You might not have known it, but you were born into a battle. The history of this battle goes all the way back … to the Beginning.

In the beginning, when God made the world, everything was good. There was no sadness, no hardship, no pain, no death. Adam and Eve felt God’s love and peace and they lived in it. God was close and they knew it. It was an amazing and beautiful place to live.

God’s creation was good because He is good. That’s the most foundational and most important truth in the universe.

But God has an Enemy—Satan. Satan hates God, and he doesn’t want anyone to know God or love God. He’s out to slander God’s character and reputation. So, soon after creation, Satan entered into Eden in the form of a serpent, and he caused Adam and Eve to question God’s heart behind the one rule God had given them. Satan cast a shadow of doubt on God’s goodness. Adam and Eve chose to believe Satan, they disobeyed God, and the whole world fell under a curse of death and under the authority of Satan’s kingdom of darkness.

While creation resounded with the foundational truth of the universe—“God is good”—Satan slyly challenged, “Is He really?

This is the same debate that you will have in your heart and mind. It’s the main way this cosmic battle shows itself in your life.

“God is good.”

“Is He really?”

You, as a Jesus-follower, will have to fight to defend God to yourself. No matter what you’re facing in your life, the truth will always be this: “God is good.” Scripture tells us that God is light; in him there is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5). That means that God can never be evil or bad; that’s an impossibility for Him. Sometimes that will be hard to believe because you live in a broken world where hard stuff happens and because you have an Enemy who will urge you to believe that God isn’t good. 

Despite your circumstances, though, choose to trust God’s good heart. Believe His goodness. Defend His character in your mind and heart when doubts come. When times get tough, the “evidence” of your life will seem to point to the lie that God isn’t good. But that’s not what’s real. If you could see what was really going on, you’d see God right there with you, in the battle with you, fighting for you, working for good. Believe the truth, even if you can’t see it.

“God, are You here?” “God, have You abandoned me?” “God, are You keeping me from something good?” “God, do You care about me?” “God, do You really love me?” No matter the questions your heart is asking, trust the truth that God is good. Because on the other side of every battle, and at the end of your life, you will be able to see and declare the answer that has always been true:

“God is good.”

“Is He really?”

“Yes, He is.”