LIVING LIKE GOD IS GOOD: THE STRUGGLE WE ALL FACE

Anger. Bitterness. Resentment. Doubt. Accusations. Isolation.
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How did we get here? 
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the truth about god​

A. W. Tozer once said that what we believe about God is the most important thing about us.

Hannah Whitall Smith explained this idea further in her book, The Unselfishness of God, where she wrote:

“Everything in your spiritual life depends on the sort of God you worship.
Because the character of the worshiper will always be molded
by the character of what he worships: If it is a cruel and revengeful God,
the worshiper will be the same, but if it is a loving, tender, forgiving,
unselfish God, the worshiper will be transformed slowly,
wonderfully, into this likeness.”

What we believe about God is the cornerstone in the foundation of our lives. If we believe things that are not true about God, it will affect everything else we think and believe in life; however, when we believe the truth about God, it becomes a beautiful lens through which we can properly see ourselves and the world around us.

There are five major areas of concern when it comes to what we believe about God:  Is God really good?  Does God really love me? Is God really enough for me? Are God’s laws really that important – or even relevant? Is God really in control? 
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HITTING THE RESET BUTTON

I think it’s safe to say that no one intentionally chooses to believe that God is not good, that He is unloving, that He’s not enough for us, that His commands are meaningless, and that He’s not really in control. However, many of us are living as though those things are true. Subtle lies have crept into our thinking and have begun to affect the way we live. Therefore it’s necessary for us to take a step back and look at the evidence in our lives, look at God’s word, and ask Him reveal what’s true about Him and about us.

Our starting point is God’s goodness. If God is not good, everything else in scripture crumbles to pieces. If God is not good, our lives are meaningless. If God is not good, we have no hope in life, or in death. Everything hinges on this one truth of God’s goodness.

Instead of assuming that you already know and believe this truth, I would caution you and challenge you to consider if it’s possible that you have unintentionally fallen into the belief that God isn’t really good – or maybe that He isn’t really good to you.

You may not be in outright rebellion against God, but is it possible you find yourself struggling with resentment in your prayers, or even have stopped praying altogether?

​You may not be openly arguing and accusing God, but is it possible you’re afraid of God – afraid of getting your hopes up, afraid He will hurt you if you ask for what you need and want?
 
You may not be quitting church or Christian fellowship, but is it possible you avoid certain people or topics because you find yourself envious of how God is working in their lives while you feel neglected by God?
 

THE T.E.A. PRINCIPLE

Brad Bigney, a pastor, author, and Biblical counselor, describes a process of belief that we all go through. I refer to it as the “TEA” principle, and it stands for Thoughts Emotions and Actions. Our thoughts and what we believe fuel our emotions, which cause us to act in certain ways.

When we are experiencing a problem in life, we can trace it backwards by figuring out what we’re feeling and why we’re feeling it – which brings us to what we’re thinking. The key in the process of change is not to change the actions, or even the emotions, but to change the thinking. When we believe what is true, we are able to do the right thing regardless of how we feel, while we wait for our emotions to catch up (which they will, trust me!). This is what it means to walk by faith and not by sight.

So if we’re experiencing resentment that leads us to avoiding God, if we’re experiencing fear that leads us to doubt God, if we’re experiencing jealousy that leads us to avoid people, these are problems. These actions are not obedient, and they don’t lead us to the joyful and abundant life Christ has for us.
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Therefore, something needs to change, which means we need to figure out what we’re thinking so that we can compare it to Scripture and, as necessary, replace it with God’s Truth.

HOW DID WE GET HERE?

