“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever” - 1 John 2:15 – 17

God is in control of the world and nothing happens without His approval. This is because He created the world and all authorities are vested in Him. In Ephesians 1:11, Paul says; “In him [Christ] we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will.” You see, God’s providence over the universe extends to the smallest details of nature and human decisions. For instance, Jesus says, “not one sparrow falls to the ground without the approval from our Father in heaven” (Matthew 10:29). Solomon says; “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord” (Proverbs 16:1); “The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will” (Proverbs 21:1). The reason we suffer calamity is because of our wrong choices; remember, God will not stop you from taking a wrong course, if you deliberately decides to go off course, away from His truth and commandments. The word of God today is drawing attention back to God and His commandments. The world is full of temptations and alluring obstacles, capable of putting our lives and everything we own in jeopardy - these are the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—they are not from the Father but are from the world.

Here, we have to be very mindful of the tricks of the devil to lead us into sin and disobedience. If we choose wrongly by disobeying the word of God, the consequence will surely come to us. In any event, God says the world is passing away along with its sinful desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever – is saved! Therefore, the difference between the sovereign will of God and what happens to us, is our wrong choices. The scriptures give us a guide on how to live a successful life, in line with God’s word and commands. But we often fall prey to the tricks of the devil; we go off course, make terrible mistakes and the consequences come heavy on us. The devil is the source of human sufferings, and that has remained so because we choose to follow him, instead of following God and obeying His command. The reason Jesus came is to destroy the works of the devil, yes he has done all that; All the works of the devil – the past, present and the future have been destroyed by Christ. But the problem is you, you and you! What life are you living right now? Are you truly following the one who has delivered you, or have you gone back to the devil – back to the world? Where do you belong? Where you belong will determine what happens to you. Choose today to follow Jesus Christ, His commands and His way. Follow His footsteps, then you will be protected, safe and saved.