ACTIONS AND CONSEQUENCES

Isn’t it interesting how believers like to abdicate responsibility and attribute every contrary circumstance to the “dealings of God”? Have you noticed that when we go through difficulties, it is often the “dealings of God”? Then we explain – “God is trying to make me a better person or bring me to the next level”. Whilst it is true that God does that from to time to time, very often, our difficult experiences are as a result of our actions or wrong decisions. There is a cost for every decision and it is wise to count that cost in the course of making decisions.

It is often easier and less painful to pass off experiences as “acts of God”. It sounds very spiritual when we explain it all away as difficulties permitted by God that we may “grow as believers.” Like I said earlier, God does allow such experiences sometimes like when the bible says Joseph was tried by the word of God. God allows them not because of what you did or did not do but because of that which God has called you to be and to do; the type of experiences described by the psalmist below:

Psalm 66: 10-12 “you have tested us, O God; you have purified us like silver. You captured us in your net and laid the burden of slavery on our backs. Then you put a leader over us. We went through fie and flood, but you brought us to a place of great abundance.”

However, as believers we must not forget that decisions/actions have consequences and the fact of your being saved may not deliver you from the consequences of bad decisions. Only the mercy of God can do that and the scriptures tell us that it is God’s prerogative to elect whom He chooses to show mercy. We cannot make bad decisions and expect good to come out of it. Of course God allows us learn lessons too from the consequences of our bad decision but not because He brought on the circumstance: but because in His goodness, He is causing all things to work together for our good as the scriptures say.

Galatians 6: 4 “Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. For we are each responsible for our own conduct.”

This is why we are admonished to count the cost of our decisions. If the cost is too high, it is okay to amend the decision. Even when you already started to actualize it, you can stop. You may think people will laugh at you but the pain you suffer if you carry on in your error will be worse.

Do not be deceived, actions do have consequences. Can you imagine that Sarah would have said that the pain she bore from the presence of Hagar and Ishmael in her life was “God’s dealings” in her life? Certainly not! It is the consequence of a decision she made long time ago. Or Joseph referring to his brother’s dislike of him as “God’s dealing’s” after foolishly telling all those dreams suggesting they would be enslaved to him? Bad decisions from which I believe they both learnt lessons.

When the consequences of our decisions hurt deeply, then we may have to make other painful decisions to ameliorate the damage. If you keep blaming it on God, you may never see the opportunity He has created to ameliorate the damage and go forward. Be true to yourself  –is that problem you or God?

SELF RESTRAINT IS VITAL FOR SUCCESS

Let me open with this remark – “You are in the world but not of the world”. This is a direct quote from Jesus discussion with His disciples. We, born again believers and disciples of Jesus, are definitely not of the world though we live in the world; so that we operate by a different set of rules and code of conduct for we are the light of the world.

Proverbs 29: 18 “Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint: but happy is he who keeps the law.”

To be effective as light, we are compelled to be restrained /controlled. Unbelievers cannot be compelled to be restrained since it takes knowledge of God revealed to our spirit man by the Holy Spirit, to be restrained. Unfortunately, we are determined to operate like they do and yet claim to be light. There is now no limit to which a believer can go to get what they want. There is no balance to anything we do. We are excessive in everything and have become ostentatious. We are unrestrained and unable to control ourselves yet the bible admonishes us repeatedly to be self-controlled.

1 Peter 1: 5 “Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone. The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

It is sad that despite knowing that we exist in the midst of enemies, we have gone wild thereby suffering self-inflicted defeat in the midst of our enemies who are amused at the mess we are making of ourselves. They look at us, laugh, and then say “and they say they are Christians.” We can pretend like they don’t know what they are saying and deceive ourselves all we like, making all the excuses in the world but we know the truth deep down- we have become totally unrestrained.

Exodus 32: 25 “Moses saw that Aaron had let the people get completely out of control, much to the amusement of their enemies.

 Just like the Israelites we have built golden calves of ourselves and idols of “things” and “people” to whom we now bow instead of our God. Also, uncovering our shame and nakedness in the process; thereby putting ourselves in captivity, completely bound and controlled by the dictates of the world. If we must walk in victory, we must learn to be restrained by the word of God.

Proverbs 29: 18 “when people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild.” 

For how much longer are you going to remain in ignorant bliss? You that deceives yourself and says, “I don’t want to know more about God so I can continue living the way I want to live. If I know more, it will put me under condemnation.” I hate to say this but you are not wise, the price you pay is too high. 

Proverbs 28: 9 “one who turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination.”

Ask yourself – are you a wild grape? If your answer is yes, you can do something about it today.

