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?