written by: Carissa Waggoner
Warning: Tears were shed in the writing of this post.
Tears maybe shed in the reading of it as well.
As children we faced times of discipline.
I vividly remember when my mother would say those frightening words: “Just wait until your father comes home.” All day, I would be filled with panic and anxiety. As the hours and minutes passed, I knew that the inevitable moment would come when my father walked in after a long, hard day at work. When he arrived, my mother would fill him in on the details of my wretched behavior.
My father would call for me and I would approach him with hesitation thinking, “Can I outrun him?” or “How do I explain myself out of this one?”
There was nowhere I could run that he wouldn’t eventually catch me. There was no explaining myself out of it. It was unavoidable: I was going to be spanked. The dread of the day finally caught up with me and I would have to accept that I would be disciplined and I might as well just get it over with.
I know my mother and father loved me. As I got older and had my own children, I realized discipline was necessary. We had to teach our children certain behaviors, words, and actions that were just not right. If they were allowed to continue these things, life would not go well for them.
God is our Father, and He loves us deeply. He cares for us greatly and understands that the sin in our lives is harmful. If we were allowed to continue in our sinful ways without discipline, it would not be good for us in the long run.
Hebrews 12:4-11
4 In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 5 And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says,
“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,
and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
6 because the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”
7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? 8 If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. 9 Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! 10 They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. 11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
God, our Father, desires that we walk in obedience to Him and His will in all our ways. He aims to grow us in holiness and godliness.
Philippians 12:2-3
12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.
The discipline that God provides can take many forms. The Holy Spirit convicts, counsels, teaches, and instructs us. He comforts us during hardships and reveals His Will to us. Sometimes, discipline can lead to life-changing events, resulting in trouble at work, difficulties at home, and stagnation in ministry. God’s discipline may manifest as physical ailments, experiences of loss, or even death.
Additionally, sin carries its own natural consequences—outcomes that occur without God needing to intervene. One of the most devastating consequences of sin is the separation it creates between you and God. It is profoundly painful to realize when you no longer hear His voice and feel a disconnection from Him. It’s heart-wrenching to understand that you have grieved the Holy Spirit, who loves you so much that He gave His life for yours.
Isaiah 59:2
2 But your iniquities have separated
you from your God;
your sins have hidden his face from you,
so that he will not hear.
Galatians 6:7
7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.
He does not condemn us. Condemnation has a sentence attached to it. For those of us who are in Christ Jesus there will be no condemnation.
Romans 8:1
1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,
God gives us the opportunity to weep, repent, and seek forgiveness. After we ask for forgiveness, He forgets our transgressions. However, receiving forgiveness does not mean we are exempt from facing consequences or discipline, which we must accept and learn from as we move forward.
In my own life, I have faced the consequences that God uses to discipline us. When I was immature in my faith as a new Christian, these consequences manifested as conviction, instruction, and teaching. However, as I matured in my faith and deepened my understanding of God, the consequences of my choices to sin became more significant and life-changing. While I cannot say for certain that this is how God responds to everyone, I can affirm that when we are aware of God’s truth and recognize that something displeases Him, yet still choose to sin, God takes this very seriously.
Hebrews 10:26-31
26 If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, 27 but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. 28 Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge his people.” 31 It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Before we jump to conclusions, it’s important to note that this verse doesn’t suggest that you can lose your salvation. Scholars have varying interpretations of these verses. The key takeaway is to reflect on where your heart is. When I think about these verses, it becomes clear to me that I shouldn’t approach sin casually or nonchalantly. Sin grieves the Holy Spirit and creates a distance in our communion with God. It leaves us feeling empty, filled with remorse, shame, and guilt. We often feel disappointed in ourselves, and at times, we might even become frustrated with ourselves. It’s common to try to shift the blame onto someone else or even onto Satan.
The truth is that we cannot completely stop sinning, but we can learn to sin less. We can rely on the Holy Spirit’s divine power within us. By reading God’s Word and deeply instilling it in our hearts, we can grow in our faith. If you desire to please God and to honor and glorify Him, know that your salvation is secure. However, if you lack any desire for God or His teachings, it may be a sign that you have not truly sought salvation. Now is a good time to call on His name.
1 John 3:19-24
19 This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence: 20 If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. 21 Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God 22 and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him. 23 And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. 24 The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.
1 John 1:7-9
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
God understands that we are works in progress, and His patience with us is truly refreshing. By abiding in Christ, engaging with the Word of God, and relying on the Holy Spirit, we find strength throughout our journey of sanctification. It’s important to recognize that God’s discipline is an essential part of this process.
1 Peter 2:1-3
2 Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. 2 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 3 now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.
God is on our side. He is cheering us on in our journey of obedience. His love for us is profound, and He can see the paths we choose and how those paths can lead to our destruction. From my own experience, I know that discipline is never easy, but it is necessary.
Although our sins can be forgiven, they can still lead to hurtful consequences.
Consider a time in your life when you weren’t living according to Jesus’ teachings and were aware that your actions were displeasing to the Lord. Reflecting on that moment, you might be able to see the consequences, whether natural or as a result of God’s divine love, which disciplined you and helped you grow closer to Him and align with what is good and pleasing to Him.
When I was a child, I felt trapped and had nowhere to escape. I couldn’t explain myself to avoid the consequences of discipline, and it caused me pain. Eventually, I realized that during those difficult moments, I had to accept it.
You can’t go back and press a reset button. You can’t erase your words or rewind and re-record events. What is done is done. Acceptance is what enables you to learn from experiences, grow, and be transformed by them.
This message aims to provide wisdom from the Lord, not to make you uncomfortable.
Proverbs 9:10
10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. We should recognize and understand that God’s unwavering love for us is expressed through His discipline. The fear of the Lord involves grasping this concept and having the wisdom to choose obedience.
In this life, we are running a race that God has set before us. He doesn’t want us to take shortcuts, stray from the path, stumble, fall, or become entangled by sin or distractions that may hinder us. Through His necessary discipline, He is preparing us for a life of holiness and service. He is purifying us from sin and helping us grow in faith, character, and godliness.
It is for our benefit and will ultimately lead to our well-being. It brings about peace and righteousness.
If you find yourself facing the consequences of your sins, remember that Christ lives in us. You are not alone.
Galatians 2:20
20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Christ lives in us and through us. He helps us run the race set before us in obedience to God’s will, allowing us to not have to experience God’s discipline. We can maintain close communion with Him through honor and praise. We understand the necessary truth of discipline and God’s love.
Romans 5:8
8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Prayer
God, our Heavenly Father, we come before you today to acknowledge that we have sinned against you. We have grieved your Holy Spirit. We have trampled on the very sacrifice given in love for us. We acknowledge that without you we can not resist temptation. You always give us a way out. Please forgive us for all of our trespasses. May we take a moment before we think, speak, and act to remember how our sin separates us from you. May we always be mindful of how wonderful and deserving of honor and glory you are. May we remember how lost we were before calling out your name. May we accept your discipline willingly and without grumbling or complaining. May we humbly live it out and grow in holiness and godliness. May we work out our salvation with fear and trembling. May we fear you, Lord, knowing full well of your mighty sovereignty. Lord be gentle in your discipline and comfort us in the pain we brought onto ourselves. May we choose you always in all we do. Thank you, God, for loving us so much that you won’t leave us in our wretchedness. Thank you for your loving discipline. Thank you for your son who while we were still sinners died for us. You have overcome the world and by your Holy Spirit, we can too. In Jesus’ Name, we pray, Amen!
Becoming His 
Leave a comment