Many times, in life you make all the required efforts, but your marriage is still not working. You are the most hard-working person in your office, but they are still not promoting you. You have studied very hard, but you are still not passing a particular exam. You are qualified and you have attended series of interviews, but you still don’t have no job. What is the problem?
Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.”
This promise does not apply to everyone. There are conditions that must be met before this promise can work for you. Notice that the verse says, “…to those who (1) love God, and to those that are (2) called according to His purpose…”
Who are those that love God? These are those Born-Again believers who obey His instructions to the letter.
In Deuteronomy 7:9 God said, “Know therefore, that the Lord thy God, He is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that LOVE HIM and keep His commandments to a thousand generations…”
God knows whether you love Him or not. “But if any man love(s) God, the same is known of Him” (1 Cor. 8:3).
How can we know that you love God? In John 14:15 Jesus said, “If ye love Me, keep My commandments.”
Who are those that are called according to His purpose? Once you love God, He will call you to Himself. What do you do when you have done all that you know how to do but things are not just working out for you?
1. Check your love for God. Is your love for God today still the same as it was the very day you received Jesus into your heart as your Lord and personal Saviour? In the book of Revelations, the Bible talks about your first love.
“I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. 5 Remember therefore, from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent” (Rev. 2:4-5).
2. Are you called according to His purpose? Are you called according to God’s plan for your life or are you just doing your own thing?
Bear in mind that God is a God of purpose. God has a purpose for everything He does.
That person you married, is he/she in line with God’s will for your life or did you just marry out of lust?
That business you are doing, is it in line with God’s Word? Are you selling cocaine, alcohol, running a hotel, etc?
Remember that the fishing group headed by Peter toiled and toiled but had nothing to show for it, until they encountered Jesus (Lk. 5:1-10). When Jesus got involved in what they were doing, they experienced a resounding breakthrough.
4. When things are not working out for you, go to God with fasting and prayer. For instance, Hannah went to God with fasting and prayer” (1 Sam. 1:10-18).
5. When things are not working out as planned, you should keep your eyes on Jesus Christ (the Word of God, Isa. 26:3; Matt. 14:24-33).
6. When you have done all things according to the Word of God, and you are still experiencing afflictions, just know that God is taking you through different stages so as to refine you and bring you to a state of perfection. The time for your promotion has come.
The Bible says, “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory” (2 Cor. 4:17).
There are examples in the Bible of people who though they did everything according to God’s Word yet they went through terrible times. Such people include:
a) Job. In spite of all the afflictions, Job prevailed. So, God allows the devil to shake you up, so that if you pass the exam, He will promote you to the next higher level.
So, whenever affliction shows up in your life, just understand that it is time for you to be promoted. The Bible records the response of Job to the terrible tragedies that he faced in life.
And Job said, “Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21).
Even though Job did not understand what God was doing in his life, He understood the sovereignty of God and he said, “…He knoweth the way that I take: when He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold” (Job 23:10).
Why did Job say that? Job said that because he knew that God is faithful no matter what.
b) Joseph. Joseph was thrown into a dry cistern by his brothers. Later his brothers sold him as a slave to the Midianite traders.
In Egypt, the Midianite traders sold him to Potiphar. Due to the false accusations against him by Potiphar’s wife, Joseph was thrown into prison for 2 years.
Finally, he was summoned by Pharaoh to interpret his dreams, and when Joseph gave the correct interpretation, he was released from prison and promoted to serve as the number 2 man in the whole of Egypt.
When Joseph eventually met with his brothers, they were terrified thinking that Joseph will now revenge, but look at what Joseph said to them, “But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive” (Gen. 50:20).
No matter what was happening to Joseph, God was working behind the scene on his behalf for his own good.
I hereby decree that whatsoever God did for Job and for Joseph He will do for you.
In the midst of all the difficulties that the Jews were going through, God said, “For I know the thoughts (plans) that I think toward you, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an EXPECTED end” (Jer. 29:11).
When all the tough things are going on in your life, you may not understand it but you can know with certainty that God is at work, making all things to work together for your good.
Conclusion: You may not know what is going on but God is doing something behind the scene. You may not understand what is happening to you, but it is part of His plan for your life. At the end of it all, you will discover that all things have worked together for your own good.
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that (1) love God, to them who are (2) the called according to His purpose” (Rom. 8:28).
- Your friend, I. I. Madubunyi (Senior Pastor).
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