Whenever we do something wrong either God or the
devil has something to say about it right? But the way they handle it is
totally opposite. It is the vast difference between condemning and convicting.
Condemn:
express complete disapproval of, typically in public
Convict:
declare
to be guilty of a criminal offense by the verdict of a jury or the decision of
the judge in a court of law
So which one do you think is the devils and which do
you think is God’s? Well God should only have the right of them both but they
aren’t. The first is God’s and the second the devils. They both recognize the
wrong that has been done but God is the only one that has a say in it. But it
sadly doesn’t always work that way. Sometimes we give into that temptation and
sin that we get to a point that we feel like going to God is shameful which
cause the devil to have the strongest hold on us. The scariest part about this
is that we don’t realize it! We often do not notice that we are giving the
right of punishment to the devil until it is too late.
God condemns us. He realizes our wrong doing and
automatically gives us that forgiveness when we just ask for it! So like the definition
states, God does disapprove of our wrongdoings but He understands it and
realizes what has to be done to fix it. Now it is often not done in public but
we can make it public when we confess our sins. But did you notice that the
devil convicts us? He treats us like we are criminals that should all get the
death penalty. He treats us like a law case that needs to be settled in
business matters. Not once does it give us a glimpse of forgiveness and
restoration. And not only does God recognize our wrongdoings and then forgives
them He also helps us grow from that mistake! So wait…He takes us back when He
shouldn’t even give us the time of day and then helps us move forward!? God did
these kinds of things even in extreme measures. Genesis 15 talks about Abram
and is desire to have descendents that He looks to the Lord to give Him. And towards
the end of the short chapter God tells Abram that his descendents will be
slaves for 400 years in a foreign land. But
I (Lord) will punish the nation that enslaves them, and in the end they will
come away with great wealth.
You have heard it. We have to go through the hard
times to get the good and that God gives those great wealth who struggle. He
holds such a promise in that which we need in our lives to survive as a child
of God. But there tends to be a fine line between God having the restoration
and the devil having the punishment for our sins. So how can we tell if we are
being punished or actually growing?
1. Have
you actually labeled your sins as life problems?
2. Do
you often feel like that sin is always there and is never fading?
3. Do
you feel like the victim?
4. Can
your sin be washed away by God’s forgiveness and restoration?
5. Do
you feel in control of it?
So what happens if all these questions are true with
my sins and problems? That means the devil has a hold of me!!?? Of course every
situation is different but these are to get you thinking about your wrongdoings
and the things to come. When we start off by letting our sins slip to the devil
it will continue like that until we are able to get out by the grace of God.
Now this may be a little confusing when you think of why and how we sin. Yes we
are an imperfect world deemed by sin because of…Satan. The one that we don’t want
to give our sins to. But wait isn’t he the problem here? That is the thing with
sin. It is something we don’t want to be a part of but yet we do it without
even knowing it at times. For “evil
people will surely be punished, but the children of the godly will go free.”
(Proverbs 11:21)
“For
the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his
child.” Hebrews 12: sounds kind of crazy right? God is the
ultimate guy really, and when we loves you and accepts you He disciplines and
punishes us! Say what! But I would much rather have His eternal stamp than be
seen as a criminal under Satan. For God calls us “…don’t reject the Lord’s discipline, and don’t be upset when he
corrects you. For the Lord corrects those he loves, just as a father corrects a
child in whom he delights.” (Proverbs 3:11-12) So I wonder if the Lord even
looks at it as punishing us? He isn’t out to totally rag on us and to see how
much weight we can carry. God involves Himself in our lives when we allow Him. He doesn’t just barge in, we let Him in because we want to see the
amazing work He does. And when we mess up or hit that bump in the road He knows
that something has to change which brings the restoration into play. He is the
only one that can restore or souls and minds. He doesn’t want to set us behind
bars to continue to think about all the little things we messed up on because
they aren’t worth it. Our sins are not worth the attention so don’t give it to
them!
“Then
why should we, mere humans, complain when we are punished for our sins?
Instead, let us test and examine our ways. Let us turn back to the Lord.”
~Lamentations
3:39-40
