Walking By faith

Every evil in this world is the result of satan's activities. But let's remember..."Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world." (1 John 4:4 )

From: The Purpose Driven Life Ministries

Genesis 50:20 “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result.”

Joseph’s life was anything but peaceful. It was complicated by youthful folly, broken dreams, and the mean-spirited actions of others. Sold into slavery by jealous brothers. Thrown into prison on false charges. Yet he remained a man remarkable for his lack of bitterness or regret, always seeing God as the “Great Engineer” behind even the worst of circumstances.

In a final confrontation with his brothers, he graciously noted, “You meant it for bad; God meant it for good.” The theology packed in that statement is astounding. “God meant it for good” means:

You can accept the past – No sin, no action, no choice on your part is too big for God to handle – or too big to be worked for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28) Just ask Joseph!

You can embrace the present – There’s no need to play the “what if” game. The past is gone, and no energy you expend will ever change it. The future is in God's omnipotent hands, so you’re free to focus on the present. Your job is to love God with all your heart, soul, and mind, trusting Him to forgive the past and transform the future. God wants you in the present because that’s where His grace will flow.

You can look expectantly toward the future – Even if you make mistakes today, God still controls your future. Walking in the Spirit, you can live life to the fullest, unafraid of making mistakes and unconcerned that you may stumble into some terrible circumstance that takes you out of God's control.

Look for God’s hand – Walking by faith means you see God’s hand even in the most difficult of circumstances. You trust His ability and His willingness to transform the bad into godly good.

There it is: some situation, or event, or person in your life that, as far as you can tell, was “meant for bad.” God is still able to bring good out of it. Today, thank God that nothing – no disaster, no delay – is bigger that His ability to turn it into something good and godly.