TOPIC: GOD IS OMNIPOTENT
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If some harmful persons came to your father and asked that they may do evil against you only if your father permitted them. What would you think of the father that gives such permission? A good father or a bad father? I won’t blame that evil doer if I were you; I will rather blame my father who could stop the evil but did not. Well, what would you think of God Most High if He is the one that gives permission to all evil that happens on earth? The hurricanes, the rapes, theft, assassinations, suicides, molestation, kidnaps, epidemics, bombings, terrorism, wars, barrenness, man slaughter, among several evil that are done in our generation? What kind of father would He be? If we being carnal and evil will not do such to our children, how much more our heavenly Father. (Mat 7:11) He is the “loving Father” Jesus came to show us who does good both for the just and the unjust. (Mat 5:45)
WHY THEN DO BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOD’S PEOPLE?
Bad things happen to God’s people because we live in a fallen world which lies in wickedness. (1Joh 5:19) Almost everything around us has the devil’s signature; all of creation have all been captured in a measure of iniquity (Rom 8:20-22). Many times we ourselves (or people who have authority over our lives) also cooperate with the devil and become instruments of evil for our own lives either actively or passively. But for this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil (1John 3:8). WE MAY NOT BE ABLE TO STOP OUR LAZARUS FROM DYING, BUT WHEN HE DIES WE CAN ALWAYS BRING HIM BACK TO LIFE IN THE NAME OF JESUS! We must desist from thinking God is the issuer of the permission for evil over our lives. Rather we should take authority over situations in the name of Jesus by faith! And if our faith is not enough, we can call another to agree with us. (Mat 18:18,19) And if it was our fault, we can always obtain mercy and get such dealt with. (Heb 4:16)
BELIEVERS IN THE CENTRE OF GOD’S WILL
Nevertheless, we must consider this. I believe that a believer can boldly say that “all that happens in my life is by the will of God” if he is in the center of God’s will every day and thus permits God to mold his life the way He wants. Thus, God in His wisdom and power would make all things (both good, bad, and ugly) work together for his conformity to the image of the Son. (Rom 8:28-30) Jesus told Pilate: ”Thou COULDEST HAVE NO POWER AT ALL AGAINST ME, EXCEPT IT WERE GIVEN THEE FROM ABOVE” (Joh 19:11). Jesus was secured because He does all that the Father commands. So He knows that all that happens to Him is by His Father’s will and they are to His advantage. They could not kill Him until it was time. But a person who ate too much and became obese now claiming that God made him fat is only deceiving himself and refusing to take responsibility for his folly. A person who refused to pray and heed to warnings and instruction and now experiencing troubles cannot claim God permitted evil in his life. A person who chose a spouse because of beauty or money, who is now paying the price through his nose is only reaping the fruit of his labor and cannot claim he is in the center of God’s will. A person who refused to exercise faith and authority over his circumstances cannot claim he is in God’s will either.
We must not be unwise but understanding what the will of the Lord is. (Eph 5:17). I believe there are two things among many others the Lord will never take from us: our daily bread and our daily health except we lay them down ourselves. (Psalm 37:25; Isaiah 53:5; John 10:18)
Finally, we who are called according to His purpose should keep on loving Him with all our heart and following His instructions and warnings; so that all things will work together for our good as we understand His will in every situation. (Romans 8:28)
Grace and Peace be multiplied unto you.