Misunderstanding His Longsuffering-Part 2 Cause And Effects

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23 (NKJV)

We are looking at a 2-part devotional titled, "Misunderstanding His Longsuffering."  In Part 1, we spoke about how many people misunderstand God's longsuffering (Patience) for lenience or apathy.  We looked at the lives of Achan, Ananias, and Sapphira for some examples of God's judgment of sin righteously and swiftly ending in the death of those who were sinning.  All sin leads to death spiritually, and some physically - some may be immediate, while others may take a lifetime. 

We should never make the mistake in thinking all is good because we have received Christ as our Savior.  When Christians sin the damage, hurt and pain isn't just reserved or isolated to the one who committed the sin; often times there can be serious cause and effects due to our selfish actions.

God can use everything for good (Rom. 8:28), and, yes it is true, we can be forgiven of sin, but much bad damage still occurs, and not just to us, but also to those we love.  There are certain things we can expect when we, as Christians, sin - and we need to be mindful of them.  Let's take a look at a few effects of sin in our life.

1.    Sin kills our Christian witness

When we sin, there is a good chance someone is watching us.  Some may not know we are believers, but our actions can cause them to stumble nonetheless.  

For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol's temple, will not the conscience of him who is weak be emboldened to eat those things offered to idols?1Corinthians 8:10 (NKJV)

Others may very well know of our professed beliefs, and they may be watching attempting to see just how different we really are.  When they see us fall to sin, they can be very put off in wanting to know about God.  This is because people hate hypocrisy.  They have a hard time hearing Christians say one thing, and then watch them do another.  Some will actually use this as an excuse to justify their sinful behavior - "Hey, if you are saved and can do those things, then why can't I?"
 
It is so important to confess our sin, and ask for forgiveness of those who have witnessed our sinful behavior.  What the enemy meant for harm, God can actually utilize as an opportunity for us to share and show what we truly believe in.  We all are going to make mistakes, the question is, are we going to allow God to use them for good?

2.    Sin kills our joy as a Christian.

When we have unconfessed sin in our life, or a sinful habit, we will lose our joy, and in many instances, we can actually become hypercritical of others.  We cannot have joy when we are willfully disobedient to our Father.  

3.    Sin kills our peace as a Christian.

Much like killing our Joy, sin kills our peace as well.  When we sin, we loose fellowship with the Father, and as a result, we lose our peace.  Anxiety will follow, and then anger and fear.  We can also lose hope as we begin to limit our faith to our own abilities rather than trusting God for all provision, and protection.  

Perhaps David said it best when he wrote, "For my life is spent with grief, And my years with sighing; My strength fails because of my iniquity, And my bones waste away (Psalms 31:10).

We must confront all sin within our lives.  We do this by allowing the Word of God to clean up each and every area.  As we read the Bible, we meditate on it, and ask ourselves, "What does this mean to me and my life?"   

God's Word is complete and able to deal with any sinful habit or problem we may face.  We are told in 2Timothy 3:16-17, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work."

Hey Christian, I want to encourage you today to abide in the Lord, and in His ways.  Don't get jaded to sin, because it is just as deadly today as it was to Achan, Ananias, and Sapphira.  Seek the Lord, and read the Bible each day.  Allow God to clean up any area needing to be cleaned.  

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23 (NKJV)

STUDY QUESTION: What type of results can we expect when we confront sin in our life and allow the Holy Spirit to guide and lead us according to Galatians 5:22-23?

PERSONAL INVENTORY: Is your life filled with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control?

APPLICATION: Seek the Lord and lay down any and all sin in your life.  Seek the Power of the Holy Spirit and trust in God's complete healing.  Cry out to God, and He will heal you, and set you free.