TAKE YOUR EYES OFF YOUR “SELF"

There is no doubt that God’s word is “ye and amen. We serve a God that cannot lie. The bible says it is impossible for Him to lie. So knowing all of this, why do we as born-again believers often have no faith or why does our faith level fluctuate so badly so often? Indeed it wavers so badly that sometimes we have made decisions that have destroyed others, hurt us and even ended a life: all because we were in the “lows” of our faith yet we study the word and worship Him seriously and often.

I have realized that we are very confident when our eyes are on Jesus. As we look on Him, we see His power and ability to do whatever He has said. There must also be power flowing from Him which we receive just by setting our eyes on Him. No wonder God said to Joshua not to let the words of the law depart from before his eyes; so that he could have good success. The word of the law is the book of life which is also Jesus Christ. That must also have been the reason Peter told the beggar at the beautiful gate to look on them as they prayed for his healing and he was healed. As he looked upon them, he must have seen the power of Jesus as it flowed from them. However, when our eyes are turned on us, we see ourselves thereby shortening our sight and making it impossible for us to have good success.

Success is different from good success. Good success is when one attains to the very height that God destined for that person and that requires faith and vision is very important for faith. Obviously, we can’t succeed beyond what our spiritual eyes see. The truth is that very few believers will deliberately set out to see self; seeing as that we know the consequences. It is for several different reasons that we take our focus off Jesus. It is true that some of us are downright selfish and others are proud and arrogant; but for some others it could be the fact that people always take advantage of them or do hurtful things to them making it necessary for them to protect themselves thereby setting their eyes on “self”. Whilst we should love ourselves, I feel an urgent need to sound a note of warning because “self-love” can easily become a tool in the hand of satan to drive us to the place where our vision is shortened thereby ensuring that we are unable to attain to the fullness of who God made us to be.

Romans 12: 3NKJ “for I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think”

Of course there will always be reasons and arguments for our stance but they are all excuses. We must learn that the fact that we have reasons for doing whatever we do does not make it right. You may have thought it through logically before you arrived at a decision and yet you arrived at the wrong decision. Any decision that ends up making you the object of your focus will eventually get you into trouble. It is true that we should love ourselves but enough to submit to God. Take your eyes off self and even off others and set them on Jesus if you must attain to the heights that God has called you to. The only reason Peter could walk on water was because his eyes were on Jesus.

Isaiah 5: 21 “what sorrow for those who are wise in their own eyes and think themselves so clever.”

If your eyes remain on you long enough, you will see yourself bigger and smarter than all: though that may not have been your objective in the beginning. Is that what you want?

WHO TAKES RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR ACTIONS?

It is interesting that believers hardly take responsibility for things we do wrong. In my opinion, it suggests a measure of irresponsibility. It is often either the devil’s fault or another person’s fault. What about you? You have the final say in any thing you do or decision you make. We have gone too far with this attitude and it is costing us. How can you ever make corrections that will lead you in the right direction if it is never your fault that anything went wrong? Indeed there is a new thing – “it is God’s fault”. Blaming God is a new one, it is done subtly and in the most spiritual way – “the Lord did it so I can learn something from it”. No! He didn’t. Your wrong decisions brought it upon you but the Lord in His mercy will cause it to somehow work for your good.

1 Corinthians 3: 18 “stop deceiving yourselves. If you think you are wise by the world’s standards, you need to become a fool to be truly wise.”

I like the saying – “to thyself, be true”. It is time we begin to tell ourselves the truth otherwise we break a hedge that eventually gives the devil room into our lives. We must carefully evaluate every situation with a view to making required corrections that we may go forward in life. I am by no means suggesting we blame ourselves for everything, that is another extreme; neither am I suggesting we make our lives hell because we made mistakes; no! The thing is to correct one’s self and then move forward.

We need to ask ourselves the critical question – would I have gotten a different result if I had acted differently? If the answer is yes, then you owe it to yourself to accept some responsibility for what happened. How can anybody change anything when they always blame somebody else for whatever wrong they do? We need to correctly and sincerely evaluate situations so we can see our errors and correct them. It is our responsibility to ensure that we are transformed: changed to align with the word of God.

Romans 12: 2a “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.”

It always takes our faith being tested for us to know whether or not we are changing; why blame the other parties when you are the pot on the potter’s wheel. If you don’t see that those are the potter’s instruments to smoothen the pots and make it more beautiful, then you will keep fighting and blaming them for your pain. The instrument used to take out the rough edges of cake before it is iced is not the cake’s problem though it is the instrument inflicting the pain; there is a baker controlling it. So why blame it? Maybe if you were a bit more calm and patient, the smoothening will pass quickly and you can move on to the next level. But how will you ever stay calm when all you are doing is blaming the instrument through the process? If the cake is not properly smoothened, when iced, it will look terrible. Is that what you want? There is no doubt it is painful but there is an end in sight

Psalm 60: 8a “But Moab, my washbasin….”

So knowing that the knife is like Moab, a washbasin, are you ready to quit blaming others and evaluate situations correctly?