Until you settle the fact that you can trust Him with your life, your faith will waver.
A few years ago, God’s spirit spoke to my heart and said, “Preach the goodness of God and fear not the reproach of men.” As I searched the Bible for what it has to say about God’s goodness, I found it was a theme that ran from Genesis to Revelation.
Why do you suppose the Bible would so strongly emphasize the simple truth that God is good? Because trust is the foundation of the believer’s faith in the Father.
The more you know about His goodness, the more you trust Him. The more you trust Him, the easier it is for you to put your life in His hands. When your hope is in God, you open the way for Him to save, bless and work through you, so that His wonderful will can be done on earth.
Sadly, many of God’s people have been led to believe He is not good. Religion has taught believers that one day God might make you sick, the next day He might make you poor.
But that is contrary to the Word. God is not confused about good and evil. He knows the definition of a blessing and a curse, and His definition is the same as yours (that’s because you got yours from Him).
Deuteronomy 28:11-13 records the promises God made to the nation of Israel. He described for them the blessings of obedience and the curses that accompany a life of rebellion. God knows what is good for you and what is not.
He knows it is good when you have more than enough natural provision in your life. He knows if you plant crops, it is good to reap big harvests.
He knows if you have livestock, it is good for them to increase. He knows it is good for your children to be blessed and for you to be physically healthy and whole.
On the other hand, He also knows it is evil for you to be sick, poor, frightened and oppressed.
When I began teaching on the goodness of God in healing services, I saw more miracles and healings than ever before. As people understood God’s goodness, they found it easy to trust Him. That trust enabled them to open their hearts to His healing power.
When they saw from the Word that it was the “Father’s good pleasure to give [them] the kingdom” (Luke 12:32, NKJV) and that “no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly” (Ps. 84:11), they realized God was on their side.
The truth dawned on their hearts that He was not holding out on them. They realized He was not trying to keep healing from them. Instead, because He loves to do good, He was endeavoring to help them. Understanding that, they were able to relax and by faith receive what they needed from Him.
My prayer is that the same thing will happen for you.
Until you settle the fact that God is good and you can trust Him with your life, your faith will waver and you will always draw back in fear. You will always be thinking: What if He does not come through for me? What if He is not listening to me? What if He asks me to do something that will harm me in some way?
Find out what the Bible says about God’s goodness and dare to believe it. Things will begin to change in a wonderful way. Your life will immediately begin to improve. You’ll not only see God’s goodness in the pages of your Bible, but you’ll also see it around you every day of your life.
When your heart has grasped the goodness of God, you will be confident that He will never hurt you, abandon you or let you down. As long as you follow Him, He will always be there—loving you, helping you and blessing you.
Gloria Copeland is co-founder and vice president of Kenneth Copeland Ministries in Fort Worth, Texas. She and her husband, Kenneth, are known for their teachings on faith, healing and victorious Christian living. Their daily TV broadcast, Believer’s Voice of Victory, airs globally on more than 300 stations. Gloria is also an internationally known author whose works include To Know Him and Blessed Beyond Measure (Harrison House). To read past columns in Charisma by Gloria Copeland, log on at www.charismamag.com/copeland.
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