Devotional Thoughts | Adversity Part 4 - Adversity Is God’s Call for Self – Examination

Adversity Is God’s Call for Self – Examination:

1 Corinthians 11:31-32 “But if we judge ourselves, we would not come under judgment. When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world.”
Revelation 3:19 “Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline.”

The Value of Pain: In the physical realm pain is one of our greatest protectors. In his book Where Is God When It Hurts, Dr. Paul Brandt speaks of how important pain is to us. What is the first thing you do when you feel pain? You stop and look to see what the problem is, you self – examine.

Proverbs 28:13. “He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.”
Let’s focus on the word prosperity. In the Hebrew it means to push forward, to go over to advance.
A. God requires that we search out, confess and renounce, (forsake) our sins.
B. The presence of sin results in powerlessness.
C. John prayed for his friend Gaius that he would prosper in all things and be in good health, even as his soul prospered. 3 John 2. It was John’s prayer that Gaius would have a right relationship with the Lord so that God would allow him to push forward, or advance, in business and health.
D. If we conceal our sin, we will not prosper.

It is for lack of self – examination that many Christians grow cold and self – sufficient. That is one reason why God allows adversity. Adversity forces us to look at our lives. To see what we are doing or not doing which results in pain. Have you noticed that much of the pain you experience is the result of choices you have made which were not directed by the Lord? Self – examination often reveals self – sufficiency. It hurts to realize how we have hurt others and ourselves. But stop and think how much we grieve the Lord when we walk in our strength and understanding. God wants us to depend on Him. Adversity will once again cause us to see things in the proper perspective.

The easiest thing to do is to ignore sin. Like cancer, our sin will eat away at our relationship with the Lord until we are obeying the lusts of our flesh and have fallen into spiritual death.

Sin is sin. We can have our consciences seared and dulled until we no longer feel that we are grieving the Holy Spirit. Then God doesn’t hear from us until we are floundering in our own sea of despair.

1 Corinthians 11:31-32 But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment. 32When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world.

If you are experiencing adversity today, stop running. Stop blaming others for what is happening. Stop and look at your life. Is there hidden sin, is there something which stands in the way of the Lordship of Jesus Christ in you life? Are there things which need to be submitted to His Lordship? Then do so. Deal with the plank in your eye before you concern yourself with the speck in someone else’s. God wants you to prosper and push ahead in your spiritual walk. Let’s remove every obstacle that we may prosper, push forward in our spiritual walk, in our life and health.