8 Plans and Purposes of God in What the Enemy Meant for Evil
In the book of Genesis, after Adam and Eve chosen to give into the enemy’s temptation to sin, the Lord laid out a series of world-changing consequences that would apply to all humankind. Yet, what the enemy meant for evil God has still has a plan for!
God doesn’t CAUSE bad things, He USES bad things to accomplish His good purposes for His people. Satan knew God would punish rebellion and sin, so he deliberately tempted Adam and Eve in their innocence as a way to punish God for casting him out of heaven.
He has hated humans since their creation and has influenced and used them to continually try and harm other humans as well as to try and hurt God. So, how does God’s power prevail?
God doesn’t CAUSE bad things, He USES bad things to accomplish His good purposes for His people.
~ Alicia Purdy ~
Remember, the enemy has legal access to cause harm on the earth through the law of sin and death, but… he needs the partnership of people to accomplish his evil plans. God’s light, and His plans and purposes for your life will prevail even if what the enemy meant for evil causes seasons of darkness because Satan is not stronger than the LORD!
God Has a Plan for Your Life – So Does Satan
In the book of Genesis, the account is given of Joseph who was sold into slavery by his own brothers, spending years as a slave, being thrown into prison for being falsely accused of a sexual crime, and living with trauma of his family’s betrayal.
However, when the time came for the brothers to encounter each other again much later after the favor of God on Joseph’s life had caused him to be promoted to the highest position of authority in Egypt (the world power at that time), Joseph was no longer the man he once was. Why?
Because Joseph had surrendered his plans for revenge to the Lord’s plans for a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11). What the enemy meant for evil, to break Joseph, the Lord used to remake him!
Joseph had surrendered his plans for revenge to the Lord’s plans for a future and a hope.
~ Alicia Purdy ~
In fact, Joseph was able to face his brothers and say without any anger, “As for you, you intended to harm me, but God intended it for good.” (Genesis 50:20)
This is what Paul wrote of when he said:
“We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28)
Ultimately, it wasn’t Joseph’s brother who intended to harm him, it was the enemy who intended evil and wanted to “steal, kill, and destroy” (John 10:10) and “devour” (1 Peter 5:8) Joseph- and he used Joseph’s brothers to carry it out.
What Are Satan’s Plan for Your Life?
The book of Job reveals a stunning scene that took place in the heavens:
“And the Lord said to the Adversary, “From where have you come?” Then the Adversary answered the Lord, saying, “From roaming on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” (Job 1:7)
Peter expanded on this writing:
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith…” (1 Peter 5:8-9)
The enemy stalks the earth, peering into humanity with dark, spiritual cravings, seeking out those who are sick, young, weak, and wounded in their faith, or those attracted to darkness – and he doesn’t try to hide it!
Here are just a few things the enemy is seeking in your life:
- To tempt you to sin in any areas where you lack self-control. (1 Corinthians 7:5)
- To lead you astray from a “sincere and pure devotion to Christ”. (2 Corinthians 3:11)
- To entice you to lie to the Holy Spirit (Acts 3:5)
- To convince you to obey him and carry out his evil works (John 8:44)
- To cause you to be a stumblingblock to another Christian (Matthew 16:23)
- To shame and oppress you by accusing you before God and other people. (Revelation 12:10)
- To trap you in an ongoing cycle of suffering. (1 Peter 5:9)
- To influence other people to harm you. (Luke 22:3-4)
(The list goes on…!)
Much further into history, after that heavenly conversation in Job, in the book of 2 Chronicles, the prophet Hanani spoke about the way the Lord battles alongside His people against what the enemy meant for evil saying:
“For the eyes of the Lord move about on all the earth to strengthen the heart that is completely toward Him...” (See 2 Chronicles 16:1-10)
What Scriptures come to your mind when you think about how the Lord interacts with His people with His power, His protection, His presence, His provision, and His promises?
Remember that the enemy loves to copy and counterfeit everything about God in order to deceive people:
- Jesus Christ came to give you life more abundantly. (John 10:10)
- Satan seeks your destruction.
- Christ died for you. (John 3:16)
- Satan wants you to steal, kill, and destroy you.
- Jesus Christ is a LION.
- Satan is a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
- God is LIGHT and in Him is no darkness. (1 John 1:5-7)
- The devil disguises himself as an angel of light. (1 Corinthians 11:14)
You’ll need to know God’s Word, to have strength in Him through praise, and to remain in fellowship with the Lord through prayer in order to stand firm upon your faith in Christ and on the promises of God when the enemy comes in like a flood to try and drown you.
