God and His offspring; and to counteract and destroy its influence, human thought and desire must remain steadfast in God as All-in-all. Facing our difficulties in the light of Christian Science, we shall look through them to the reality of being beyond, even the ever-present good that is God; and thus discerning the unsubstantiality of all wrong conditions, we may rest confident in the eternal triumph of right.