Confusion and redemption

I often find myself very confused with what God’s intentions are. Why does He let bad things happen to good people? How come when it says in the bible “Everyone who asks receives…” (Luke 11:10) but I don’t get the things I want or something happens to me or a friend that causes difficulty or sadness? Why is there so much conflict in the world with the story God’s writing? I know I’m just a player or a part of the story He’s writing but I’m confused with what His intentions are. I’ve be confused in life trying to figure out why can’t things always be the way I want them? If God does provide why don’t I get what I want? I can’t understand why He won’t give me these things. Confused about what’s my purpose in all this? What are God’s intentions? Where am I going, why do these things happen? How come I can’t get what I want? If He is truly a loving God how come he makes these things happen in my life? Why do I go through life and not have an understanding of what God’s desires are for me? I still don’t know, I still don’t understand all of this but the veil has been lifted and I can see clearer now that there is a purpose for these things and there is good work going on in the midst of the hurt, pain, and what seems so bad, so ugly. For there to be true redemption and transformation my identity needs to be in Christ, not in someone or something. My past certainly makes up who I am but He is the one who makes it happen for His purpose.

When the serpent tempted Adam and Eve in the garden and told them you can be like God and know good and evil; they broke away from Gods will. God wants to bring us closer to Him and Satan just wants to tear us apart. When we do this we brake away from what God desires for us. How do I change to what God desires and not my desires? It’s a heart issue. What’s my deepest desire of my heart? GOOD! I must be regenerated and have a changed heart to only desire God’s will for my life. It’s confusing though when I have a love for Jesus, why do I sin and do things that He doesn’t desire for me? What happens though is while it might feel good to my flesh it hurts deep in my heart and separates me from God and His will for my life. There is so much pain that sin causes so why do I struggle with these things I regret? How do I have more control over the results? This is not the way it’s supposed to be God. Something’s broken! When I find myself in these situations I must elevate God over all these things. Once I do that there is relief from my pain and true happiness and joy can be found in Christ. My behavior change comes out of the heart and a desire for Jesus and what He wants for me not what my worldly flesh desires. If all I want is for the pain/sin to stop all I need to do is redirect it to Him. So many times I just want God to go before me and make the road straight. “The path of the righteous is level…” (Isaiah 26:7) The truth is that He has I just have to be obedient to him. Live by my life verse “Trust in the Lord with all my heart; don’t depend on my own understanding. Seek His will in all I do; and He will show me which path to take” (Proverbs 3:5-6)

For there to be true joy and happiness it all begins with obedience to Jesus Christ. When I’m obedient to Him then I begin to line up with how He created things to be and it increases my joy even in my sadness, difficulty, pain, sorrow. By God taking me through something I temporarily don’t understand and the spiritual confusion it is only to help me come to the understanding of what God wants for me. Even love has to wait in pain and tears for the blessing of fuller fellowship and oneness. When Satan does things in our lives and these bad things happen to us, ultimately God uses them for good. God redeems these situations and turns them into something good. I don’t understand it but eventually His story (history) will be revealed to me and I will be able to look back and say oh that’s why…