How Does God Respond to What the Enemy Meant for Evil?
It is crucial to your faith journey that you understand that you are being actively sought by two opposing forces. The Lord is “seeking those who will worship Him in Spirit and in truth”. (John 4:23-24) and the enemy is seeking those he can devour.
8 Ways the Lord Has Planned to Help You When the Enemy Attacks:
1. He wants to answer your prayers. “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers…” (1 Peter 3:12)
2. The Lord’s desire is to know you and to grow you. “There is no creature that is not revealed in His sight, for all things are bare and exposed to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.” (Hebrews 4:13)
3. The Holy Spirit of God wants to help you, show you His perfect plan and walk with you as you walk it out. “I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you.” (Psalm 32:8)
4. God watches over you, always as you worship in spirit and in truth. Psalm 33:18 says, “Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him, on those who hope for His lovingkindness.”
5. The Lord wants to know your heart and desires that you give it freely at every opportunity that presents itself in your life so He can help. “For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)
6. God is looking at you and listening for you to call on Him so He can answer. Psalm 34:15 says, “The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous and His ears toward their cry.”
7. The Lord over the truth of His word and the truth will expose lies, deceit and sin. Proverbs 22:12, “The eyes of the Lord keep watch over knowledge, but he overthrows the words of the traitor.”
8. What God has blessed you with, He will defend, watch over and help with as you serve Him. Deuteronomy 11:11-12 says, “…[Your] land for which the Lord your God cares. The eyes of the Lord your God are always on it, from the beginning of the year even to the end of the year.”
(The list goes on…!)
There are two sets of eyes fixed on the same target. That is why you can never let your guard down or become comfortable, routine or complacent.
EVERY BATTLE YOU FACE IS SPIRITUAL
No matter what your battle looks like:
“Our fight is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, and against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12)
To walk in the victory Christ paid for:
- Increase your strength through ministry to the Lord in praise and worship
- Increase your faith by growing in your knowledge and understanding of God’s Word.
- Increase your endurance by praying in the Spirit.
- Increase your discernment by walking in the Spirit through a lifestyle of praise and worship to avoid the “lusts of the flesh”.
The closer you are the to Lord, the further away you move as a target for the enemy. Satan will never give up, BUT NEITHER WILL THE LORD:
- “For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.” (Deuteronomy 20:4)
- “Through You we will push back our adversaries; Through Your name we will trample down those who rise up against us.” (Psalm 44:5)
- “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)
- “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31)
Thought for today: What the Enemy Meant for Evil, God Still Has Power Over
Thorns and prickers and weeds weren’t part of God’s initial, perfect design for His creation, yet in Genesis 3, when God laid out the punishment for sin, He included these as part of the curse for Adam. (Genesis 3:17-18)
For thousands of years since then, humankind has toiled in pain, sweat, tears an blood clearing land to plant crops and live, but before you can plant anything, you have to first remove those weeds, thorns, and prickers – and they keep growing back!
In fact, every time you have pricked your finger or had to remove an ugly thorn bush from the ground, it is a reminder of sin and its punishment. Yet, what the enemy meant for evil – the LORD WORKED FOR GOOD because HE IS GOOD!
Learn more about the 7 Hebrew Words for Praise and how each one helps create strength, intimacy, and fresh revelation as you understand more about God’s plan for praise in your life!
Two thousand years after the curse was given, Jesus Christ was born, a pure and spotless Lamb, to take the punishment for sin (Isaiah 53) and become a curse for us (Galatians 3:3)…and He wore a crown of THORNS! (John 19:1-3).
What the enemy meant for evil, God used through Jesus who transformed the curse of sin upon Himself and willingly bore the symbol of the curse – thorns – allowing them to be poked and jabbed and stabbed into His skin, causing blood to flow, as He “who knew no sin became sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)
The act of taking the symbol of the curse upon Himself was intentional and deliberate – an open display of the curse He was about to break through His death and resurrection. If the enemy had known the effect Christ’s punishment, death, and resurrection would have on the earth, he would never have done it. (1 Corinthians 2:8) GOD HAS A PLAN FOR YOU, TOO!
What is happening in your life right now that you know the enemy means for evil? Draw near to the Lord and surrender it ALL to Him and strengthen your faith knowing that HE WILL WORK IT OUT FOR YOUR GOOD as you love, serve, worship, obey Him and walk according to His purposes!
