Freewill (Does God send bad things to happen to us?)

Answered by Pastor Gregory Dickow

Question:
Does God send bad things to happen to teach us a lesson? Is that what He did with Job?

Answered on 07/26/06:
God does not send bad things to teach us a lesson because God is a good God. James 1:17 says, “Every good and perfect gift comes from above, from the Father of Lights.” Because He is good, He can only send good things.
If you read Job 1 and 2, you’ll find it wasn’t God who smote Job with sickness and disease; it was Satan. Did God permit that to happen? Absolutely. God permits what we permit. Job got into pride and fear and he got to a place where he was self-righteous. He said, “Why do you let these things happen to me? I’ve done this for you. I’ve done that for you.”
So God doesn’t send bad things; He permits them because we permit them. If I permit my marriage to go down the drain and end up getting a divorce, that wouldn’t be God sending that divorce, it would be me allowing that divorce. God gives us free will. He allows us to hand our lives over to the devil if we want to. He allows us to do drugs, commit wrong behavior if we choose to. Job had free will. You have a free will. That’s why Scripture teaches that we have to surrender our will to the will of God. That’s when life is lived joyfully and joyously. Will God protect us when heinous crimes are plotted against us? Yes. If we ask Him and trust Him and believe in the power of the blood of Jesus, He will send protection for us. He’s given us His Word to teach us, according to 2 Timothy 3. He’s given us the Holy Spirit to teach us, in John 16. And He’s given us apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers to teach us, according to Ephesians 4:11. Then why would He need bad things to teach us?
No, God does not send bad things to happen to us. God does allow some things to happen to us because we reap what we sow; we sow the seed, we get the harvest. If I went out in my backyard and sowed marijuana seeds and then I got a bunch of marijuana and the police came over, I can’t blame God and say God why did you allow this to happen. God would say, I allowed it because you allowed it. It was that I allowed it; therefore, God had to allow what I allowed. I have a free will.

I dreamed I spoke to Jesus

August.. 2007 Dream

Lately Ive been on a diligent search for truth. My emotions seem to be exploding all over my world. Im doing everything I can to hold back tears that are screaming to from my sleepless eyes. I Yearn to be with God. I’ve been praying for him to answer me.. to give me some sort of clarity. I know he needs us to speak to others about him. Not want, NEEDS us to do this. This is difficult because there are so many interpretations of his word. One person says this.. another says that.. And all we can really do is listen to what GOD tells us. It’s not always so easy when others come at you as if you are completely wrong. Its funny how so many others in this believe they have it all figured out. So many are like this, as if there is nothing left to learn. They just love to tell you how wrong you are!

It leaves me feeling.. lost and confused.

All day the other day, I spoke to him. I prayed to him, I cried to him. I was so lonely and felt dark and confused about all that I had learned about him.
Its so difficult to set a version in your mind that is the corrent one.
I was also very tired that day. I had been up for nights.. Praying and seeking as well.
I eventually passed out on the couch, while attempting to watch a paperview with my husband. I couldn’t keep my eyes open.

The dream I had.. was something I’ll never be able to fully explain. But try & picture it as I tell it.

As far back as I remember – I was with a group of others. I don’t remember who they were but there was the sense that I knew some of them. We were not in heaven. We were somewhere else. We were waiting for Jesus. Our surroundings were much like.. The world. People were angry and sad. Confused and lost. I remember us sitting around in a group. There was a window that some were looking out of.. the setting was almost like the streets of philidelphia or old new york..

Things were happening around us.. The room changed a lot.. At times we weren’t even in the room.. we were in the middle of the street.. Then it changed colors and shapes.
It was almost like what a vitual world would be like. Like someone was outside controlling us or something.

I didnt feel that in the dream. It didnt seem like anyone noticed the changes taking place around us.

People were up, and began to look for other's. I was looking for my dad. In the dream, I thought It was heaven, even though I was thinking, "Heaven isnt supposed to be this way."

I remember coming out of another room and back into where the group was, "I can't find my dad.."

When Jesus came out, He looked like what you would think.. longer hair, like in all the pics. I cant pic his face out of a line up though. But I remember being able to actually look at him. He greeted us.. And spoke with us.

Eventually, he took me to the side and was talking with me..

I wish I could remember what he was saying to me.

It was as if we were walking and still, the room was changing around us. It was never the same for more than seconds. I asked him about a person I knew that was hardcore atheist. Not just one that doesnt believe, but one that has made it his efforts to take down Christianity. I said his name and Jesus already knew what I was going to say- he shook his head up and down as if to say, “I know.”

He raised his arm and it acted as a curtain, exposing something much darker.

Then Behind him appeared a giant face, taking up my entire view. It scared me and shocked me.. I jumped back in horror. It was a horrible face, on fire and its mouth opened wide and became like a door. It was screaming things.. it was definitly alive. It pulled back like it was on a slingshot.. Oh, It was horrible… I looked next to me and the guy was standing there.. All disheveled as if he had slept in his clothes for weeks. He saw what I was seeing. The face started to scream his name so loud. It sounded like a millions voices... almost screaching..like a strain trying to stop! He looked at me as I looked at him.. and I felt such pain for him.. I knew it was too late for him. He knew it too. The look on his face was something indescribable.

The situation turned from that to me, with Jesus.. and he was telling me about these people that denied him. He sent me to earth, to speak to them.

But it wasn’t anything like what a typical, “Do you know Jesus?” Convo.
As soon as I said, “Do you believe in Jesus?” The people became emotional.. as if they were waiting for me. I to became emotional and begin to sob and cry so hard.
I said, “He’s real!!”
“He’s so real!!”
And they would begin to become convicted and I'm crying, “You have to believe me!!”

Then, My husband woke me up, right in the middle of me pleading with someone. He said, “Are you ok babe? You were crying!”

I remember saying.. “Oh. I went to heaven.. I talked to Jesus..”

I fell back to sleep after that.. Woke up later and seriously started thinking about the dream. I felt very out of place. I talked with my husband later. I said, What was I saying, (I knew that I was talking to someone when he woke me.) He said, "You were crying but I couldnt understand what you were saying.. "

So.. Its been going through my mind for days.

Im posting it because I'm wondering if anyone can give me any insight on it? I believe that when we cant figure something out, we are to take it to others saints to see if their holy spirit reaffirms it to them.

If anyone has anything that would be great!