“…not one word has failed of all the good things that the Lord your God promised concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one of them has failed. But just as all the good things that the Lord your God promised concerning you have been fulfilled for you, so the Lord will bring upon you all the evil things, until he has destroyed you from off this good land that the Lord your God has given you, if you transgress the covenant of the Lord your God, which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them. Then the anger of the Lord will be kindled against you…” (v14-16a)
People often wonder that if God is real, and He is a God of love as the Bible claims, then “why is there so much suffering in this world?”. Well, according to Joshua, Genesis 3, and various other scriptures, it’s because we have disobeyed (sinned) and there are consequences and sometimes punishments.
The good news is, those who remain faithful to God and His commands do receive blessings, and far fewer reciprocal consequences than if they had been disobedient. Unfortunately, everyone, no matter how obedient to God, still encounter general consequences (those circumstances that happen because sin broke this world, not necessarily because of a specific sin that person committed).
My ongoing challenge is to seek the counsel and guidance of the Holy Spirit to help us know God’s leading in our lives so we may remain obedient. This is partially accomplished by knowing God’s word – the more time we spend in scripture studying it and hiding it in our hearts, the more we understand the heart of God and can more naturally adhere to His guidelines.
The more time we spend with Him (in scripture and prayer) the easier obedience becomes until it’s more or less a habit (a good habit). I encourage us to build this habit of obedience into our lives not only for our benefit, but so those around us can see that we are different from those who are of this world. Who knows, maybe they’ll want what we have.
Father God, O Holy Lord of Israel, great and mighty is Your name. You have rescued us from eternal destruction, and we thank You wholeheartedly. Father please continue leading us by Your Spirit to spend time with You in prayer and in Your word. Father please give us a hunger for Your presence, that we may invest in our relationships with You so we may shine Your light unto this world. Please help us to model Christ-likeness in all that we say and do, so others would come to know You through what they see and hear. Jesus, our Lord and Savior, please help us to do this. In Your holy name, we praise You and thank You forever and ever, amen.
~ Conqueror in Training