God Allows Adversities—Because He Loves

 

God Molding Us With His Mighty Hands

 

God allows hardships in our lives so we can (1) grow closer to Him (2) grow in faith (3) comfort others.

(1)- 1 Peter 4:19- So then, those who suffer according to God’s Will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.

Acts 14:22- Strengthen the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said.

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If we are suffering, commit to the Lord. Draw close to him. There is a reason for the anguish. Study God’s Word. Pray continually. God will reveal through his Holy Spirit, in time, why we are going through the storm. He will hold us tight in the palm of His mighty hand as the storm surrounds us and swirls around us.

One of the possibilities for the storm is, we are being tested by Satan. A testing is when Satan stands before the throne of God in heaven and petitions God to test a person. He has studied us and finds us with unrighteousness. God allows the testing to purify us; we are refined by fire.

For more information on testing, I invite everyone to read my article: The Full Armor Of God—Wear It! https://bestill876095733.wordpress.com/2018/03/14/the-full-armor-of-god-wear-it/

Not every storm is from Satan. This is a broken world. Bad things happen to good people all the time; a bad medical report, family issues, work relationship problems, financial hardships. All these problems can lead to horrible consequences, sometimes at the best we can do.

These catastrophes in our lives will rip us apart—tear or families into pieces. Our best solution is to turn to our heavenly Father for comfort and guidance and ride out the hurricane. As the winds of disaster blow in our lives, rest in the palms of His mighty hands. Ride out the storm in His strength. If we rely on his strength, we will survive the storm.

2 Corinthians 12: 10- That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weakness, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Ephesians 6:10- Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.

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(2)- Grow in Faith- When God allows a storm into our lives, it can be for many reasons. Many of these reasons are not for us to understand.

Isaiah 55:8-9- “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. 9- As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

All things are in God’s control; he owns the entire world. When the Lord allows a catastrophic event into our lives, it can be difficult to think of him as good and loving. How could a God who loves his people allow bad things to happen to good people?—especially when he has the power so stop the hurricane.

We must consider that this is a broken world; full of sin. Bad things happen all around us, all the time. Sometimes, God rescues us from the disaster, and in his wisdom, sometimes he does not. He allows us to go through the event even though he loves us with a deep love that is beyond our understanding.  The question is, where is our focus?

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2 Timothy 3:16- All scripture is God –breathed and is useful for teaching, reproofing, for correcting and training in righteousness.

2 Peter 1: 20- 21-Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. 21- For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Sometimes God’s reason for allowing us to go through a storm is to drive us upward toward Him, in our faith. The Lord, through the Holy Spirit, will call us to read His Word with a passion, perhaps like never before. Through the reading of the bible, the Holy Spirit will reveal God’s truths to us that we never understood before. The scriptures will take on new meaning; they will become alive to us.

God will use the horrific event to reveal new truths about himself to us through his Word and allow an increased pouring out of His Holy Spirit upon us. (This may be accompanied by excessive crying or weeping)

God grows our faith in spurts like this. He might use a storm as the event to grow us.

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(3)- Teach us to comfort others. It is difficult to feel mercy toward someone else’s pain if we have not been through pain ourselves. Pain is a universal bond. The pain does not have to be the same but sometimes it is the same or often times relatable. God allows his children to go through pain, to help others who are suffering; that is only one reason.

Romans 8:17-18- Now if we are children, then we are heir –heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his suffering in order that we may also share in his glory. 18- I consider that our present sufferings are not worthy comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.

We are called to share in Christ suffering; we also will share in his glory, if we remain faithful to him to the end.

Therefore, since we as Christians are called to share in Christ’ sufferings, in all pain, we must run our race, no matter what the Lord has called us to do. Encourage one another in our pain.

If we are not sure what our race is, pray and ask the Lord for his wisdom as to what our purpose is. He will reveal our purpose for us in His good time. Wisdom is waiting for the Lord while remaining in the faith.  By remaining in the faith, we pray, read our bible, and attend church; walk in the Lord.

One part of running our race is comforting others who are in pain. We should be quick with comfort and compassion—but withholding judgement. Since we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, none of us has the right to judge—no matter what a person’s pain.

For more information on running your race, I invite everyone to read my article:

Run Your Race For Jesus https://bestill876095733.wordpress.com/2018/03/06/run-your-race-for-jesus/

Be like Christ and give comfort to others.

John 15:9- As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.

God’s love gives us the ability to love, if we are abiding in his love.

John 14:15- “If you love me, you will obey what I command.”

If we truly love the Lord Jesus, we will be eager to follow his commandments; we will pick up our cross and follow him.

1 John 3:11- This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another.

If we say, we love Jesus, then we must love one another. If we call ourselves Christians—Christs’ followers, we are required to love as he loves us. To love with agape love isn’t humanly possible; loving unconditionally is a trait that is given to us from the Father, through his Holy Spirit. Pray that God will give you, as I do, a heart that loves with agape love (Deep and unconditional love) of the Father in heaven.

For more on God’s agape love, I invite all to read my article: God’s Agape Love, Displayed For All To See

https://bestill876095733.wordpress.com/2018/03/30/gods-agape-love-displayed-for-all-to-see/

Let’s all pray for Christ’s love (agape love) toward everyone and give comfort and love to all who hurt,

Gary The Tested

Trust God To Meet All Our Needs

Joseph Governor of Egypt selling grain

Philippians 4:19- And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.

