When God created the world, He made it to be perfect. He made it to reflect Heaven, and He put people on the earth to rule the earth as He does in heaven. But the world we know as long as we have been alive has never been perfect. There is a lot of good on this earth that we can experience, but there is a lot of evil in this world as well. We've even witnessed or even partook in some of the bad things the world offers us. There is so much trouble and chaos in the world that it's impossible to ignore. As believers we eagerly wait for the day when we will never have to deal with these kinds of things again. But do we know why the world is in the condition that it is in today? Why do we go through trials, tribulations, and face temptations every day? Who is to blame for all this death and destruction? When we don't actually know the answer to these questions, the first thing we do is put the blame on God. How many times have we heard people say, “God wouldn't have let it happen if it wasn't His will", or, "God is in control of everything", or " Everything happens for a reason"

  The scripture that says, .. 'All things work together for good". (Romans 8:28), and, "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven" (Ecclesiastes 3:1). When we say everything happens for a reason, we imply that God desired and caused something to happen, whether good or bad, to get your attention or teach you some kind of lesson. 

Yes, God can teach us things and get our attention through challenging circumstances, but that does not mean He wanted and caused it to happen. Somehow we attribute natural disasters and other various kinds of tragedies such death, sickness, poverty, and anguish as tools that God uses to teach people lessons. Like He is solely responsible for all the chaos that goes on in the world. That kind of notion is preposterous and shouldn't sit well with anybody. How is it that we believe that Jesus died for our sins but yet wants us to still pay for our sins? We cannot have it both ways. God is our Father and He does discipline us, but He does not use those kinds of methods to do it. Have we ever asked ourselves if maybe we're the reason why some of these bad things happen to us? Or maybe it's the devil or something else that is causing these kinds of things to happen in the earth? 

What is God's role in all of this? lf you struggle with these kinds of questions, then with God's help I would like to help answer some of these and maybe we can even learn how to prevent some of these things from happening. 

WHY DO BAD THINGS HAPPEN? 

In the book of Genesis chapters 1-3, it tells us how God created the universe and specifically how He made the earth and formed mankind from it. He made us to be like Him and rule the earth just as He ruled in heaven. He gave Adam the responsibility to cultivate the ground in the garden of Eden and name every animal that God had made. He even came up with the name "woman" and "Eve" after she was made from his own rib. They were given the freedom to eat from every tree in the garden except from one, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God told them if they ate from that tree, they would die. Later on, Eve allowed the serpent to deceive her into eating from the tree and Adam allowed her to deceive him into eating from it as well. 

When God eventually came walking in the garden, they both hid themselves from God because they were naked, and God then realized they had disobeyed Him and ate from the tree. As a result God cursed the serpent, Eve, then Adam.

 Adam and Eve were then kicked out of the garden. What the serpent (Satan) didn't tell Eve was that if they ate from the tree that they would be relinquishing their authority in the earth over to him. Because they listened to him, Satan now has the legal authority to influence the world and cause death in its many forms to come upon mankind. I personally believe that if Adam and Eve would have resisted him and eaten from the tree of life instead, that Satan would have lost the right to tempt them and they would have lived in a perfect state for all of eternity. But because they didn't, Satan along with all the other fallen angels have made their mark and haven't ceased influencing the world to this very day. Satan is the source of all evil and that one instance in the garden is the sole reason why bad things happen and why the earth is in the chaotic state that it is in today.

 People are now born with a sin nature and eventually will die because of it. The most evil being in the entire universe has the right to tempt every human being on the planet. He cannot control people but he can speak lies to us and hope that we would listen to him just like with Eve, so he can have his way on the earth.

 lf we read this story we can see that God put man in the best position possible to succeed. He provided everything man needed and gave them the earth to freely enjoy. He also gave them free will to make their own decisions just like God Himself could. He did not force Adam and Eve to do anything. He gave them instructions on what to do and warned them about the danger of eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Notice God never said that He was going to kill them, but that death was going to come if they partook of the fruit of that tree. He was actually looking out for them. He didn't want them to fall and have to face death. He didn't want to lose the unrestricted fellowship He had with mankind, and He for sure didn't want a fallen angel to rule over earth who He Himself kicked out of heaven because he was full of pride and wanted to rule over everything including God (Isaiah 14:12-17 & Ezekiel 28:12-19). 

But for the person who says that God is in control of everything, what would it benefit God to ruin this perfect place called earth? Why would He cause Satan to tempt man to destroy the very place He just made? Why would He make Adam and Eve disobey His voice and then judge them for doing so? What sense does that actually make?

 You might ask, "lf God is all-knowing, then why didn't He just step in and prevent the fall from happening? As I said earlier, God entrusted the earth to man and gave Him authority to rule over it. 

