“We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28
For Your Good
It is easy when bad things happen to wonder if God really has our best at heart. When we get knocked on our behinds by job loss, a cancer diagnosis, relationship problems, children in rebellion, hurricanes, wildfires, the list goes on and on…
Some of us have experienced horrific hardships during our lives. If you are having thoughts that God is against you, it is time to take back control of those thoughts and realign your mind with the truth of God’s Word.
Here are some things to remember:
1. Bad things happen to good and bad people because we live in a fallen world.
Satan has the run of this world right now. In the Bible, he is called the prince or ruler of this world. And, he is actively seeking to trip up and destroy Christians. He will use whatever he can to do it.
““I [Jesus]don’t have much more time to talk to you, for the evil prince of this world approaches. He has no power over me,” “ John 14:30
“Be careful—watch out for attacks from Satan, your great enemy. He prowls around like a hungry, roaring lion, looking for some victim to tear apart.” 1 Peter 5:8
2. God is always good.
It is His very nature to be good. He can’t be anything else. Always. Through every generation. So the plans He plans for you are for your good.
“For the Lord is good, and his faithful love endures forever;his faithfulness, through all generations.” Psalm 100:5
“The Lord is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
The Lord is good to all,
and his mercy is over all that he has made.” Psalm 145:8-9
3. He can transform the bad into good for you.
Bad things happen because we live in a sinful and fallen world. However, God can use those bad things in life to benefit us if we love Him and are following His purposes. He can use them for your good.
“We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” James 1:17
4. Don’t believe the lies that Satan tries to sell you.
Satan is still peddling the same lie he sold to Eve in the Garden of Eden. He wants you to believe that God is trying to keep you from good things and that you will be better off if you take complete control of your life. That you know better than God does.
“Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the wild animals that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You can’t eat from any tree in the garden’?”
The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit from the trees in the garden. But about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, God said, ‘You must not eat it or touch it, or you will die.’”
“No! You will certainly not die,” the serpent said to the woman. “In fact, God knows that when you eat it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” The woman saw that the tree was good for food and delightful to look at, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it; she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.” Genesis 3:1-6
Satan is here in the Garden saying that God is being unreasonable. That God doesn’t want Eve to have the good food and wisdom. That she shouldn’t have to follow God’s rules.
Satan is still successful with this line. “You are better off when you make all the decisions.” “God wants to hold you back and keep you from good things.” “He is not really good.” “He doesn’t really care about you.”
5. Satan’s lies have to be replaced with the truth.
When Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness, he resisted temptation and was victorious by using God’s Word as His weapon. We can follow His example and push out Satan’s lies with the truth of the Word of God.
“This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light, and there is absolutely no darkness in him.” 1 John 1:5
“Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love. God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his one and only Son into the world so that we might live through him. “ 1 John 4:7-9
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your cares on him, because he cares about you.” 1 Peter 5:6-7
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” James 1:17
The perfect pre-sin Garden of Eden was one where Adam and Eve were in consistent, daily communication with God and following His directives – God’s instructions are born of love and are for your good. Through Jesus, God provided a way for us to get back to that perfect communion with our Creator, but the world around us is still subject to the consequences of sin.
Action Step:
Reject the lies that the devil tells you and replace them with the truth about the goodness and love of God. He cares for you.
Today, choose one of the above verses and write it on an index card or piece of paper and put it in your wallet. Pull it out throughout the day and start to memorize it, so you have a weapon with which to fight the lies of Satan.
Prayer:
Dear God, You are good. You are love. Thank you that you can intervene in my life and turn the bad things to my benefit. Help me to reject the devil’s lies and focus on the truth of Your word. In Jesus’ name, amen.
To see other posts in the Transform Your Thoughts Devotional Series, CLICK HERE!