WHY DOES GOD TOLERATE ENEMIES IN OUR LIVES?
These are the nations that the Lord left in the land to test those Israelites who had not experienced the wars of Canaan. He did this to teach warfare to generations of Israelites who had no experience in battle… (Judges 3:1-2 NLT)
Many ask themselves, why doesn’t God take away our enemies and problems? Why doesn’t God close off Satan for eternity so that we do not suffer attacks or temptations? If there were no enemy, there would be no victory. If there were no difficult problem, there would be no reason to exercise our faith. The enemy has already been defeated on the Cross of Calvary 2000 years ago, but Jesus permits us to also share in his victory through defeating the enemy every day. Today, we will learn why God tolerates enemies in our lives.
1. In life, there will always be battles and problems.
When we come to God’s path, not all our problems will end. But it is possible to confront them and solve them through Christ who strengthens us. (Philippians 4:13)
Problems are inevitable because we live in a fallen world. The battles that we fight are present because we maybe have not fully understood the lesson God is teaching us.
God is NOT the author of evil, rather the author of good. It doesn’t please Him to see us suffer but permits us to have enemies and confront battles because He wants to see us mature. (Romans 8:28)
2. God knows all our struggles
God knows what we are going through, and He will not give us a heavier burden than we can carry. (Job 34:23)
We need to learn to bring God all of our burdens, because only in Him can we find peace in our souls. (Matthew 11:28-30)
Nothing is unseen by God, He knows us completely! It is time to learn to trust and fight with the Word of God until we arrive to the understanding of His purpose for our lives.
Think about it:
What enemies are you confronting?
What lesson do you think God wants to teach you through this problem? Have you seen how all things have worked for good when you rest in God?