Don’t blame God for the consequences you brought onto yourself. “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap” (Galatians 6:7 NKJV).
Consequences are the price we pay for the choices we have made. When we make good choices, we are credited with blessings from heaven. When we make poor choices, there will be a cost to us and often to those around us. The choices we make matter.
It’s the choices today that will determine your tomorrow. “The righteous choose their friends carefully, but the way of the wicked leads them astray” (Proverbs 12:26 NIV).
We cannot undo the choices we have made, but we can learn from them. We cannot go back in time to change the choices we have made, but we can make new choices that affect the days that are yet before us. Don’t live in regret for the poor choices you have made, but only learn from them.
Stop regretting your failures and just turn from them. “For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow…“ (2 Corinthians 7:10 NLT).
Consequences are not only the result of our moral choices but all our life choices. The choices we make with the way we spend our time, finances, and energy will all directly impact the rest of our life. The whole of a person is the sum of their choices and the resulting consequences that follow.
We do not choose how we will die, but how we will live. “…choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve…but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15 NKJV).
We worry so much about the dangers of illness and injury. People worry more about the Coronavirus than they do about sin. Yet, it is sin that destroys more than any virus. There is no mask or vaccination that can protect you from the ravages of sin, but only your choice to avoid them.
God will forgive your sin but not always rescue you from its consequences. “O God, You know my foolishness; and my sins are not hidden from You” (Psalm 69:5 NKJV).
The world teaches you to do whatever will make you happy. The world always promotes immediate pleasure and dismisses the resulting consequences. The choices you make matter because every one of them will have a result, and the result is what really matters.
In the kingdom, it’s the means that justify the end, not the other way around. “Lord, who may dwell in your sacred tent? Who may live on your holy mountain? The one whose walk is blameless, who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from their heart” Psalm 15:1-2 NIV).
If you want your consequences to be different, you must make different choices. If you want the blessings of heaven, you must follow the rules of heaven. The rules aren’t to restrict you from doing something good, but to guide you to doing something immeasurably better.
Repentance is not losing a thing but being set free from it. “And now you must repent and turn back to God so that your sins will be removed, and so that times of refreshing will stream from the Lord’s presence” (Acts 3:19 TPT).
We all sin. We all fall short of the glory of God. Every sin is a choice, and every choice has a consequence. Sin is costly. Consider the cost of sin, and you just might choose to avoid it. Sin gives you something at the moment but takes away what God has for you in eternity.
When presented with a choice, determine in your heart to error on the side of holiness. “but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written: ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy’” (1 Peter 1:15-16 NASB).
Foresight is hindsight in reverse, considering the consequence as the choice is being made. You must slow down before you turn lest you fall over. Be wise in your choices, pray that the Lord will help you, and then you will be blessed in the consequences that follow.
Just because you can doesn’t mean you should. The wise consider their consequences before they act and the rest suffer the consequences. Think before you do to create good future memories. “Oh, that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end!” (Deuteronomy 32:29 NKJV).
What decisions do you have before you? Pray for the Lord’s direction. What temptations do you have around you? Pray for the Lord’s protection. What consequences are you paying for the bad choices you have made? Pray for the Lord’s forgiveness and the wisdom to learn your lesson.
When you don’t know what to do, just take it to the Lord. “The Lord says, ‘I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you. Do not be like a senseless horse or mule that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under control’” (Psalm 32:8-9 NLT).
Blessings to you,
Paul Balius