Daily Devotional for Tuesday October 29, 2013
Those We Love Who are Living in Rebellion to God
(James 4:7)
***ASK BILL: The Bible seems to say that God has mercy on some but not all, and makes some people to be evil, dishonest, dishonorable, etc.
ANSWER: That is not accurate. God created man with freewill, the ability to make his own choices without interference. God's grace and mercy DOES extend to all men, but sadly some choose to reject His grace and mercy and live in rebellion to their Creator. It is a CHOICE to sin, to rebel against God and the Truth of His Word.
One of the hardest things in life is when someone we love, someone that we care about, a husband or wife, a son or daughter, a mother or father, a brother or sister, a family member or friend, is living in rebellion to God. It breaks our heart because we know that there will not only be consequences for their rebellion, but much pain for them and many others in their life as well. YOU CAN NOT LIVE IN REBELLION TO GOD AND NOT PAY A HUGE PRICE!
A quick note for those who may be living in rebellion to God today. Sin is selfish! You can not sin in a vacuum. Your rebellion not only affects your life, but many other lives as well! God is speaking to YOU today to turn from your sin before you inflict any more pain on yourself and those in your life.
One of the biggest traps of the enemy people fall into when someone they care about is living in rebellion to God is to blame themselves, especially when it is your spouse or child. Hear what I have to say very clearly. YOU ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ACTIONS OF SOMEONE ELSE!!! One more time. YOU ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ACTIONS OF SOMEONE ELSE!!! God has given each one of us free will, the ability to make choices. Every day, literally hundreds of times during each day, we make the choice to obey God or to rebel against God. When someone that you love makes the choice to rebel against God, THEY made that choice, NOT you.
When someone you love is living in rebellion to God, it becomes a time for you to make your faith real. We all go through life claiming to have faith, but hoping to never have to ever exercise it. However, there will be those times in life when you have absolutely NO CONTROL over a situation at all. The choices someone you love makes each day is exactly that type of situation. YOU HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO CONTROL OVER WHAT THEY CHOOSE TO DO. When they make choices that are in rebellion to God, the only thing you have to sustain you is your faith in the Lord. It is at these times in life when the rubber meets the road and our faith must become real.
Practically speaking, there are three things you can do when someone you love is living in rebellion to God. First, do your best to talk to the person you love to try and help them see that the choices they are making are only going to cause them great heartache and pain. No doubt they have already been experiencing the heartache and pain from their rebellious choices. Sadly, most people living in rebellion are not very receptive to counsel from anyone. Sin has a way of blinding a person to the point where they rarely listen, but we have to at least do our best to try and talk to them.
Second, love them. Love them does not mean to enable them in their rebellious choices. Make sure they understand that no matter how much hurt and pain they may cause you, you will always love them. One of the greatest powers in the universe is the unconditional love that we show others, especially those who have hurt us. Your love for them could be what God uses to touch their heart and help them turn from their rebellion.
Third, pray. Prayer changes things. Obviously, when someone we love is living in rebellion to God, THEY are the one who has to decide to change. When they make the choice to change, God will be there to help them. That needs to be your prayer for the one you love living in rebellion to God. Pray that they will come under conviction, desire to change, and that they will turn to the Lord to find His strength to make that change.
I love you and care about you so much. I realize that most of you probably have someone close to you that is living in rebellion to God. Remember, you are not responsible for their choices. What they chose to do is not your fault. It is a time for you to make your faith real as you commit them to God. Talk to them, love them, and most of all pray for them. God is still in the heart changing business!!!
I will stand in prayer with you today for the one or ones you love and care about who are living in rebellion to God. I will join my faith with yours and we will believe together that God will reach their heart and give them a desire to turn from their sin and to the Lord. God is still a God of deliverance, transformation, and restoration. HE IS ABLE!
In His love and service, Your friend and brother in Christ,
Bill Keller