In the garden of Eden, when Adam and Eve enjoyed deep closeness with God, the serpent came and challenged them to doubt His goodness. That tactic has never changed. The same question must be answered in the midst of the uncertainties of life to this day. “Is God really good?” Your answer will determine your view of life and will affect the degree of peace and joy you carry in your heart.
The enemy doesn’t want you to know the truth that you are never separated from God’s heart of love (Rom 8:38-39). Since Jesus already disarmed the devil by stripping him of his sham authority (Col 2:15), the only card the enemy has left to play is the deception card. If you believe one of his deceiving lies, he gains power over you with it. Your champion, Jesus, came to shine the light of His glorious truth into you, incapacitating the enemy’s lies. Jesus continuously reveals the truth of the Father’s heart by reminding you of who you really are as a son or daughter of the King.
By hearing and agreeing with the genuine voice of your Father who adores you, the old tapes of inadequacy will lose their power to hurt you. And you will be certain of the right answer to these questions that may have plagued you in your past:
Is God fed up with me or enamored with me?
Is He just putting up with me, or is He truly proud of me?
Is He looking to put me in my place, or is He a Father who’s pleased with me and looking to build me up?
Does He enjoy watching me squirm and punishing my failures, or is He fulfilling His promise to victoriously lead me through this life into His awaiting arms?
Is God mad at me, or mad about me?
Personally, I’ve made my mind up about the goodness of God, with the overwhelming support of the Holy Spirit. This issue of God’s unfailing, massive goodness is completely settled in my heart. That doesn’t mean that I have all the answers to why certain things happen. Instead, I have a knowing in the depth of my being that God’s goodness is far better than I can imagine and far bigger than I can see with my limited perspective.
If you are thinking that God is a little bit better and kinder than the best person you know, you are a billion miles short of the actual truth. Our Father is altogether other than anybody we know. He is perfectly good, perfectly kind, perfectly loving, and always for us, with infinite power to back it up.
One practical application of agreeing with God’s goodness is choosing to disagree with your own assessment of yourself and your circumstances whenever it doesn’t match up with the truth of God’s goodness.
It’s important that in your pain you don’t build a case against the extreme goodness of God. It’s equally important that you not tear yourself down, because you would be criticizing the one whom God adores and has perfectly crafted just the way He wanted. It doesn’t glorify God one ounce to put yourself down or to feel bad about yourself. When you do this, you are agreeing with the accusing lies of the enemy. Once you get this truth of God’s goodness for yourself, you will see others with His eyes, and like God, you will go on a faultless-finding mission!
One day all will be made crystal clear. And when it is, the goodness of God will never, ever be in question again. Until then, trust His promises:
My joy will lie in them and in doing them good. (Jeremiah 32:41 NJB)
Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us ... (Ephesians 3:20 NKJV)
I am the Lord, I do not change.(Malachi 3:6, NKJV)
Listen to His heart for you today:
I am a good Father and I will always be good to you every day of your life.
I am unlike any earthly parent you have ever known—nothing whatsoever
like an abusive or neglectful parent
and far better than the best dad or mom you have ever seen.
The more you know Me, the more you will love Me and trust Me.
But even as you are learning to trust, My love for you never changes!
Listen to Papa's Blessing over you:
This is the video I showed last Saturday night--it's taken from the last chapter of my book. Enjoy His MASSIVE love for you!
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