Demonic Assault

Why Bad Things Happen To Good People

In exploring a biblical answer to that age-old question, the first thing that comes to mind is what determines a good person? We all like to think we are good, at least for the most part. But God’s word tells us otherwise. The truth says none of us are good, only God alone. You can understand this better when you read Mark 10:17-22 Here, a rich young man calls Jesus “good teacher’’and asks him what it takes to enter the kingdom of God. Jesus replied, “Why do you call me good, no one is good only God.” In this passage, Jesus’ response caused the man to examine himself and find his flaw on his own. For he said,”the young man went away sad because he had many possessions.” Jesus also implied people use the term “good” in reference to themselves and others too loosely.

The only way one can be determined good or righteousness is by faith in Jesus’ atoning sacrifice at the cross. No amount of good deeds can make you good in God’s eyes. Ephesians 2:6 It is only by faith that we are saved and made righteous. Faith in the power of the shed blood of Jesus that covers our sins and makes us white as snow. That is how one can be determined to be good.

So then, why do so many “good” people who believe in Jesus sometimes behave so badly? I have stated in previous blogs that we are a work in progress. Every time we mess up, we have the opportunity to genuinely ask God to search our heart and show us areas that need to change. We then make a conscious effort to do so by turning away from that sin (this is called repentance), and God gives us everything we need to do better the next time. Remember the key phrase in this paragraph is “genuinely ask God”. God alone knows one’s heart and whether or not one is truly repentant or using God’s grace as an excuse to forgive oneself until the next time. The Bible calls this “crucifying the Lord all over again” every time that is done.

So, now that we have determined what it takes to be good, why do bad things happen to the good people made righteous by the blood of Christ. One biblical answer has to do with Satan, the enemy of God. That devil is out there roaming around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. He hates everything that is good! He is a liar who comes to seek, kill and destroy all that is truly good. And he knows that his time is short, so he is intensifying his attacks. When Jesus comes back, Satan knows he will lose the battle and be cast into eternal damnation in the lake of fire. Therefore, first and foremost he is after believers, but also those who like to presume they are good.

Under Attack

He uses tactics like getting them to believe lies of condemnation, mistrust, disbelief, guilt, shame, hatred, bitterness, etc. He goes after loved ones so they will doubt and or be angry at God. His ultimate goal is to get them to fall away from the faith. For those who are not true believers but think they are good people, he causes them to hate God because of their circumstances when attacked. When a believer is moving to the next level in their faith and relationship with God, the enemy is close by, lurking around, assaulting them with spiritual arrows. His intent is to harm or offend them in order to destroy their faith in God.

For a personal example, I have been preparing for a Via de Cristo women’s retreat for the past two months. This is an organization that looks for Christian candidates who are interested in taking their faith to the next level. It comes alongside of them, and teaches and encourages them to get involved in their home church. It’s sort of a first step discipleship course. In the last two months of preparation for this weekend, I have been getting assaulted with those arrows from all directions.

The enemy is alive and well on the move in my life. I get the feeling he is mocking me, saying aha, it’s time to put your money where your mouth is! I’m referring to things that I have written about in former blogs, like how being offended is like selling your joy for poison. Lately, I have felt offended numerous times in many areas of my life, at home, work, with friends and fellow Christians. There were times I found myself wasting the better part of a day going over and over in my mind the circumstances surrounding that offense, rather than immediately rising up in praise, and declaring the devil has no power over me. After all, I am well-versed in the truth about the spiritual weapons of this type of warfare called the armor of God. Ephesians chapter 6 But sometimes when you’re in the middle of an attack, you’re not thinking clearly. I also know that chains break and the Spirit shifts in my direction as I praise. (Doxology hallelujah song)

Eventually, I did rise up in faith and some of those attacks subsided. I knew it wasn’t over; there would be more to come. I wasn’t giving up on God and I knew the devil wasn’t giving up harassing me. He is also the author of sickness and disease. In the next bout of attacks, one of my former fiery trials reared its ugly head again regarding a loved one. This happened at same time my husband and I had to isolate due to Covid for the second time around. This forced me away from my job at the salon, and squeezed my finances. And at the same time this was happening to my family, my VDC team members were also getting assaulted by Satan. It seemed like all hell was breaking loose. But God is faithful! And when we are faithful in return, We become over comers! And so it was and shall be!

