God is True and Faithful

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In these last days, there are many deceiving spirits, which are traversing the world and weaving their deception in the hearts of men and women who are not grounded in the Word of God (2 Timothy 3:13).

The devil keeps his demons busy looking for gullible people whom he can deceive with his lies and vain philosophies (Colossians 2:8). He is the deceiver of the whole world (Revelation 12:9).  

Satan sends false prophets who convince people that they are the Christ or that they come from Christ, but who are actually lawless and have grown cold in their love for the things of God (Matthew 24:4-12).

Although God’s invisible attributes are revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness, these with their false doctrine, suppress the truth and keep people from believing what God reveals in our conscience and in nature (Romans 1:18-22).

Those of us who are deceived have no valid excuse not to believe in God, because He reveals His glory to everyone who ever lives; and we condemn our self to hell by our choice not to believe in Jesus (John 3:16-18; Obadiah 1:3; Proverbs 28:26).

This occurs because of our stubborn pride, lustful desires and our trust in what our foolish heart tells us is true. We allow these deceivers to draw us away from the simplicity of Christ (2 Corinthians 11:3).

Yet, those of us who forsakes evil company and withstand this temptation will receive the crown of life and every good and perfect gift, which the Lord promises to those who love Him (James 1:12-17; 1 Corinthians 15:33).

Prayer:

Father God we know that You will not be mocked. If we sow to the flesh, we will reap corruption (1 Corinthians 6:9-10); but if we sow to the Spirit, we will enjoy the fruit of Your righteousness and reap everlasting life (Galatians 6:7-8).

Those of us who sell our soul to the flesh, the world and the devil will inherit our part in the brimstone lake of fire and the second death (Revelation 21:8). Even those of us who trust in our own goodness to get to heaven will end up deceived and disappointed (Matthew 7:21-23). It is only as we trust in Your Son, Jesus, that we find the ultimate way, truth and life (John 14:6).

Thought for the Day:

God is true and faithful and His promises remain forever.

- Romans 3:4

Why Bad Things Happen to Good People

Read: Luke 4:1-11

“No one is righteous, no not one.” – Romans 3:10

I always get defensive when people blame God for the negative circumstances in our world. They say, “If there really is a God, why did He allow this to happen?”

Quite honestly, God created Paradise for us. He wants to provide for our every need and to give us a perfect environment in which to live.

However, God also gave us all a free will and the ability to make choices. Our choices and/or the choices of others are what cause all the horrid things in our lives, not God. Even inclement weather is caused because of the curse produced by Adam and Eve’s sin. God is not calous to our suffering. He feels our sorrows and is acquainted with our griefs. After all, our sin nailed Him to the cross.

I do agree that there really are decent people in this world who are very kind, generous and good to others. They are honest and some are even spiritually minded. Even though they are not perfect, they are attempting to live lives of service to others. So when they suffer, it angers us because we do not think they deserve to suffer in this way. We wonder why God would allow bad things to happen to them?

The surprising answer to this is found in the Bible. There are no “good” people. We are all influenced by sin (Ecclesiastes 7:20; Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:8; Romans 3:10-18). Yet, Romans 5:8 declares, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

So, why did God allow a good man like Jesus to suffer and die? In order for Him to pay the penalty of our sin. Sin in every form is what causes all the bad things in the world to happen to people who are really trying hard to live a good life. God only wants our best in life. It is our choices and the choices of others that open the door for evil to affect us. Of course, Satan plays into this too. The existence of evil points to the reality of a God who is good, holy and just. Satan’s tool is deception and his aim is to steal, kill and destroy your life (John 10:10).

We are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against Satan and his demons in the spiritual realm. They wield mighty powers of darkness and they rule the world. God gave Adam and Eve jurisdiction over the earth (Genesis 1:28).  However, when Adam and Eve sinned, they relinquished control over the earth to Satan. He is now the god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4).

Our holy God did not leave us defenseless, however. The Bible encourages us to put on the whole armor of God so that He can protect us from the schemes of the devil (Ephesians 11:6, 12). Each piece of God's armor has a specific purpose and allows us to resist Satan so we can stand firm in this spiritual warfare. God’s righteousness is our body armor and His truth is our belt. If we walk in His righteousness and support this holiness with His truth, then the vital aspects of our life are protected. Although we may suffer physically, He protects our soul and spirit (Matthew 10:28).

God then guards our spiritual walk by the peace that comes from a personal relationship with Christ. He also gives us faith to shield us when Satan tries to discourage us, distract us and lure us to return to serving him. God protects our mind with a helmet fashioned by our salvation through Christ. This allows us to take captive every thought (2 Corinthians 12:5) and to put on the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16). Then, last but not least, He gives us the Bible as our sword. We can defeat Satan with God’s Word, just like Jesus did in the wilderness (Luke 4:1-11).

As with Job, Satan attacks us with illnesses and plagues to try to break us and make us curse God. Even so, God works all of these horrors out for our good (Romans 8:28), just like He did for Job. Instead of doubting God's goodness, our reaction should be to trust Him with all of our heart and not to depend upon our own understanding. He wants us to acknowledge Him in everything we say and do, so that He can keep us on the straight and narrow path (Proverbs 3:5-6). In this way, we make far fewer mistakes and we reap many more positive consequences.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, for those who are asking this question, give them the comfort of Your presence in their life. Break through their pain and give them Your peace that supercedes human reasoning. Flood them with Your joy as their strength. I pray that You will put Your salve upon their hurting hearts and that You will reveal the love of Your Son Jesus to them, right where they are.

Thought for the Day:
Out of our suffering, God forges strong souls. He fashions the Godliest of character in those who are tormented with the most affliction.