Karen and I just returned home from a week away. Upon entering our home, we discovered it in a state of chaos:

While we were away, the water filter people installed a softener that proceeded to leak all over the basement floor. So now in addition to a mess downstairs, the water in the whole house is turned off. If we want to "go to the bathroom," we go out into the woods (how do you "go to the bathroom" in the woods? There are no bathrooms out there!). Showers are problematical and Whimsy just rolled in something stinky outside. He needs a bath worse than we do - ugh!

Meanwhile, spring has come, so the grass needs mowing. But after a winter in the garage, the mower needs to be fixed. On another front, we have a new hobby - an aquarium. But the fish got some sort of parasite and are upside down in the tank.

Simultaneously, we have been switching the phones over to Vonage, which is cheaper and more wonderful than BellSouth, but needs an internet provider. Comcast was our only choice and they came by and declared, "We can't run our lines this far out." Also simultaneously, we are starting a training camp and a series of guests are arriving to our delightful disaster-house, so our stress-levels are rising.

In the grand scheme of things, God's charge to Adam is his charge to us and we who are created in his image need to implement his strategy. God gave Adam five tasks in Gen. 1:28:

1) Be fruitful

2) Increase in number

3) Fill the earth

4) Subdue (the earth)

5) Rule over (the earth)

God created Adam as an order-bringer. God established a pattern for bringing order right off the bat (Gen. 1:2) by "hovering over the chaos." Just as God brought order to the chaos, just as he charged Adam with the task of bringing order, so we are to hover over the chaos in our lives, exercising our God-delegated authority to bring order. It is evil's strategy to defy authority and increase chaos, and our job as men and women created in God's image is to come against evil, to "let it feel the weight of our presence."

So, while Karen and I were away, entropy fought back and evil contested our delegated authority.

Now some of you are probably saying, "That's just life." My reply to that is that you have probably embraced a rationalistic, Western world-view that has blinded you to spiritual reality. If you were to have grown up in Africa, for instance, you would have a healthy respect for the every-day reality of evil; you would not be so quick to discount its role in your life. As an African Jesus-follower, you would take seriously the authority he delegated you (in Matt. 10:1 and Matt. 28:18) to confront evil by driving out demons and healing sick people.

Look at your life; can you see the areas where evil is contesting your authority? Look at the way chaos has infiltrated your family. Look at the bad habits you fight. Look at the compromises you are tempted to make - all are evidence of a titanic battle being waged at every level for control of the earth.

Our task is to wake up to the reality of this battle and our role in it. The majority of American Christians are numb to this reality and feel impotent in the fight against chaos. They complain about circumstances as though they had no delegated authority and were selected for special suffering by evil.

The truth is, everyone is caught up in a ragged battle for control of this world. Our struggle is against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." (Eph. 6:12)

Our posture in this conflict is to be offensive - to be an affront to evil, to take back territory that it has expropriated from our Lord and master. In short, we have been delegated the job of taking dominion. God's word to man hasn't changed since the days of Adam.

In my own corner of the world, we are fighting chaos one problem at a time. The water filter guys should be showing up at our house any minute now.