When evil touches us , is it from God? (part 2)

by David Leach
(Temecula,Ca USA)

When evil touches my life is it indirectly from God or can there be another or second cause that has nothing to do with God?

Luke 17:21 (Jesus)…For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.

Rom 14:17 For the kingdom of God is…in the Holy Spirit.

Rom 8:1 …Those who are in Christ Jesus…do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

Does that mean if I live in Christ in the Spirit, adverse circumstances can’t impact my life?

No it does not. For that to happen, for me to be totally immune from the impact of my adversary and his people, God would have to take me out of the world (Satan’s kingdom) but my whole mission is to be in the world (although not of it) in order to win other people out of it and into God’s Kingdom, and then teach them how to live in God’s kingdom. So long as I am in the world the people of the world and Christians who are not currently abiding in Christ can be used to negatively impact my life – these are secondary causes that will not be the will of God my Father but will be the acts of a rogue kingdom that opposes Him.

However, none of these acts, circumstances, people or spirits will be able to touch me where I am living, in my heart where God’s presence is, and cause me to fall – if I believe the truth of God’s willingness and ability to preserve me in Him.

1 John 3:10 In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother. Clearly there are people who are not currently of God and therefore their acts, which can affect me or be directed against me, will not be God’s will either.

Ps 34:19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the LORD delivers him out of them all.

So then, adverse circumstances can occur in a Christian’s life, by the hand of Satan or people or spirits under his influence – a secondary cause that is not of God – such circumstances may even look impossible to fix to the natural eye - but they will not be able, unless I choose to let them, to separate me from God’s presence. Not only that but while the cause may not have been of God, if I stay in Christ and follow the leading of His Spirit, God is well able to deliver me and so change the final outcome.

Adversity & suffering often take the form of a temptation to speak or act un-righteously

As long as I abide in Christ the Bible says the wicked one cannot touch me (that is, where I am living - in the Spirit) neither can he stop me bearing spiritual fruit into the lives of others to bring them to (or back to) God. So a principal objective of my enemy then will be, through thoughts, through other peoples words or through circumstances to tempt me out of dwelling in Christ (where I’m safe) by inducing me to sin so that I break fellowship with God.

Heb 2:18 For in that He (Jesus) Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.
1 John 5:18 …He who has been born of God keeps himself (by not consenting to sin and by trusting the power of God to keep him in Christ), and the wicked one does not touch him.

John 15:5 (Jesus) He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit…

These temptations to sin then come from the tempter, Satan, they are not of God:

James 1:13 Let no one say when he is tempted , "I am tempted by God "; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.

When temptation comes from God’s enemy, God won’t be idle either, especially if I know and believe the following truths that the temptation will never be allowed to exceed that which I, in Christ, can bear and that God will make a way of escape for me to deliver me.

1 Cor 10:13 …God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

2 Peter 2:9 ..The Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations…

If there are causes in my life that are not of God why should I give thanks for all things?

There will always be second causes (that is, causes other than God) in the life of a Christian as long as there is a second kingdom and the Christian is living in it. Does this mean though that I am to give thanks for those evil second causes?

Eph 5:18-20 …Be filled with the Spirit…giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

If I remain filled with God’s Spirit, abiding in Christ, I know that the wicked one cannot touch me in my heart, no temptation can overwhelm me and whatever the trial may be God will turn it around and deliver me from it. Isn’t that a sufficient basis for always giving thanks to God, not so much for the evil temptation but for the opportunity it provides for God to be exalted by causing me to prevail over my enemies? In this way God can cause all things, even the evil things that impact my life that are not of Him, to work together for good as long as I stay abiding in the vine with the eyes of my heart looking unto Jesus.

Rom 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Now I can understand:-

1 Thess 5:18 In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.