Do you really think God is good?

By Bryan Clark

 

Satan loves to pervert God’s truth. And that’s how he starts his temptation of Eve. He says to the woman in Genesis 3:1, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?”

 

He wasn’t asking a legitimate question. He was making a statement, calling into question the goodness of God. He was implying that God may not be that good, and there may be more to life outside of what God wants for you.

 

Every temptation we experience, at its core, is a wrestling match between whether or not you believe God is good. If you’re not convinced of God’s goodness, then you cannot really trust Him.

 

So we say things like, “God, You cannot be trusted with this area of my life. Therefore I need to take charge of my own life.”

 

The only people who’ve ever had it all were Adam and Eve. God placed them in a perfect garden of grace. They knew nothing but joy, but it wasn’t long until the entire discussion was about the one restriction in the garden.

 

That’s part of the enemy’s strategy. It’s to make you focus on the “no” rather than the “yes.” It’s to distort your view of God into someone who is essentially restrictive, rather than a God who blesses. A God who limits, rather than a God who enhances.

 

But is that the picture of God we see in Genesis chapters 1 and 2? No! We see a God who gives and loves and blesses. He is a God who pours out unmerited grace. That’s your Creator. It cost God His Son’s life to make that possible. So don’t doubt His goodness.

 

Yes, sometimes life is really hard. Sometimes our hearts are broken wide open. But the goodness of God is not determined by circumstances. It is determined by God’s character. Trust that the God who created you is Good. He loves you. And He wants your best.

 

We hope you’ve been greatly encouraged by this excerpt from An Unshakable Foundation, a new book by our recently appointed Bible teacher, Bryan Clark. We’d love to send you a copy of it so you can read the rest. It’s our thank-you for your support today.  See below for details.