Psalms 27:14- Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.

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When waiting for the Lord, we are to be very active spiritually; praying, studying God’s Word, attending church. God will work in our lives. In the beginning, it is often behind the scenes where we cannot see or are not aware. Keep being active spiritually.

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In the Old Testament, Joseph lived in Canaan; a young man of seventeen years of age. Joseph’s father, Israel(Jacob) loved Joseph more than his other siblings because he was born of his old age. Israel made his prized son a richly ornamented robe. This made the brothers very jealous.

Joseph had a dream. They were binding sheaths of grain. Joseph’s sheath stood up and his brothers sheath’s of grain bowed down to his. When he told his brothers, they hated him even more.

Joseph had a second dream in which the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to him. His brothers were jealous. His father and mother did not know what to do with this information.

Later in the desert, Joseph’s brothers took his robe and tossed him into a cistern. (A place for storing water. It was empty) They pulled him out of the cistern and sold Joseph to a band of Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. They in turn took him to Egypt. Joseph was sold in Egypt to Potiphar, Pharaoh’s captain of the guards.

The Lord was with Joseph and he prospered. He lived in the house of the Egyptian master. Potiphar placed Joseph in charge of the household, because he saw God’s anointing on Joseph. Potiphar prospered because of Joseph’s anointing by the Lord.

Joseph was a well—built man—alluring, attractive. Potiphar’s wife took notice of him. She said, “Come to bed with me!” He refused. Stating, that would be a sin against my master and my God.

She persisted greatly, day after day, but Joseph refused. He chose the righteous path.

Out of anger and revenge, she lied and reported Joseph to her husband. Potiphar had Joseph thrown into prison. In prison, the Lord was with Joseph. Joseph was placed in charge of all the inmates under the warden. In prison God gave him the ability to interpret dreams.

Two years passed for Joseph in prison. Pharaoh had two dreams. The cup bearer from prison remembered Joseph. He explained how Joseph had interpreted dreams in the dungeon. Pharaoh sent for Joseph. Pharaoh told Joseph the dreams and he explained. (The Lord gave Joseph the answer to the dreams)There will be seven years of great prosperity followed by seven years of severe famine such as the land has never seen before. You must store up the harvest in storehouses during the years of fat to feed your kingdom during the years of famine.

Pharaoh placed Joseph in charge of all Egypt to oversee this operation. Pharaoh put his signet ring from his finger on Joseph’s finger. Dressed him in fine linen. A gold chain around his neck. A chariot to ride in for his second-in –command and men shouted before him, “Make way!” Joseph was placed in charge of the whole land of Egypt. He was thirty years old. Pharaoh gave him the name Zaphenath-Paneah.

Over the next seven years, the food Joseph stored in every town and city and all over Egypt was beyond counting or measure.

During this time, Joseph was happily married to Potiphar’s daughter. They had two sons. He forgot about his past pain.

The seven years of prosperity quickly ended. Famine spread throughout Egypt. Joseph opened the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians. Jacob, Joseph’s father, sent his sons to Egypt to purchase grain for their survival; all but the youngest brother Benjamin.

Upon their arrival, Joseph recognized his brothers and ordered, he would keep one of them in prison while the rest went back for the younger brother. They also could purchase grain to take with them. Their bags were filled with grain and unknown to them, their silver was also placed in their bags—returned to them. They left for the return journey to Canaan.

Later, the brothers returned to Egypt with Benjamin to purchase more grain. They were taken to Joseph’s home. When Joseph arrived home, they bowed down in respect—still not knowing the identity of the ruler.

After some trickery, Joseph orders them to go and get their father, Jacob. The entire family was to move to the region of Goshen and be near Joseph. They were to bring their flocks, herds, and all they have. Joseph would see to their care in their new land in Egypt.

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Joseph was seventeen when he was sold into slavery, to the Ishmaelites, by his jealous brothers. When Joseph saw his brothers again, he was the Governor of Egypt, he was forty years of age. Joseph trusted God and was patient. Through Joseph’s faith and patience, God raised him to prominence.

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Isaiah 30:18- Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of Justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!

Isaiah 40:31- but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

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Be patient in the Lord. He will meet our needs. He promises us.

Our Faith pleases God, obedience pleases him. A reward is coming on earth and in heaven; he promises.

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2 Thessalonians 3:10 – For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule; “If a man will not work, he shall not eat.”

God will give us work, but we must be willing to do it. Often times, God meets our needs through working. He blesses us with work. Good health. Good decision making. Stamina at work. Good jobs. Protects us from bad bosses; gives us his grace to deal with them.

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Deuteronomy 8:17-18-You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” 18- But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today.

Deuteronomy 8- Do Not Forget The Lord- When we have a comfortable life, when we are content, do not forget who got us there. It was the power of the Lord. It is the Lord who gives you the ability to produce wealth.

Deuteronomy 19- 20-If you ever forget the Lord your God and follow other Gods and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed. 20- Like the nations the Lord destroyed before you, so you will be destroyed for not obeying the Lord your God.

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It is very important, when all our needs are being met by the Lord and we are comfortable, remember to give him praise daily. Do not become complacent. Remain strong in the faith. Continue to pray daily, study God’s Word and attend church frequently. Make sure not to fall into the sin by putting other things in your life before the Lord; idols.

God will meet all our needs if we trust him and wait,

Gary The Tested