ICS Daily Devotions
God Will Deal With Us
We need to choose to live a sanctified life daily although we already spiritually blessed with all the spiritual blessings in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. The transformed life that sees us move from carnality to maturity is through learning to be subject to the Heavenly Father.
Hebrews 12:9b-10 – Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness.
God will allow us to go through different trials or temptations in our lives because we cannot be partakers of His holiness without these experiences to deal with our character, personality and pride. This is painful and uncomfortable but God is our helper during these difficult moments.
It is a test to know whether we will submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. The objective is for us to emerge stronger and purer as a believer of Jesus Christ. In fact, we should look at God’s discipline as a form of protection so that you will experience the abundant life rather than as a form of restriction or constraint.
Some forms of common temptations include instant gratification, power and wealth.
Another temptation is for a believer to have a non-Christian boyfriend or girlfriend or to venture into business with a non-Christian partner. The unbeliever has different values and will tempt us to defile the marriage by fornication or to cut corners in business dealings. Unfortunately, it is very common today and it is wishful thinking for the believer to think that he or she can change the unbeliever. God will deal with us when we are tempted and will ask us to break up with the unbeliever or not to start the relationship or business partnership because He loves you. It is an exhortation out of the foundation of love.
If we chose to proceed and refuse to heed to what the Lord has said in His word then we need to know all the bad consequences that come about with the decision is solely done out of our own decision to venture into the enemy’s camp and we cannot blame God. However, God will always welcome us back because His discipline is established on the foundation of love.
We need to submit to leadership. Otherwise, God will deal with us until our character is molded.
Sermon Series: Finishing Well