The devil will sometimes make you feel God has afflicted you and He’s punishing you for doing something wrong. Many people have been made to believe the lie that it’s not God’s will to make them well. It’s surprising that some preachers will still tell you the problems you’re facing are God’s work; that’s ignorance gone on rampage! Some say God permits challenges to come our way for a purpose, but that’s saying the same thing as He’s responsible for commissioning them. God will never use the enemy’s tools to teach His children a lesson.
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| God is Not Happy to See Us Suffer |
You see, the natural laws governing the earth today largely came into being with the fall of man, when Adam sinned and the earth was cursed. But these laws were set aside by Jesus whenever it was necessary to bless humanity. That is the reason why the scribes and Pharisees always accused Him for doing wrong. Whenever Jesus saw the sick and helpless He moved with compassion (Matthew 9:36; 14:14; 15:32; 20:34; Mark 1:41; 6:34; 8:2; Luke 7:13). This tells us that the Lord is compassionate towards His people; He’s not wicked! Do you think He gets happy when His people become afflicted, poor, and sick and die? Absolutely not!
For lack of knowledge people blame God for causing accidents, the sickness and death of loved ones, and such natural catastrophes as storms, earthquakes and floods. God is not to blame because He’s not the author of such appalling scenes. They came as a result of the fall of man and Satan is the author of them. Such things never existed until man knew sin and Satan. The Bible says concerning Jesus, “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8). It also says in Luke 9:56: “For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them…” Who dare says that God afflicts people with sickness, disease, poverty, death etc.?
There were lots of accidents, murder and all sorts of evil deeds in Ghana early this year. Many attributed these happenings to God, such that they decided to beg Him to stop them. They thought God was responsible because they had done something wrong. Such people were ignorant in the first place because they didn’t know God’s plans for them. The Bible says Jesus came to destroy the deeds of the devil, so how can God afflict His people with them? God will never do such a thing.
If God causes harm to people and tries to restore them, He’s fighting against Himself. Moreover, Jesus stated that a kingdom that is divided against itself cannot stand (Matthew 12:25; Mark 3:24; Luke 11:17); so how can God work against Himself? He came to save men’s lives! Satan is only there to steal and kill and destroy. Jesus came so we can have real and eternal life, more and better life than we ever dreamed of (John 10:10). We have all it takes to deal with the devil. All authority was given to Jesus (Matthew 28:18). He then delegated this authority to us so that we can rule our world and deal with the devil and his cohorts (Luke 10:19).
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| The Devil Takes Over When We Become Ignorant |
Some believers are walking in darkness because they know not who they are; they have become complacent about progress; they don’t know the mind of God in any matter so they accept anything the devil brings their way. The Message Bible translates Psalm 82:5: “Ignorant judges! Head-in-the-sand judges! They haven't a clue to what's going on. And now everything's falling apart, the world's coming unglued.” Why should we be questioning God when we’re allowing the devil to take over? Because many are in darkness, all the foundations of society are shaken to the core. The administration of the justice in the world is shaking because the devil has robbed many believers of their rights, thereby, rendering them ineffective.
Through ignorance, those whom He’s qualified to be gods, “die like men, and fall like one of the princes.” (Psalm 82:7). We do not have to die like ordinary men who suffer from poverty, disease and all sorts of infirmities. We’ll suffer unnecessarily and die like ordinary men for being ignorant. Some people even think you have to suffer from some form of illness for you to die. No, that’s false! You can choose to die rich, healthy, how and when you choose to. This might seem impossible for the religious mind; but to the one that sees Christianity as divinity at work in man, it is possible. Christianity is not religion; it’s the life of God at work in man.
The devil and his cohorts will always respond to what we tell them. They cannot disobey us when we stand on our rights and put them where they deserve, under our feet. There is no authority except from God (by His permission, His sanction), and those that exist do so by God’s appointment (Proverbs 8:15). Therefore, he who resists and sets himself up against the authorities resists what God has appointed and arranged in divine order. And those who resist will bring down judgment upon themselves, receiving the penalty for them (Romans 13:1-2). God appointed us and the devil can’t disobey!
