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"Nothing makes a person more able to cross the line from victim to victor than coming through bad times with our relationship with God intact and even more solid as a result."
As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 153.
There is a saying people are fond of quoting when challenging times hit. It goes like this, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger." My quote today is nothing more than just another way of making the point that even the bad times of life have purpose that might make the bad times somewhat more tolerable
Though this may be true, you have to realize that God isn't throwing a bunch of bad things into your life in an attempt to make you stronger. The evil in this world is banking on you getting so discouraged by all the challenges you might be facing right now, to give up on the fact that God 's love is for you. It is when you come through a challenging time with your faith in God intact that greater strength comes as you survive the attacks of this world.
This point is emphasized by today's Bible reading. Take a look at it with me now.
But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. Genesis 50:20 (NKJV)
The things the evil in this world has done to you was meant to tear you down. God knows that evil is going to happen in this world. He also knows that our natural ability to survive in spite of all evil does to war against us will naturally build us up. He wants us built up so that we can be part of the process of saving this world from the ravaging plan evil has for for us all. Remember, what doesn't kill us makes us stronger. We are part of a plan for life. The evil in this world wants us to forget that so that death will reign.
So, why doesn't God just make evil go away? I believe it is because evil becomes a possibility as we are given the powerful force called choice. It is the choices people make that causes the vast majority of the evil that is trying to overtake our world today. Evil can't be completely eradicated without choice being taken away. Without choice, love just isn't worth the effort.
A love based on obligation just isn't the same as a love based on choice. Forcing someone to love you isn't a love you can trust. A forced love doesn't do for the object of that love what a love based on choice does. It is when we choose to love God in spite of the evil that befalls us as a result of choices others make, that a power comes into our lives that makes love a force to be contended with. Satan knows that and works to make our choices create as much evil in the world as possible so that our love will be lacking in power.
I am sure that God hates it when we face challenges of any kind. Don't you ache inside when something happens bad to one of your children? It must be just as painful when God's children question God's motives when it comes to evil in this world. I just don't see God as the bad guy when it comes to bad things happening to us. I also can't see God allowing badness to happen to institute some growth strategy in our lives. How could a loving father deliberately hurt a much beloved child in the name of toughening them up? Yet, that is what we blame God for doing when we think that evil is something God allows so that we will be made stronger in our faith.
The reality is that everything in this life will make us stronger. It is when we face all the evil that comes our way standing on the foundation of the the fact that God's love is for us no matter what our circumstances might be at any given moment, that growth does happen in our lives. I just can't see God thinking that any pain is the lives of His children is a good thing. I wish that meant that pain would never be there, but as long as we live in this fallen world, pain is a real and distinct possibility. I just want to stop blaming God for that pain and continue believing in His Love for me no matter what my circumstances may look like.
The reality is that everything in this life will make us stronger. It is when we face all the evil that comes our way standing on the foundation of the the fact that God's love is for us no matter what our circumstances might be at any given moment, that growth does happen in our lives. I just can't see God thinking that any pain is the lives of His children is a good thing. I wish that meant that pain would never be there, but as long as we live in this fallen world, pain is a real and distinct possibility. I just want to stop blaming God for that pain and continue believing in His Love for me no matter what my circumstances may look like.
Though what doesn't kill you makes you strong is a reality that works in the spiritual world as completely as it does in the natural world, God isn't behind the evil that can actually work to make you stronger. When you choose to see that God's love is for you even when times are tough, love provides a strength that can't help but change the world.
Let the fact that God loves you be what you believe. Let His love be something you can trust in. Don't look to circumstance to prove God's love for you. Let the fact that God sees you as a victor be all the proof you need to know that His Love for you is real and trustworthy. May you overcome the evil in this world with the power of God's love as you live out your status as the victor God sees you as today.
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