God and sin are not friends. A person who stays away from sin has automatically positioned himself in the right spot to receive the blessings of God. A person who lives in sin will bear the consequence of his (or her) actions. A sinful activity brings some sort of enjoyment; however, once the excitement is over, the same sin leaves the person to face a bitter consequence that will follow suit.
Sin can come from any source to affect a person or a group of people. In fact, God has labeled nations as sinners in the past, and he punished them for their sins. The nation of Israel is an example. The people who should be God’s “apple eyes” turned their backs against the Creator; they suffered a bitter consequence for their actions.
Jeremiah, in the Bible, explained the horror that his country (Israel) faced as a result of their sins. The land of Israel that was once considered a center of attraction for their neighbors lost its value when the people sinned against God.
Israelites dropped their love for God and pursued Idolatry; therefore, God forsook them. God suspended his love for the Israelites and make them became subservient to their enemies.
The opposing nations discovered that God’s protection was missing on the Israelites and took advantage of the situation.
Realizing that God was no more in friendship with the Israelites, the enemies attacked them from every side and overpowered them. They destroyed their land and took them captive. Israelites lost their freedom and become the slaves of others.
Jeremiah who witnessed the downfall of his nation lamented,
“How deserted lies the city, once so full of people!How like a widow is she, who once was great among the nations! She who was queen among the provinces has now become a slave. Bitterly she weeps at night, tears are on her cheeks. Among all her lovers there is no one to comfort her. All her friends have betrayed her; they have become her enemies. After affliction and harsh labor, Judah has gone into exile. She dwells among the nations; she finds no resting place. All who pursue her have overtaken her in the midst of her distress” (Lamentations 1:1-3 NIV).
God Loves The Sinners, But He Hates Their Sins
Does God love the sinners? Yes, he does. God loves everyone – He loves both the saints and the sinners; however, God does not love sin. The Creator can simply not cope with sin.
Jehovah hates sin. He can’t operate under a sinful atmosphere. That is, God will not be able to relate with us if we entertain sin in our lives.
Anyone who is willing to receive the prime benefit of God must steer clear of sin. Stay away!
How Serious Is The Consequence of Sin?
Sin destroys any good relationship that exists between God and a person.
God’s limit of interaction with a sinner also leads to the withdrawal of his benefits. (A sinner loses both ways).
A sinner will be vulnerable to the enemy’s attack since God’s protection will be unavailable for him.
God has an established judgment for an unrepentant sinner. (God will cast an unrepentant sinner to hellfire on the last day).
God is not partial, he will not punish a sinner and spare the other, Any Christian who lives in sin will not be exempted from God’s punishment.
Every sinner must repent – Without an exception! Everyone must understand that God is not partial; he won’t punish one sinner and leave the other; therefore, both the nominal Christian (A Christian without Christ’s attributes) and the unbeliever should await God’s imminent punishments unless due repentance is exercised.
A soul that sins shall die” says the Bible; however, some consequences are bound to follow a sinner before he dies.
The consequences of a sin on earth is not predictable since no one can second-guess God. The Creator mostly take an action that beats human’s imagination. Meanwhile, instead of wasting time on making unnecessary assumptions about God’s variety of punishment in any given situation, everyone should aspire to measure up to the standard of God and serve him in holiness.
A person who has repented of his sins and professed to love God must also make a serious effort to stay away from sin and serve God in holiness.
What Are The Benefits to Receive When Repentance Is Exercised?
God’s divine blessing will pursue a repentant sinner.
An obedient child of God will prosper in whatever he or she does.
A person who repents of his or her sins will have peace of mind
The peace of God that surpasses all human understanding will take over the life of a repentant sinner – Since the Holy Spirit will effectively take control.
A person who repents of his or her sin will have an assurance of heaven
Heaven is the prime benefit that every repentant sinner will enjoy. God will accept every repentant sinner into his kingdom. He will grant him/her an opportunity to dine and wine with him forever.
Serve God well. Obey his commandments and you shall prosper in all your ways!
The term “Daughters of Zion” was used on many occasions to refer to the beauty and pride of Israel; however, in some instances, God down tune importance of “Daughters of Zion” into a piece of entity worthy of severe punishment due to Israelites’ sins.
One of the instances is highlighted, “Moreover the Lord says: “Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, And walk with outstretched necks And wanton eyes, Walking and mincing as they go, Making a jingling with their feet, Therefore the Lord will strike with a scab The crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, And the Lord will uncover their secret parts” (Isaiah 3:16-17).
Lesson on God frowns at Sin and embraces Holiness
God will not turn a blind eye on any Christian who goes against His will.
God asked his people – Israelites – to repent from their sin so that they can qualify for his blessings.
God said, “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Put away the evil of your doings from before my eyes.
Cease to do evil, Learn to do good; Seek justice, Rebuke the oppressor; Defend the fatherless,
Plead for the widow. “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the Lord, “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; But if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword”; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken” (Isaiah 1:16-20).