Genesis 1:26 & 28 (NLT) says: Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground".. Then God blessed them and said, "Be fruitful and multiply, Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground". 

So we see that man was totally responsible for what went on in the earth and God could not legally prevent the serpent from tempting man. It was man's responsibility to resist the lies the serpent spoke, not God's. He gave them the authority to reign over every animal and govern the earth. They could've put the serpent back in it's place but they willingly chose not to. lf they had not already been given instructions on what to do, then they would have an excuse. But they knew what God said about eating from the tree and listened to the voice of the serpent anyway. Can we really sit here and blame God for something that man chose to do?

 lt would be unjust for God to make man in His image and not give man free will like He has. Even angels have free will and they were created in Heaven. God did not want a bunch of robots to serve Him. He wants a genuine relationship with every single human being on the planet. He wanted a family and that's why Adam is called God's son in Luke 3:38. 

Spiritual death immediately occurred upon eating from the tree and physical death took place hundreds of years later. But our spirit, the part of us that God, Who is a Spirit, was connected to, died (John 4:23,24). But God in His mercy did not give up on Adam and Eve. In Genesis 3:21-23, Adam and Eve tried to cover themselves with fig leaves to hide their nakedness, but God took animal skins and made clothes for them Himself. God also had to remove them from the garden of Eden and place cherubim and a flaming sword there to protect the way to the tree of life. Why? Because if they had eaten from the tree of life in their sinful state, then they would've remained that way for all eternity, and there would be no chance for human redemption in the future. 

God protected them from themselves and mankind from eternal destruction. He wasn't just being a mean landlord. He was actually trying to save them. Earth would've been a lost cause if they had eaten from the tree of life in the state. Thank God for doing what He could do to preserve mankind!

 In the previous verses God told the serpent that the woman's seed was going to crush his seed under His feet, which we know to be the victory Jesus won over Satan through His death and resurrection. God knew that this was the only way for redemption but it does not mean that God orchestrated the fall just so He could send Jesus to the earth. One thing we have to remember is that God does not live in the realm of time. He lives in eternity. He knows the end from the beginning and the beginning from the end because somehow, He lives in the past, present, and future. He already knew man was going to fall so He planned ahead of time to make Jesus the ultimate sacrifice for all of humanity. 

God had no part in causing the problem, but He did have the solution to it and made it work for good and for His glory. That's the kind of thing Romans 8:28 is talking about. It says: 

And we know all things work together to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.

This means that God can take any situation and turn it around for good. This does not mean that every situation that we are put in comes from God. I'm not saying that God doesn't allow circumstances to get uncomfortable for us sometimes, because sometimes only by going through the fire can our faith be tried and purified (1 Peter 1:6, 7). But we have to be able to discern whether God is trying to do something with us, the enemy is trying to trip us up, or whether we did something to cause problems for ourselves.

 Yes, sometimes we are the reason why bad things happen or linger in our lives. It could be because of our own disobedience or lack of heeding to good instructions. Remember, God cannot make you do anything. He can speak to us but we're the ones who have to listen to Him. For example, If we do something reckless like speeding in a residential area and get into an accident then you not only ignored the signs with the speed limit, but you also purposely ignored the voice of reason telling you to slow down. Now you have to pay for the consequences of your actions. It may be that you learned a lesson from this and you never get into an accident again, but that doesn't mean that God wanted you to get into an accident just to learn that lesson. No! God was the voice of reason telling you to slow down so you don't get into an accident in the first place.

 Sometimes people tell me that God put me here for a reason. l know what people mean when they say that, but that statement by itself is not true. God did not possess my body and cause me to break the law just so l could come to prison. Yes, God saved me not that long after my incarceration, but l already knew l needed to be saved before l got locked up. God indeed spared my life from certain death, but He simply took this situation l put myself in and revealed Himself to me in a way that I knew I couldn't deny. I knew if l didn't commit myself to Him, then something worse could happen to me down the line.

I am grateful that God has used me to help people and write messages like this one, but l can assure you that this was not God's original plan for me. He just made it work for good because that's just what He does. But I still had to yield to Him and pay attention to the signs He was showing me. Praise God for His mercy and grace! GOD DOES NOT USE EVIL FOR GOOD. What God does not do is use evil for His glory. 

James 1:13 (NASB) says: Let no one say when he is tempted, "l am tempted by God". For God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone.

 God may allow us to go through the fire to try our faith, but God is not the one behind the evil things in this world that are used to try and destroy our lives and cause us to fall. 