But as for me, my feet had almost slipped;
I had nearly lost my foothold.
For I envied the arrogant
when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
-Psalm 73:2-3

​In this chapter, we read a haunting account from Asaph where he experienced much of the same things we’ve been talking about. He writes about his struggle with reconciling his life with the lives of those around him, and it climaxes with this statement:
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Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure
and have washed my hands in innocence.
-Psalm 73:13

​How could a priest in the house of God, a Levite, a man who wrote song after song worshiping God, reach such a point of despair?  How could He doubt God’s goodness, justice, fairness? 
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STEP 1: THE WRONG FOCUS ​

Asaph’s descent to despair began when he focused on circumstances and emotions, and the same is true for us. It’s easy for us to equate God’s goodness with our circumstances. When life is good, it’s easy to believe God is good. When life is hard, we doubt, question, and accuse God of not being good. Instead of viewing our circumstances through the lens of Scripture and God’s character, we have begun to view God through the lens of our circumstances and emotions. These things reveal something very dangerous in our hearts: 
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STEP 2: THE WRONG EXPECTATION 

“God works for me.”

Now, none of us would dare say such a thing out loud – we know better than that! But if we’re honest, the reason we feel let-down by God, the reason we question God’s goodness, is because He failed to meet our expectations by doing what we wanted, when we wanted, and how we wanted. In our minds, we are the boss and God is the employee; so when He fails to do His job, we are understandably disappointed and frustrated. 

I think part of this mindset comes from our culture and the “American dream Christianity” that has swept the nation. We’re told that God wants to bless us, which is true – but we’re told that the blessing will be physical, financial, relational, when in reality God offers us spiritual blessings, which have to do with the promise of heaven, the promise of peace, the promise of joy, the promise of contentment, all in the midst of circumstantial difficulties. 

​Rather than our relationship with God being about us, we need to remember that God was not created for our glory; we were created for His. 

“…everyone who is called by my name,
whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”
-Isaiah 43:7
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​Job struggled with this when he began to question why God was treating him unfairly. Do you remember how God responded to Job’s accusations? 

​Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm.
He said: “Who is this that obscures my plans
with words without knowledge?
Brace yourself like a man; I will question you
and you will answer Me.”
 -Job 38:1-3

​When we expect God to make our lives easy and comfortable, we set ourselves up for failure because nowhere in scripture are we promised these things. In fact, it’s quite the opposite – we’re warned over and over again that life is hard, people will reject and mistreat us, pain will come, and suffering is real. So when reality hits, the wrong expectation leads us to…
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STEP 3: THE WRONG BELIEF

“God forgot me.”

“God failed me.”

“God isn’t good.”

“If God were good, He would have….”

When we’ve based our belief in God’s goodness on our circumstances, we set ourselves on a dangerous slope because our circumstances are always changing. The moment we begin to experience the slightest bit of pain, we turn against God. In our disappointment, we question and we argue.

“If you’re really good, why did you…?”

“If you’re really good, why didn’t you…?”

The most tragic part of this progression is that in turning against God, we cut ourselves off from our only source of hope in the midst of suffering.

​The result is incredibly dangerous:
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STEP 4: THE WRONG RESPONSE

When God fails to meet our expectations, we feel God is not worthy of our trust or obedience and feel justified in making our own decisions about right and wrong.

So in our moments of despair, we lash out at those around us. Sin.

In our struggle with fear, we isolate and give in to discouragement, neglecting our responsibilities. Sin.

In our need for relief, we turn to food, relationships, or a substance to numb our pain. Sin.

And ultimately, we reveal that we’d rather worship ourselves than God. 
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THE MISERY OF SIN

The result of our belief that God isn’t good is plain and simple misery. We find ourselves alone, angry, bitter, fearful, discouraged, disappointed, and disillusioned. We turn to empty things to feel better, but we feel worse, and instead of freedom, we’re caught in bondage.

This isn’t peace.

This isn’t joy.

This isn’t abundant life. 
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SO HOW DO WE GET BACK?

In an effort to make sure that we are able to go as in-depth as necessary in learning how to live as though God is good, today's topic has been divided into two posts. Come back tomorrow as we discover what Scripture says about the goodness of God and how we can get back to the abundant life Christ promised. 
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This post is a lesson developed by Bethany Harris inspired by and partly based on the book Lies Women Believe & The Truth That Sets Them Free by Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth. You can purchase the book and accompanying study guide here. 

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