Lesson on Repentance to Enjoy God’s Blessing
God is more interested in seeing his children repent from their sins than to make them suffer terrible punishment of hell fire.
He will forgive our sins if we confess and repent from them.
Meanwhile, the Creator would be left with no other option than to exert his tough judgment if we refuse to repent from our unrighteousness.
Therefore, no Christian should take God for granted and indulge in sin.
We must operate in openness before God so that he can continue to take pleasure over our lives.
Prayer of Repentance to Enjoy God’s Blessing
Dear God, my goal and aspiration is to satisfy you with holy living, so that I can qualify for your eternal kingdom.
Help me to genuinely repent from my sins, and empower me to improve my relationship with you.
Anoint me with the grace to spend the rest of my life in a way that satisfies you. Let me walk uprightly before you, and let your Holy Spirit richly dwell in me so that I can remain rapturable!
For in the name of Jesus Christ I make my requests. Amen.
God demands obedience from his children. We must satisfy God with holiness to receive his blessings.
Believers can learn from a bible scenario that God used to chastise his children for their disobedient acts.
God put people of Judah to task by asking them some provocative questions.
In a metaphorical statement, Jehovah challenged Judah inhabitants to consider what the consequences of their sinful actions would be should they persist in sin and shun repentance.
God said,
“Now let me sing to my Well-beloved a song of my beloved regarding His vineyard: My Well-beloved has a vineyard on a very fruitful hill.
He dug it up and cleared out its stones, and planted it with the choicest vine.
He built a tower in its midst, and also made a winepress in it; so He expected itto bring forth goodgrapes, But it brought forth wild grapes.
“And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, Judge, please, between Me and My vineyard. What more could have been done to my vineyard that I have not done in it?
Why then, when I expected itto bring forth goodgrapes, did it bring forth wild grapes?” (Isaiah 5:1-4).
Important Lessons on Obedience to God
Lesson 1
Obedience leads to blessings. A person who chooses to walk in God’s way and obey his laws will prosper. Such a person will see his/her fruits abide.
Lesson 2
Disobedience leads to suffering. A person who disobeys God’s law exposes himself (or herself) to negative consequences.
Sin exposes a person to the influences of Satan, which are detrimental to any soul!
Nothing good comes from the devil who is ever willing to assault God’s children.
Lesson 3
Anyone who makes a decisive effort to satisfy God with obedience will prosper.
Believers’ portions of obedience are not limited to heavenly blessings; they will also prosper on earth and glorify God.
Please Pray for Strength to Obey God
O dear good Lord please give me grace and strength to obey your laws so that I can qualify for your earthly and heavenly rewards.
I understand that Satan has nothing good to offer anyone who chooses to follow him; therefore, I choose not to follow him!
I choose to obey God!
I am determined to follow you (God) and obey your instructions so that I can prosper.
Please give me the grace to remain committed and obey your instructions from now on, and forevermore!
Sexual sin among other offenses deeply irritates God.
King Solomon who once loved God and ruled his people with wisdom became obsessed with women, and they caused him to deviate from God’s path.
Since his illicit sexual obsessions began, Solomon became inconsistent with God, and he made a series of costly mistakes.
The scripture reported, “King Solomon loved many foreign women, as well as the daughter of Pharaoh: women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites—from the nations of whom the Lord had said to the children of Israel,
“King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh’s daughter—Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites.
They were from nations about which the Lord had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.” Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love. He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray.
As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been” (1 Kings 11:1-4 NKJV)
Lesson To Learn About Sexual Sin
Illicit sexual relationships will make any man or woman fall. Immoral relationships imprison people.
A man or woman who engages in an immoral relationship is not free, but he or she is spiritually bounded to live as a slave.
In fact, no one engages in an illicit sexual relationship and go free.
The individual would have something to lose in the process!
Therefore, anyone who intends to live victorious life must shun any relationship that may lead to fornication or adultery.
A person who maintains his or her sanctity would receive some automatic blessings from God – even without prayers.
Better still, a person (single or married) who keeps him or herself pure and maintains a good relationship with God will enjoy multiple benefits from God on earth and in heaven.
Prayer of Grace for Self Control
Dear God, I realized that illicit relationships are ungodly and they can make anybody fall from grace, therefore I ask you to please help me to maintain sanctity as a single (or married) person.
Help me to abstain from any interaction that may damage my relationship with you.
Please let me be holy and faithfully serve you so that I can enjoy your benefits, and so that I can prosper in all aspects of life.
God will not turn a blind eye on any Christian who goes against His will.
Dear God, I understand that sin can create a barrier between you and I; therefore, I am determined to run from sin.
God asked his people – Israelites – to repent from their sin so that they can qualify for his blessings.
Prayer of Repentance to Enjoy God’s Blessing
Illicit sexual relationships will make any man or woman fall. Immoral relationships imprison people.
A person who maintains his or her sanctity would receive some automatic blessings from God – even without prayers.
Dear God, I realized that illicit relationships are ungodly and they can make anybody fall from grace, therefore I ask you to please help me to maintain sanctity as a single (or married) person.