Get Connected

Another way of fighting spiritual attacks is with the help of praying friends. When I become hyper-focused on an intense problem, I find it difficult to refocus and pray. That’s where my Christian friends come beside me and lift me up in prayer. That’s why it is very important to get connected with other Christians and come alongside each other in your faith walk.

I am blessed to have many connections like that. Some are in the form of prayer groups or text threads where we ask for prayer and pray for each other’s requests. Bible study groups are another type of connection where we meet in person to study the Bible, enjoy fellowship dinners and celebrations. Prayer partners is another type that was afforded to me through my team in preparation for the upcoming women’s weekend retreat.

After connecting with my Christian friends, and we prayed in agreement for each other, my circumstances improved. It’s important to know that when you pray for others in the midst of your own problems, it helps you stay joyful in spite of it all. My husband and I completely recovered in less than a week. And I didn’t lose much business at work. My loved one has embraced the opportunity to “begin again” working out his faith and dealing with the consequences of the choices that were made. I believe wholeheartedly that he too is an overcomer, and can do all things through Christ who strengthens him.

When you develop a personal relationship with God, and desire to keep your faith alive and active just like God’s Word, God is faithful to deliver you out of the hands of the enemy. He can take you right now out of dwelling in darkness and bring you into His marvelous light, right here and now in the land of the living. You don’t have to wait to get to heaven to enjoy this light and freedom.

Tests and Trials

Spiritual attacks are also often times of trials and testing. These are allowed by God, for He alone is sovereign. Satan is our the accuser before the throne; he is the enemy of our soul before the Father, mocking us. Father God will give you everything you need to send that devil packing. Sometimes He provides a way of escape, other times he brings you through it and at other times he holds you up during the test or trial. Once you become aware that your faith gets tested through trials, you can look to God’s word for help in overcoming them and connect with other Christians to pray you through them. Then you will cope really well in this life, and enjoy the joy of the Lord in spite of your circumstances.

Remember, your faith increases from reading God’s Word because it is truly powerful, alive and active. Don’t forget that Jesus said, “In this life you will have trials and tribulations, but take heart for I have overcome the world!” And that means you can overcome it too! I have written about this in a little more detail in another former blog called Spiritual Attacks

I hope this gives some insight on sometimes why bad things happen to good people. This is not the only reason it happens. God is sovereign and He alone knows all! I don’t want you to think every negative thing that happens to you is a spiritual attack. Recently, in my texting communication with a prayer partner one morning, my phone died right before I pushed send and I lost my beautiful scripture filled prayer. I said to my husband, “Spiritual attacks are already starting.” He wisely replied, “Are you sure it was the devil, or did you just forget to charge your cell phone?” I had to laugh, but the truth is, it was not a test or a trial, nor a spiritual attack. It was simply a consequence of my own negligence!

If you are among the many good people who are trying to take their faith to the next level, remember that Paul told us in 1 Corinthians 10:13 no trial or temptation will overtake us without God providing a way out. Oftentimes, that way out is through prayer and fasting.

Fasting

I have not written much on fasting in previous blogs. Fasting is a form of self-sacrifice. It can be applied to many things besides food. Effective fasting is giving up something you love a lot. For many this can be food or drink, but in today’s society, social media also comes to mind. There are times when one has been seeking an answer to a prayer or is waiting to hear a word from God, he or she is allowed to be tested to see just how important that answer or word really is to them. What are they willing to give up to get it? Is God really first in their lives or are they just going through the motions so they can say they prayed about it?

Waiting on God and trusting wholly in Him is part of growing our faith. Jesus said, “unless a seed falls and dies it cannot grow”. If we die more to self, we can experience amazing growth in our walk with the Lord. Fasting is a form of dying to self. Sometimes we have to ask ourselves what are we willing to sacrifice for our relationship with Jesus? He paid it all for us! If you haven’t heard from God lately or are still waiting for an answer, try adding fasting from something you really enjoy, along with your prayers.

Thanks for reading my blog. I hope you learned something or felt encouraged to persevere in your faith in some way. God loves you and so do I! I’ll be back next time, maybe with a followup of the exciting ways God moved on my upcoming retreat.