re that they are hurting us. Of course, there are times when others hurt us knowingly, but again, that can be traced to selfishness.

So sin is a huge reason for some of the hurts good people endure. Please note that we do not necessarily suffer directly on account of our own sin. Certainly, there are times when our suffering is a consequence of our own sin, but this discussion is regardin

One of the biggest questions theologians, ministers, and laypeople alike have grappled with since the beginnings of Christianity, is why bad things happen to good people and good things happen to bad people. The most important thing we must understand in the midst of suffering is that God is not to blame. Blaming God for our suffering only causes us to drift away from Him at the very times when we need Him the most. But isn't God all-powerful? Isn't He capable of stopping wrong from happening?

Years ago, when I was grappling with this same issue, someone asked me a question that shed new light on this subject. I have never forgotten it, and now, I will pass it on to you: Has God ever stopped you from hurting someone else? Most likely, He hasn't. Why not? Because you have a free will, and God created us with the gift of being able to make our own choices. That is one of the major things that separates us from the animal kingdom. We don't act merely on a set of impulses and instincts. We act based upon our intellect and our moral compass. Because we each inherited a sin nature from Adam and Eve, sometimes we have a skewed view of right and wrong. The sin nature causes selfishness, which is the opposite of love. Romans 13:10 says that love is the fulfillment of the law, because it does no harm to its neighbor. If love is the absence of selfishness, and selfishness is the opposite of love, then it would be fair to say that selfishness is the root of all sin. When we sin, we are not always aware of who we are hurting, just as others who sin are not always aware that they are hurting us. Of course, there are times when others hurt us knowingly, but again, that can be traced to selfishness.

So sin is a huge reason for some of the hurts good people endure. Please note that we do not necessarily suffer directly on account of our own sin. Certainly, there are times when our suffering is a consequence of our own sin, but this discussion is regarding

we need Him the most. But isn't God all-powerful? Isn't He capable of stopping wrong from happening?

Years ago, when I was grappling with this same issue, someone asked me a question that shed new light on this subject. I have never forgotten it, and now, I will pass it on to you: Has God ever stopped you from hurting someone else? Most likely, He hasn't. Why not? Because you have a free will, and God created us with the gift of being able to make our own choices. That is one of the major things that separates us from the animal kingdom. We don't act merely on a set of impulses and instincts. We act based upon our intellect and our moral compass. Because we each inherited a sin nature from Adam and Eve, sometimes we have a skewed view of right and wrong. The sin nature causes selfishness, which is the opposite of love. Romans 13:10 says that love is the fulfillment of the law, because it does no harm to its neighbor. If love is the absence of selfishness, and selfishness is the opposite of love, then it would be fair to say that selfishness is the root of all sin. When we sin, we are not always aware of who we are hurting, just as others who sin are not always aware that they are hurting us. Of course, there are times when others hurt us knowingly, but again, that can be traced to selfishness.

So sin is a huge reason for some of the hurts good people endure. Please note that we do not necessarily suffer directly on account of our own sin. Certainly, there are times when our suffering is a consequence of our own sin, but this discussion is regardin

ee will, and God created us with the gift of being able to make our own choices. That is one of the major things that separates us from the animal kingdom. We don't act merely on a set of impulses and instincts. We act based upon our intellect and our moral compass. Because we each inherited a sin nature from Adam and Eve, sometimes we have a skewed view of right and wrong. The sin nature causes selfishness, which is the opposite of love. Romans 13:10 says that love is the fulfillment of the law, because it does no harm to its neighbor. If love is the absence of selfishness, and selfishness is the opposite of love, then it would be fair to say that selfishness is the root of all sin. When we sin, we are not always aware of who we are hurting, just as others who sin are not always aware that they are hurting us. Of course, there are times when others hurt us knowingly, but again, that can be traced to selfishness.

So sin is a huge reason for some of the hurts good people endure. Please note that we do not necessarily suffer directly on account of our own sin. Certainly, there are times when our suffering is a consequence of our own sin, but this discussion is regardin

es selfishness, which is the opposite of love. Romans 13:10 says that love is the fulfillment of the law, because it does no harm to its neighbor. If love is the absence of selfishness, and selfishness is the opposite of love, then it would be fair to say that selfishness is the root of all sin. When we sin, we are not always aware of who we are hurting, just as others who sin are not always aware that they are hurting us. Of course, there are times when others hurt us knowingly, but again, that can be traced to selfishness.

So sin is a huge reason for some of the hurts good people endure. Please note that we do not necessarily suffer directly on account of our own sin. Certainly, there are times when our suffering is a consequence of our own sin, but this discussion is regardin

re that they are hurting us. Of course, there are times when others hurt us knowingly, but again, that can be traced to selfishness.

So sin is a huge reason for some of the hurts good people endure. Please note that we do not necessarily suffer directly on account of our own sin. Certainly, there are times when our suffering is a consequence of our own sin, but this discussion is regarding innocent suffering.

The second major reason for suffering is because the devil currently has dominion over the world. We have covered this previously in the book, but as a review, there are two places in Scripture which show this. The first is in Matthew 4:7-8, where Satan tempted Jesus by offering to give Him all the kingdoms of the world if He would only worship him (Satan). Although Satan is a liar, he is also a strategist, and he most likely would not have offered this to the Son of God were it not within his power to give it, and had it not been a tempting proposition for Jesus. The devil was playing on Jesus' compassion for the world, and may even have shown him some of the suffering in the world when he showed him the kingdoms of the world.

Fortunately, you don't have to take Satan's word for it! This is verified in Ephesians 2:2 and Ephesians 6:10-12. These Scriptures call the devil the "prince of the power of the air," and reference his army as powers, principalities, and rulers of the darkness of this age.

So how could this be? This is the consequences of the sin of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. God gave man dominion, but we gave that dominion away when we sinned against Him. The good news is that we regain dominion by becoming a Christian. However, becoming a Christian doesn't take us out of this world. It gives us authority over the evil spirits in Jesus' name, but even Jesus suffered at the hands of evil men, many of whom were influenced by the devil and evil spirits. As long as we are in the world, the devil and his minions wil