GOD MEANS IT FOR GOOD: Devotional from "Am I Okay, God" by Lorilyn Roberts

As for me, you [Joseph’s brothers] meant evil against me [Joseph], but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.

Genesis 50:20

I have to remind myself there is good in the world and it’s worth fighting for. Especially when bad things happen or someone treats me unfairly.

*~*~*~*~*~*

From Seventh Dimension – The Door, a Young Adult Christian Fantasy:

Her voice trailed off as she read a few more lines to herself. Then, with one fell swoop, she threw my paper in the trash.

“This is too well written to be original. I’m sure Shale copied it off the web. I’m not going to read it.”

Thirty sets of eyes shifted to me and my face and neck felt hot. Mrs. Wilkes’ beady eyes pulsated. No one moved. If I dropped the straight pin that was in my sweater pocket, the room would have heard it ping on the floor.

—Mrs. Wilkes and Shale Snyder, chapter two

*~*~*~*~*~*

Have you ever felt unfairly accused of something you didn’t do? Or something happened that was unfair?

How could God use what happened to Shale for good? Shale’s writing ability was far beyond her years, so the teacher thought she had plagiarized her report. But Shale’s insecurity kept her from seeing her true value. The teacher’s accusations stung. Whatever talent she did have for writing was overshadowed by the pain she felt inside.

My favorite story in the Bible is the story of Joseph. God chose Joseph to save the nation of Israel. Before God’s plan was revealed, however, Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery. The brothers were filled with jealousy toward Joseph because their father had given Joseph a beautiful coat of many colors, but he had not given one to each of them. Later, Joseph was falsely accused by someone else and sent to prison for something he didn’t do.

The only thing we can control is our attitude and our response to all the things that go wrong.

We’re like soldiers in a war zone fighting evil. No matter what, God is on our side. We must not allow evil to consume us with bitterness. We don’t want anything to become an idol or to come before God. The first commandment in the Bible says, “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3).

I find it helpful to remember that God knows the beginning and the end. He knows when I have been wronged and treated unfairly.

I will share a secret. I was accused of plagiarism by a teacher when I was in fifth grade. It never occurred to me at the time that I had a gift of writing. All I could think of was how embarrassed I was that the teacher had accused me in front of the class and I couldn’t defend myself.

But what Satan intended for evil, God meant for good. Today I have an opportunity to share my experience with you and encourage you. I can remind you that God knows the truth about your situation, just as he knew the truth about me. He knew someday I would become an author and write about these things, and use these bad experiences to bring him glory.

Can you encourage someone who may be going through a difficult situation? God will not waste opportunities. Allow him to redeem the bad and the ugly. That’s the best part about being a Christian. Whatever Satan does to cause problems, God always has the final word. God knows how to make lemonade from lemons.

Thank you, Jesus, that you know the beginning and the end. Thank you that everything in my life you can use for good—even the bad parts. Please help me not to become discouraged but to keep my eyes on you. Help me to remember that everything that happens passes through your permissive hand. Thank you that I can trust you in all these things.

 To purchase on Amazon, click here

http://bit.ly/God_Means_For_Good (Video)

PERFECT LOVE CASTS OUT FEAR: Devotional from "Am I Okay, God? By Lorilyn Roberts

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.

—I John 4:18a

In The Donkey and the King, Much‑Afraid, the dog, shook with fear when Baruch left her behind at the stable. During the time the donkey was gone, the king helped Much-Afraid to conquer her fear.

*~*~*~*~*~*

From Seventh Dimension – The Door, a Young Adult Christian Fantasy:

The dog stretched and cocked her head enjoying the rubdown.

I laughed. “Is your name Much-Afraid?”

“I was always afraid until the king healed me.”

—Shale Snyder and Much-Afraid, the dog, chapter ten

*~*~*~*~*~*

When we meet Much‑Afraid again in Seventh Dimension –  The Door, she has overcome her fear.

Do you know that the opposite of fear is love? Every time you’re afraid, that means you’re not allowing God’s love into your heart. God’s perfect love will cast out your imperfect fear. In fact, your imperfect fear is made perfect in weakness. In your weakness, God can help you. Once you recognize your weakness, you won’t rely on yourself and your own abilities. You will rely on God.

Begin with prayer. Most of us struggle with fear at times because we don’t love perfectly. Our humanness makes us needy, but our sin keeps us from embracing God’s unconditional love. In spite of this, God never gives up. He woos us because we’re cherished, like a lover woos his beloved.

The king told Shale, “I love you more than you will ever know.” In the same way, God loves you. Someday when we meet the king, we’ll truly know how much he loves us.

Every time fear threatens you (and I do believe in demons of fear), remember the words of the king. Let his perfect love fill your mind. Let every cell within you find intimacy in your heavenly father. Don’t rely on yourself. You will fall. Find your strength in God. Don’t be just a fan of Jesus Christ, like on Facebook or Twitter. Be a follower. Make Jesus your king and your lord. Let his love conquer any fear that creeps into your heart. Then you will be able to love others in the same way God loves you.

Your heavenly Father is waiting for you to surrender. He is never too busy to listen, and I guarantee you, he is not resting.

The king died to defeat every fear Satan will tempt you to believe. Don’t be seized with a knot in your stomach and crippling doubts.

Let God’s love indwell you. Cast aside every anxious thought. Don’t give up. Don’t give in. Don’t wait. Begin by reading the Bible and then pray for God to be real to you—more real than he has ever been in the past. His perfect love will cast out your fear.

If you do this every time you become fearful, you can claim victory. If you don’t succeed the first time, don’t give up, especially if you’re prone to being fearful. Old habits die hard, and Satan is relentless. But God will help if you’re faithful in prayer and read your Bible.

If you still struggle with fear after much prayer, perhaps you might need to see a counselor or physician. Sometimes chemical imbalances can affect your mood, especially if you’re going through a particularly difficult time.

Don’t be afraid or embarrassed. Ask for help. Pride will tell you, you don’t need crutches, but humility is more powerful than pride.

Thank you, Jesus, for loving me. Help me to feel loved. Help me to trust you every time I feel afraid.

http://bit.ly/fear_no_more

To read more of my devotionals from the Seventh Dimension, click here to order a Kindle copy from Amazon.