When God has His eyes set upon you, He is going to do whatever it takes to keep you on the path that He has planned for you.
Over my life thus far, God has opened my eyes to see that reproof and chastisement from Him is a blessing. It is what keeps us moving forward in His will. It shows us the difference between right and wrong. It reveals that which is good and which is evil. It produces consequences of wrong actions, corrupt thinking, and vile speech.
Proverbs 3:11-12 (KJV) tells us to “despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of His correction: For whom the LORD loveth He correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.”
How many times have you heard a message on God rebuking and correcting those whom He loves? I am sure not many. In this day and age where it is all a soft, smooth message; no one wants to hear about punishment. In this blog, we are not even discussing the realities of Hell and the wrath of God, but simply chastisement from the Lord. If you go to the average church in the United States, and even across the globe, it’s all about blessings and prosperity. “God wants to bless you, God wants to make you happy.” This is true to some extent, but the meaning behind the message has been corrupted. Lucifer always comes in and takes a truth, waters it down and disguises it as a partial truth. The flower of truth may look beautiful, but the decaying roots of deception go unseen. That is why we need discernment to know what the Scriptures are, ENTIRELY. Yes, the Lord wants to bless us; but this is not always a means to financial gain. Many times, His blessings are that which provide joy and peace in the midst of calamity. When everything around us is crumbling to the ground, we can sit in complete rest and remind ourselves that “The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer. My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold” (Psalm 18:2 NIV).
When God chastises us, He puts us on the path of the wise. We are told in Proverbs 3:35 (KJV) that “The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion of fools.” What is the shame? This shame is the ultimate destruction of sin. When you continue to neglect the reproof and conviction from the Holy Spirit, eventually you will succumb to the powers of sin and the consequences they bring. You will have no regard for what the Lord says, because there is no sense of wanting to honor Him. “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction” (Proverbs 1:7 KJV). Those who do not fear God, will never walk fully into His promises. They will put their will above His will; their ideas of right and wrong above God's Word.
If we were to take a look at your mindset and your heart towards God, would we see someone who truly believes in the prayer, “Lord, may Your will be done”? We are not talking about being tempted, for James 1:13 (NIV) says, “When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone.” Instead, we are talking about the Lord’s will being done after you slip up in sin. Are you willing to accept the consequences for sin; knowing that the Lord has produced those consequences in order for you to repent and turn back to Him?
Understanding the chastisement of God can be very important in a Christian’s walk. Learn to love His reproof. A change of mindset towards the hard truths in Scripture can propel you many years ahead of those who indulge in the soft messages and are stagnant in their faith. If we can learn to not only accept the hard truths, but to see God’s hand in them and learn to enjoy them; we will begin to understand the reality that chastisement, reproof and conviction from the Lord are crucial in the handbook towards walking a holy and righteous life. It is the blood of Christ that saves us; but it is the continued work from the Father and Holy Spirit that changes us to be more like Christ each day.
Learn to see the importance and significance of chastisement; for God chastises those whom He loves.
Lance VanTine
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