In fact verse 14 says: "But each one is tempted when he is carried away by his own lust". Anything that stirs up worldly, carnal desires such as lust, greed, wrath, strife, gluttony, gossip, jealousy, etc. do not come from God. He will not dangle forbidden fruit in front of your face just to see if you're going to bite it or not. God is not in the business of trying to get people to fail, especially His children. But there is someone who's business moto is, "Steal, kill, and destroy". His specialty is using whatever He can so he can get us to fail and try and accuse us before the Father. But even though Satan uses these things, it doesn't mean that we don't have a part to play in it as well, and it doesn't mean that it's always a demon tempting us. 

Since the fall, the world is full of the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (1 John 2:16). lt is unfortunately a natural part of this fallen world to be faced with so many temptations and we have to do our part to resist these things. lf we don't, then our own natural desires will rise to the surface and overtake our minds and heart and we will end up giving in to those desires. If we do fall, one thing we should never say is, "The devil made me do it". Even though the devil has power, he does not have enough power to make us do anything! lf God Almighty cannot control us, what makes us think that Satan, a defeated foe, has any power over us? He can't override your free will either. l know that sometimes it may feel like we're being pulled into sin like metal to a magnet, but the truth is whatever thoughts and desires we yield to, that that is what is going to dictate what choices we make.

 Romans 6:16 says: Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey: whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness.

The choice whether to sin or obey God has always been ours. We become the slave of whatever or whoever we yield to; to God, to Satan, or to the world. lf Satan had his way, nobody would be saved and everyone would face the same punishment of hell that he will face. And if God had His way, everyone would turn to Jesus and spend eternity with Him in Heaven. In fact that's what 2 Peter 3:9 says: "The Lord is... not willing that any perish, but that all should come to repentance". This one verse should throw out every argument that claims that God controls everyone's destiny. That He alone chooses who goes to heaven and who goes to hell. But this verse totally contradicts that idea.

 It clearly states that God does not desire that ANY perish, but ALL repent. Any and all include you, me, and every single person that has or ever will be born on this earth. This is what God truly wants. People have asked me; "If God already knows who's going to hell, then why should I change?” I tell them that God has given them the free will right now to either accept Jesus or reject Him. that God loves them so much that He wants them to choose Him for themselves, not because someone made you do it. But most people reject that truth because they just want to continue to live the way they want to, free from moral obligation.

 But how can God judge people who don't have free will? That seems very cruel and unlike a righteous judge to do. God is too holy to be unfair. He would not be God if He purposely kept people out of heaven. Jesus did not suffer and die for only a select few people's sins. No! He died for the sins of the entire world. ANYONE who chooses to put their trust in Jesus will be saved from eternal death (John 3:16). 

Another thing God does not use to teach people some kind of lesson is sickness, poverty, pain or anguish. Sickness and poverty came as a result of the fall and it was also part of the curse that came on people who didn't obey the law under the old covenant. (Deuteronomy 28:15-68) 

Jesus actually became a curse for us. Galatians 3:13 (NLT) says: But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When He was hung on the cross, He took upon Himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the scriptures. "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree". That means He took sickness, pain and poverty in His body for us so that we can walk in health and even have financial stability, Other scriptures that verify that is on Isaiah 53:4,5 which says: Surely He hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows..But He was wounded for our transgressions bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him and with His stripes we are healed. [NP] 

The word “griefs” here is defined as; lllness, anxiety, calamity. And the word sorrows is defined as: anguish or affliction. Jesus did not only take our sins on the cross, but he took our sicknesses, anguish, and even our anxiety. He became a curse and took every form of death that came as a result of the fall. When God does something, He doesn't do it halfheartedly. Whether you believe it or not, the scriptures are very clear about it. It says that by His stripes (wounds, bruises), we are healed. Or as 2 Peter 2:24 says: "we were healed". Meaning that it is past tense. It is already done, or as Jesus said on the cross, "It is finished".

 But Jesus didn't just take our sicknesses, He also took our poverty as well. 2 Corinthians 8:9 says: For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty might be rich [NP]. lf you read the entire chapter along with chapter 9, it is clear that he's talking about monetary wealth, not spiritual poverty and wealth. Sickness and poverty do not come from God, but from the enemy. 

Jesus took these things in His body so we wouldn't have to. We actually already possess all these things in our spirit. Ephesians 1:3 says that we have been blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. 

2 Peter 1:3 says that we have been given all things that pertain unto life and godliness through the knowledge of Him. And Romans 8:32 tells us that we have been freely given all things with Him (Jesus). 

Everything Jesus purchased for us is already ours in the spirit. We have to believe and release our faith to see the manifestation of these things. But if Jesus took these things for us, then why would He use these same things to teach us a lesson? That's like Jesus giving us our sins back even though His blood already removed them. Would it be okay if a parent injected their child with poison to discipline them? Or is it okay to damage their spine, causing paralysis, just to teach them some kind of lesson? What if you dropped your child off a bridge with a cardboard box, and told them "Good luck, l hope you learn something while you're here"? Would it be okay as long as they came out stronger from it? Of course not! 