One of the main objectives of the devil is to keep people in darkness, as the Psalmist declares. Some people have been long dead, even though they are living. They’ve been kept in bondage all their lives. Surprisingly, this is the main reason Jesus came; to give light to people and deliver them from darkness (bondage). He stated: “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness” (John 8:12; 12:46). Hallelujah; Praise God! Why do you think the preaching of the Gospel is prohibited in some parts of the world?
“Everyone who makes a practice of doing evil, addicted to denial and illusion, hates God-light and won't come near it, fearing a painful exposure” (John 3:20, MSG). They dwell in darkness with evil deeds so they hate to see light (the Gospel). Jesus put it right: “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil” (John 3:19). They are often infringing upon the rights of people, but they think they are doing right. One time the scribes (religion scholars) and Pharisees led in a woman who had been caught in an act of adultery. They stood her in plain sight of everyone and said, “Teacher, this woman was caught red-handed in the act of adultery. Moses, in the Law, gives orders to stone such persons. What do you say?”
They were trying to trap him into saying something incriminating so they could bring charges against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with His finger in the dirt. They kept at Him, badgering Him. He straightened up and said, “The sinless one among you, go first: Throw the stone.” Bending down again, He wrote some more in the dirt. Hearing that, they walked away, one after another, beginning with the oldest. The woman was left alone. Jesus stood up and spoke to her. “Woman, where are they? Does no one condemn you?” “No one, Master.” “Neither do I,” said Jesus. "Go on your way. From now on, don't sin" (John 8:1-11). God looks into the core of our hearts.
This is the reason why we're told to judge not according to appearance (John 7:24). Jesus warns us: “Beware of the scribes, which love to go in long clothing, and love salutations in the marketplaces, And the chief seats in the synagogues, and the uppermost rooms at feasts: Which devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayers: these shall receive greater damnation” (Mark 12:38-40). There are people who want to appear good but do not know God does not delight in appearance. The Lord sent Samuel to the house of Jesse (David’s father) to anoint one that He (God) would choose to rule over Israel.
Let’s take a look at a profound teaching from the Lord. One day some Pharisees and teachers of religious law arrived from Jerusalem to confront Jesus. They noticed that some of Jesus' disciples failed to follow the usual Jewish ritual of hand washing before eating. The Jews, especially the Pharisees, do not eat until they have poured water over their cupped hands, as required by their ancient traditions. Similarly, they eat nothing bought from the market unless they have immersed their hands in water. This is but one of many traditions they have clung to — such as their ceremony of washing cups, pitchers, and kettles.
So the Pharisees and teachers of religious law asked Him, “Why don't your disciples follow our age-old customs? For they eat without first performing the hand-washing ceremony.” Jesus replied, “You hypocrites! Isaiah was prophesying about you when he said, These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far away. Their worship is a farce, for they replace God's commands with their own man-made teachings.' For you ignore God's specific laws and substitute your own traditions."
Then He said, “You reject God's laws in order to hold on to your own traditions. For instance, Moses gave you this law from God: 'Honor your father and mother,' and 'Anyone who speaks evil of father or mother must be put to death.' But you say it is all right for people to say to their parents, 'Sorry, I can't help you. For I have vowed to give to God what I could have given to you.' You let them disregard their needy parents. As such, you break the law of God in order to protect your own tradition. And this is only one example. There are many, many others."
Then Jesus called to the crowd to come and hear. “All of you listen,” He said, “and try to understand. You are not defiled by what you eat; you are defiled by what you say and do!” Then Jesus went into a house to get away from the crowds, and His disciples asked Him what He meant by the statement He had made. “Don't you understand either?” He asked. “Can't you see that what you eat won't defile you? Food doesn't come in contact with your heart, but only passes through the stomach and then comes out again.” (By saying this, he showed that every kind of food is acceptable.)
And then He added, “It is the thought-life that defiles you. For from within, out of a person's heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, eagerness for lustful pleasure, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you and make you unacceptable to God.” (Mark 7:1-23). Period! This answers all sorts of questions that originate from people’s heart. It’s what comes out of you that defile you and not what goes into you. God is more concerned about your heart, that is, your spirit than any other.
Jesus came to reveal secrets, and that’s why He had many enemies. The Word puts it right: “Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
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