Consequences

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1 Chronicles 10:13-14 Will God Put You To Death?

Saul died because he was unfaithful to the Lord; he did not keep the word of the Lord and even consulted a medium for guidance, and did not inquire of the Lord. So the Lord put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse. 1 Chronicles 10:13-14

Being faithful is something that the world says is necessary for others, but very few apply it to their own lives. People will come up with excuses as to why they could not do what was expected. Then many will get angry if there is a harsh negative consequence to their poor choice.

During a battle God had Saul killed because he had been unfaithful to God in many ways and refused to inquire Him. His kingdom was then given to David.

The world will quickly seek guidance from others and even from psychic workers. There is no highest authority that they feel is in control and needs to be consulted first.

Believers, on the other hand, know that God is to be the ultimate authority in every situation. God and His word is the first place that a believer should go to for guidance in every area of one’s life.

Yet, just like Saul, many believers follow the ways of the world and seek guidance from the world, rather than from God.

God is patient with believers, but there are often consequences to rejecting God and turning to the world. In His ability to control everything God can break things down, cause sickness or nearly anything else to get the attention of a wayward believer.

Ultimately for the believer who does not really inquire of God or seek Him or follow Him, it may mean eternal death. Believers must not be believers in word only, but in heart and action.

When you are faced with a difficult situation, what is the first thing or first person you turn to for help or guidance? As a believer it should be God and His word.

Do not allow yourself to be misled and turn to the world first. There will be consequences for you claiming to believe in Jesus but still seeking the world.

God has given you His Holy Spirit to give you strength and direction in how to live your life as a faithful servant. Seek God and be faithful with what He says so that He will not have to take your life due to unfaithfulness.

Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Lord and Savior; that you will be faithful to seek and serve God with all of your life; that God will see you as a faithful believer; and that God will be able to reward you for your faithfulness to Him.

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1 Samuel 28:18 The Results Of Disobedience

Because you did not obey the Lord or carry out his fierce wrath against the Amalekites, the Lord has done this to you today. 1 Samuel 28:18

No one who is a leader likes someone who is disobedient. Every leader understands that those being led must be obedient. Usually there are consequences to not obeying, sometimes very severe consequences and other times not very severe.

Often the consequences are set up as punishment or correction to prevent disobedience from occurring again. Many people get upset when negative consequences occur due to disobedience, feeling that they should be able to do what they desire.

God was bringing the Philistines against Saul for disobedience. Saul went to Samuel for help but was told that because he did not obey God this is what God was doing to him.

Even though the world understands consequences to disobedience, many in the church feel that God will not do anything if they disobey Him. Many in the church will refuse to repent and turn away from certain sins. They will not take time to be His witness. They hold on to bitterness and seek vengeance.

While living in sin, many will wonder why God is against them and negative things are occurring on a regular basis. Others will wonder why God is silent when they seek Him at the same time they are disobeying His commands to them. Often they hide behind grace, believing that their disobedience will be overlooked.

God’s holiness demands obedience. Jesus did not die for the sins of the believer, so that the believer could continue to live in sin and disobey God. In His great love God will deal with disobedience harshly in this life so that the person may continue to gain eternal life in the end. The ultimate punishment for disobedience is death for eternity in hell.

As a believer God has given you all the general commands He has given every believer and He has also given you some direct commands specific to you alone. You are given a choice as to whether you will obey those commands or not. There will be consequences to which way you choose.

Obeying God will bring about His hand of favor and direction. Disobeying will result in punishment and losing His hand of favor.

Make the choice today to obey God in every area of your life and every command God gives you.

Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Lord and Savior; that you will know the commands God is giving you; that you will obey all that God commands you to do; and that God will not have to punish you for any disobedience.

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Deuteronomy 34:4 Consequences Of Actions

Then the Lord said to him, “This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob when I said, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have let you see it with your eyes, but you will not cross over into it.” Deuteronomy 34:4

Positive consequences are something that most people like to think and talk about, but rarely like to think or talk about negative consequences. Often the negative side is downplayed to the point it does not exist. Everybody is allowed to win whether they earned a winning score or not.

As Moses was about to die, God allowed him to see into the promised land. He was told he could see it but was not allowed to cross the river into it. This was due to his disobeying God by striking the rock.

In the same way that the world downplays negative consequences, many in the church are doing the same thing. Sin is allowed in the life of a believer with the expectation that there will be no bad consequence. Often this is viewed because God is willing to forgive the sin because of the death of Jesus upon the cross.

