'God is not really good. If He were, He would.....'

"Lies Women Believe....about God"  from Lies Women Believe.....and the Truth That Sets Them Free by Nancy Leigh DeMoss ~ 

~ the first category of lies women are most susceptible to that the author sets out to expose, which she believes are at the root of much of the bondage that Christian women experience.

Before looking at each lie she exposes, she points out that there is a progression from deception to bondage.  Satan is the Master Deceiver, and a lot of the battle of overcoming deception is recognizing the strategy which leads to progression.....and ultimately, deception & bondage.  First, we will.....

• Listen to a lie; then, we will
• Dwell on the lie; which leads to
• Believing the lie; and, ultimately....
• Acting on the lie

She actually gives an entire chapter to this topic, but I didn't intend to rewrite the book....just post my own personal thoughts.....and I tend to have more personal thoughts on the topics I personally struggle with, so you might want to get the book yourself ~ because yours are bound to be different!  ; )

Lies Women Believe About God.......

1.  'God is not really good.  If He were, He would.....'

This  is a lie we have heard non Christians buying into often.  The Deceiver is very adept at casting God in a negative light...."How could a good God have let this (insert major catastrophic event - either known throughout the world, or only in your personal life) happen??

As I read through the book, I'm honestly searching myself to see if I have fallen victim to the lies exposed.  At first glance of this one, most Christians would immediately say, "Well, I don't believe that.....God is good all the time (and all the time God is good)!".  How many of us TRULY believe it?

When things don't go the way we hope, the way we plan, they way we pray they will, have you ever wondered, "Why is this happening?  Why is God keeping this good thing from me?  Is He really good?  If He is, then why ______?????".  Have you heard Satan whispering these questions ~ or different, but related ones ~ in your ear, causing you to question what you know theologically with what you feel in your heart?

My answer:  Yes and No.  Yes, I have heard some of these thoughts whispered to me ~ but in relation to this exact lie, my answer is No.  I have never, since my salvation, questioned the goodness of God.  I have questioned MANY things, but whether I understand or comprehend or not.....the Truth that I know overcomes this lie.......whether or not I understand His choices in what He allows in my life ~ and in the world ~ or not, God is good.  Whether or not I feel it, He is good.  No  matter what, I know that God is good.

How do I know?  Faith.  My faith runs deep.....it is my Solid Rock when nothing else seems solid.  I cling to it when there's nothing else to cling to.  It holds strong when there are doubts and things I don't understand.  I can't put it better than Hannah Whitall Smith:

"A great many things in God's devine providences do not look to the eye like goodness.  But faith sits down before mysteries such as these, and says, "The Lord is good, therefore all that He does must be good no matter how it looks.  I can wait for His explanations."

But before you think I'm all high-and-mighty, full-of-myself and proud of my recognition of this lie, hold your horses.  Because this is only lie #1.......and  #2 is just a page away.  We all have our weak areas, and the Deceiver will attack us in different places.  Just as he knows yours, he knows mine, too. 

Linking up with Mom's Mustard Seeds once again.  My verse for the week:

Isaiah 58:11; "The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your needs in parched places, and make your bones strong, and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters never fail."

May the Lord guide You this week, may He counter Satan's lies in your life with His Truth, may He satisfy your needs......and may you discover the kind of faith that never fails.