By: Pastor Jarren Rogers

Beware good news.

That sounds like a pretty ridiculous thing to say. Why should you ever be wary of good news? We look for good news! Especially today, we actively seek out anything positive or happy amidst a discouraging and disappointing news cycle. 

Why should we be cautious when good news finds its way to us? 

Because many times, good news can force us to let down our guard. 

Look at the early church, for example. Persecution and oppression followed them everywhere they went. People hated them and actively sought them out and put them to death. 

Yet, despite all that “bad news,” the church exploded! Why? Because amidst the bad news, we realize how great our need for God is. When we experience trials and difficulties, we have no choice but to rely on God’s strength and provision. In seasons of adversity, not prosperity, our faith grows because we see God at work in our impossible circumstances. 

Maybe this is one of the reasons that James tells us to “consider it joy” whenever we are met with hardship. Because hardship is where God’s presence is most felt, and his voice rings out the loudest. 

C.S. Lewis said it like this, “God whispers to us in our pleasures…but shouts in our pains.”

This is why we must be wary of good news and seasons of well-being. In times such as these the enemy can slowly draw us out of the presence of God. Comfort tempts us to think that we can wade through life of our own strength and make decisions from our own wisdom. When life is easy, the enemy can trick us into thinking that our time with God isn’t essential, that church isn’t required, that prayer is only appropriate when you need something or things are tough.

We mustn’t allow good times to remove us from the presence of God. Instead, we should use seasons of peace as a respite from the chaos of life, as an opportunity to grow in God’s grace and pour into others. Where, in seasons of difficulty, it was easy to fall to your knees in desperation, now, in seasons of prosperity, you must actively fall to your knees in gratitude and intercession for others. 

Beware good news because it means that temptation is on the way. It may mean that pride is standing on your doorstep. It’s a hint that self-reliance is an easy trap to fall into. It’s a signal that you need to force yourself into the presence of God. 

Thank God for good news, because we all need it. But be careful and seek God all the more.