Hebrews 12:6 ". . . because the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son."
I could really connect with today's reading. I have met Christians who feel most of the hardships in their lives are caused by Satan's attacks and almost see difficult times as a badge of honor. Blackaby points out that many of life's hardships are brought on by our own poor decisions. Decisions that we made: A) without consulting God. B) consulted God then ignored his leading. C) knew without needing to consult God, but did it anyway. Perhaps we ignored God and got involved in a bad relationship. Maybe someone was not diligent in his job and received a reprimand or missed a promotion. A person who is foolish with her money can expect to have financial distress.
God will forgive us our sins. He promises that "in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28 We can be assured that if we confess, repent and realign our decisions with His will and guidance, He will take care of us and ultimately good can come from our bad. BUT there is no scripture that guarantees He will remove the consequences of our sin.
So before a believer elevates life's troubles to a spiritual warfare badge of honor, he should take a long, honest look at his choices and determine if perhaps, just maybe, the mess he is in was created by his own actions.
One other quick point. Today's passage from Hebrews states that God chastens EVERYONE he accepts as his son. Not some, many or most, but EVERYONE. If you are not being disciplined and redirected by God, perhaps you have never truly accepted him as your Lord and Savior.
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