While forgiveness brings about removal of the sentence of death upon the believer, it does not always stop all consequences of the action or sin in this life. The person who kills someone may be forgiven by God but will still have to go to prison to pay for the crime.

Any disobedience to God is a sin, regardless of how great or small it is or whether man sees it as bad or not. God has a plan for every believer that must be followed step by step. If one chooses to not follow the plan of God, it is sin and there may be negative consequences. One will still be saved but may not get all the blessings originally intended.

God has plans of blessing for you that are dependent upon your obeying His commands. You may know what these blessings are, or you may not.

Strive to obey every command God gives immediately. Do not allow yourself to turn to the right or left of His commands. Do not allow yourself to be in a position in which you miss out on the full blessing of God in your life.

Live in a way that you will qualify to cross the river into greater blessings.

Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Lord and Savior; that you will know the commands God has for you; that you will obey all the commands of God; that God will allow you to cross the river to greater blessings; and that God will not have to bring on negative consequences due to your actions.

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Numbers 27:13-14 Sin Can Have Severe Consequences

After you have seen it, you too will be gathered to your people, as your brother Aaron was, for when the community rebelled at the waters of the Desert of Zin, both of you disobeyed my command to honor me as holy before their eyes. Numbers 27:13-14

No one really wants to miss out on big events that occur. Everyone wants to be a part of something great that is occurring. At times people will allow bad habits or activities to get in the way and block them out from the event. Bad habits don’t seem bad, until consequences show up later.

God told Moses that he would soon die and not go into the promised land because he did not honor God and disobeyed Him in the Desert of Zin. This was when he struck the rock, rather than speak to it as commanded.

Most people do not think ahead of what the results of their actions of right now might be down the road. Their thinking is only in the right here and now, not the future. Often the immediate actions do not appear to have any future consequences.

Obedience to God has immediate and future consequences that are not always directly visible. One simple sin can easily put a person on a different path than what God had originally intended. All Moses did was strike a rock, rather than speak to it and he was not allowed to go into the promised land.

One of the greatest priorities of a believer is obedience to God. This proves trust in God and not self.

God has a great plan for each and every believer who is willing to obey Him. However, if there is disobedience, that plan may have to change due to the consequences of that sin.

As a believer, God has a plan for your life. He is willing to show you that plan and guide your steps. Do not allow a temporary pleasure of sin to get in the way and cause you to miss out on what God has for you.

Listen to and obey every command God gives you so that you can receive the promises of God. Trust God that He knows what is best for you, rather than trusting yourself or this fallen world.

Honor God with your whole life as an obedient servant, not just in words.

Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Lord and Savior; that you will obey all the commands God gives you; that you will honor God in every area of your life; and that you will not allow sin to block what God has for you.

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Genesis 42:22 There Will Be An Accounting

Reuben replied, “Didn’t I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you wouldn’t listen! Now we must give an accounting for his blood.” Genesis 42:22

Believing that one has the freedom to do whatever he wants and get away with it is common among most people. This belief increases when something is done in secret, and it is as though no one could possibly know about it.

Everyday people all over the world are doing things that should not be done. At the same time, people all over the world are being convicted daily of things that they have done in secret.

As Joseph’s brothers went to Egypt to get food, they were treated harshly in Egypt. Reuben recognizes that this harsh treatment must be for how they sold Joseph into slavery.

Everything that is said or done has consequences that a person must be willing to give an account for, a reason for doing. This accounting may occur quickly, or it may take years before it occurs. It may occur with other people on this earth, but it will occur some day when one stands before God in heaven.

While some things have good consequences, there are other things that have negative consequences. God will reward every good deed that a person does in this life. At the same time, He will also punish every sin that has been done and not repented of in this life.

The first choice every believer should make is to choose God’s way of acting and speaking. He must be willing to do the right thing.

In times of making the wrong choice, the believer must be quick to repent of it and turn from that sin. As soon as one repents, God is willing to forgive, no longer requiring an accounting for the sin.

Most likely you have made choices in your past that you will have to give an accounting for someday. The world may or may not ever know about what you have done, but God does.

Go to God in repentance of anything that you have done that was sinful and repent. Allow Jesus to remove that sin and give you a clean slate for the accounting.

Do not allow that sin to remain ‘hidden’ until the day you must account for it and find yourself guilty of sin with a judgement of death.

Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Lord and Savior; that you will strive to live by God’s commands; that you will let God guide your every choice of action; that you will repent of all sins before God; and that God will not have to draw you into a day for accounting for sin.