God’s discipline

Welcome to every one of you on this new day the Lord has given us. Today God desires to grant us His wisdom. His wisdom is capable to change our lives and bring light into our darkness. Yesterday we discussed the subject of spiritual warfare. We saw that spiritual warfare is Satan’s attacks on believers, families and the church with a purpose of destruction. We also saw that devil wants to force God’s people into doing the thing that are not God’s will. Satan came to the earth to steal, kill and destroy. His main goal is to make God’s people weak and ineffective by any means possible. In order to reach his goal he uses different tricks and ruses, as well as human lust and pride, doubts, inner and outward pressure. Today we will talk about God’s discipline. God’s discipline is training that develops and corrects us (see Hebrews, 12:5-11). As we have already seen, one of the aspects of God’s discipline is that God punishes us because He loves us, and through this punishment He desires: 

• to train, instruct and teach us:

 

 “ Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it » (Hebrews, 12:11);

 

• to correct and give guidance:

 

“ …in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth» (2 Timothy, 2:25).

 (c) for us to participate in God’s holiness and have effective and fruitful life: 

«Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; the rod of correction will drive it far from him» (Proverbs, 22:15).

 

«For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it » (Hebrews, 12:10-11).

 In order to determine whether we are being disciplined by God or we are dealing with the attack of the enemy, first we must ask ourselves some questions: 

• What circumstances do I find myself in? (see Colossians, 3:17)

 o Am I where God wants to see me? o Am I involved in relationships God has led me to? Are these relationships based on biblical principles (do they conform to biblical principles)? o Did I seek the leading of God before I got involved into these relationships? Did I submit myself to His leading and advice? 

• Does my life conform to the standards of God’s Word? (2 Timothy, 3:16)

 o Are there any areas of my life where I have stepped away from God’s standard? 

• How does my lifestyle affect other believers? Do I improve the fellowship of believers or do I sow division among people? (Luke, 22:32).

 o Am I doing anything that prevents people from serving Christ? 

• Does my life glorify Christ? (1 Corinthians, 6:20).

 o When other people (believers and not) see my life, do they have a desire to praise God? o Does my life reflect the works of the flesh or the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians, 5:19-23)? 

• Do the circumstances of my life motivate me to draw near to God and to do His will for my life? (2 Peter, 3:18).

 o Do these circumstances motivate me to submit to God or to sin? If you are able to answer ‘yes’ to the questions above, then the difficulties you are experiencing are devil’s attack. It is spiritual warfare and you must stay strong in faith and resist him: 

«Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour» (1 Peter, 5:8).

 If your answer to most of these questions is ‘no’, then you are being disciplined be God. Then you need to humble yourself under God’s mighty hand to accept from Him mercy and grace. Please, seriously consider the questions above! May the Holy Spirit draw your attention to the things that must be changed in your life! Till tomorrow! God bless you! Pastor Rufus Ajiboye