C.P.S. would take away your children from you so fast your head will spin, and you will be arrested for child abuse. lf we wouldn't do these things to our children, what makes us think that our Heavenly Father will do that with us? Do we think that God takes pleasure when we suffer? The only suffering God was pleased with was Jesus' suffering (Isaiah 53:10). It pleased God to bruise Jesus because He wouldn't have to punish or discipline us this way anymore. Our God is good and He gives good things to us. 

James 1:17 says: Every good and every perfect gift comes down from the Father of lights.. [NP] Hallelujah! God is the giver of every good thing in our lives, whether we know He is the One who gave it to us or not. He is not the One trying to take these things away to punish us. He is not an Indian giver, but a generous giver. The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy, But Jesus came that we might have an abundant life (John 10:10).

 Just because Job said "the LORD giveth, The LORD taketh away", does not mean that God is the one who took away all that he had. Satan was the one who asked for it and God allowed Satan to do it. Satan also was the one who caused boils to come upon Job's body. But God in the end gave Job back double for everything that he lost, which was a lot! (Job 1:7-Ch. 2:7, & 42:10). [NP]. 

CAUSE & EFFECT 

As I mentioned earlier, as much as Satan wants to destroy people's lives, he is not always the one responsible for it. We can put ourselves in financial trouble through reckless spending, gambling, and not applying biblical financial principles such as tithing, giving, etc. And we can even subject our bodies to physical ailments through things such as: strenuous physical activities, sports or physical taxing jobs, etc. lt is also a proven fact that stress, anxiety, and dwelling on negative things can cause physical ailments in your body as well. 

I know this first hand because it happened to me a couple of years ago. l was in a constant state of frustration from the time l woke up until the time l went to sleep. Then, for the first and only time, a kidney stone developed in my body. l knew that l allowed that to happen, so l do my best to make sure I never have to go through that again. 

These are just a few examples of cause and effect. There can be many other reasons why we see some of these negative things happen, but just because these kinds of things might happen to us, it doesn't mean that what Jesus accomplished for us in His body isn't true. Unless you can go back in time and keep Jesus from dying on the cross, what He did cannot be nullified. Whether the hardships and tests that we go through come from God, Satan, the world, or whether we caused it, every test is an opportunity to demonstrate our trust in God and through faith, we can still see everything in our life that He's made available to us. 

There are many promises in God's Word that we have access to as well as an inheritance as children of God and joint-heirs with Christ. Things such as righteousness, healing, protection, deliverance, favor, wisdom, wealth, victory, and many other things. But it is our job to meditate on these promises and release our faith so we can see these things in our life. lf we don't see them. it does not mean that God doesn't want you to have them. Once again, we have been given the responsibility to appropriate these promises for ourselves by faith. It is our job to protect and guard what God has already provided for us just like He told Adam and Eve to do in the garden of Eden. 

Satan may come to try and take what you have but you have the right to fight for what's legally already yours. We shouldn't blame God for us not doing our part when He already did His through the finished works of Jesus. Philippians 2:12 tells us to work out our own salvation, and Hebrews 4:1 1 tells us to labour to enter into the rest God has made available to us. These things don't just come automatically, 

We have to work out what God has already placed inside of us in our spirits. God cannot do that for us, just like He can't save us without our cooperation. We have all been given the measure of faith (Romans 12:3), but we are the ones who have to use it. God rewards us when we are in faith (Hebrews 11:6). He does not reward us for worldly hope, which is just wishing for the best but not being able to affect the outcome. Godly hope is expecting the Word of God to come to pass. 

God also does not respond to unbelief, fear, complaining, and worrying. The Bible tells us not to do any of those things. When has worrying and complaining ever changed the situation for the better? Never! They actually only make things worse. Not only do they put a mental strain on us, but it leaves an open door for the enemy to put obstacles in our path that block any kind progression for us. One thing that I've learned is that everything that God wants us to do is always for our benefit. When we obey Him, we give Him the right to manifest His power on our behalf. When we disobey Him, we close the door ourselves from experiencing all that God has for us like Adam and Eve did. God'll give us one chance after another but if we don't take advantage of it, then we can blame no one but ourselves. God is always trying to help us but we have to cooperate with Him so His will can be accomplished in our lives. 

I pray that if this subject was a mystery to you, that God has opened your eyes to see the truth. I also pray that God would give us eyes to see His hand at work, wisdom to understand when we don't know, and courage to believe His word no matter what. In Jesus name