Q: Is God in control of everything that happens—even evil things? If He is, doesn't that make Him evil also? And if He isn't in control, doesn't that make Him weak and less than God? I've always been puzzled about this.

Q: Is God responsible for everything that happens in the world? I heard someone say the other day that God is in control of everything, but I wonder if it's really true because there seems to be so much evil in the world.

Q: Does God determine everything that happens to us or can we make our own decisions regardless of what God would prefer we do in life? If He directs our every action then we are not responsible for the outcome, right?

Theologians have debated for centuries about God’s absolute control over everything versus mankind’s freedom to act on its own. The question people long to have answered is whether everything that happens to us is already determined by God. Or do we have the ability to carry out plans on our own, regardless of what God hoped would happen?

Q: If God is in control of everything, why do bad things happen to us? I'd like to believe in God, but I just can't understand this.

Q: The pandemic, riots and total unrest make me desperate for peace. I have missed the fellowship of other believers and am desperate to know why such suffering escalates. My neighbor keeps saying God is in control. How can that be?

Q: How can I control my bad thoughts? I get to thinking about people who've treated me unfairly, and suddenly I have all sorts of evil thoughts about ways I can get back at them, and things like that.

A victorious Christian is confident that God is in control. Reliance on the Holy Spirit gives us physical and emotional rest as we set our minds on Christ. The Bible tells us: “But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him … because they are spiritually discerned …

You may not be able to control your thoughts, but God can—and He wants to, because evil or immoral thoughts will only lead you astray. The Bible says, “The Lord detests the thoughts of the wicked, but those of the pure are pleasing to him” (Proverbs 15:26). This is why the first step I urge you to take is to commit your whole life—including your mind—to Jesus Christ. God loves …

Q: How can I control my thoughts and get rid of all the junk that passes through my mind? I know God must be appalled at some of the things I think about, but I can't seem to get rid of them.