Rebellion


Deuteronomy 30:19 This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live
My friend sat in front of me and told me her story. She'd lost her job and lately her physical health had declined to the point that searching for a job seemed almost impossible. She was stuck and she'd come to me for prayer, hoping to get some direction. When I asked if she'd seen a doctor she nodded and then added that she wasn't exactly following doctor's orders. She didn't think the precautions he asked her to uphold were necessary and so she'd dismissed his help. No wonder she wasn't feeling well! She was directly disobeying things that her doctor had told her would help, and not only that, but she was wallowing in the outcome of her rebellion, in this case her physical ailments. Isn't that so like us? We know the path towards Life. We know who the Source of all Life is, and yet so often we disobey Doctor's orders and go down the wrong path. It's like purposeful amnesia, we forget and turn the other way. When we suffer the consequences of disobedience we cry, mourn, and blame God, forgetting that the only person we can blame for what we've experienced is ourselves. We live now under the Law of Grace where we are not stoned nor condemned for our disobedience. But disobedience comes with natural consequences. We reap what we sow. If we sow sin, we reap death. God says we have a choice and He longs for us to plug into Him and choose Life. This doesn't mean choosing the right things, it means choosing Him. When we choose Him, when we connect with the Source of all Life, obedience to His laws will flow out naturally. This is the difference between legalism and relationship. And it makes all the difference. One leads to death, and the other is Life Everlasting.

Comments

  1. So true. We will always suffer the consequences of our wrong choices and our rebellion against God. I am so grateful that He teaches and molds us - even through "consequences". Praise God that He loves us and in Him we find redemption!

    Living for Him, Joan

    ReplyDelete
  2. Jan Greenwood has the strongest testimony about this sort of obedience.

    Last year I began treatments for chronic debilitating back pain. I felt like the Lord told me He was going to heal me without surgery but I began the process of treatment as He worked out the healing in my body.

    In November, I received an injection and was asked to return to my back specialist to see what he would recommend. He said surgery would be the only reasonable solution. I was devastated. I cried all the way home and prayed even longer. I still felt God said surgery was not the best option.

    A few weeks later, Ps. Linda prayed with someone who suffered from chronic back pain and she had an immediate result. They both brought me into the office, and prayed over me. I didn't notice a change at first, but a few days later God said, "Stop claiming this healing like it hasn't happened yet." At this point I had already scheduled another injection appointment. But I began to claim the healing and felt peace about having the injection. I have been pain free since before my last round of injections. Praise the Lord.

    We must have faith that moves mountains, but without the direction and the voice of God at work in our lives bringing wisdom - we are just taking shoots in the dark and hoping to hit the target. Sometimes the healing is instantaneous and sometimes it is a process. I'm glad He chose to heal me. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular Posts