IS GOD PUNISHING ME, OR AM I JUST FACING THE CONSEQUENCES OF MY SINS? – Episode 4
I know most of us have heard the proverb: all actions have consequences, thus whatever you do especially the bad things, have a way of biting you in the ass no matter how long it takes. Also, from a cultural point of view, there is a belief that sometimes the bad things we do play a role in how badly our lives turn out. So, whether it is ‘aye’ or ‘village people’, it can somehow be linked to karma, which is why you hear of things like deliverance in Christianity and making a sacrifice of appeasement for traditional worshippers.
As a Christian, I know that when I confess my sins, Jesus forgives me. That is pretty much the whole point of his dying on the cross. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” This means all I have to do is confess, and God will handle the rest.
Hebrews 8:12 goes further to say, “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” And Isaiah 43:25 says, “I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.” This gives a promise that once God has forgiven my sins, he does not remember them anymore. There is a forgive-and-forget moment that follows repentance.
Although I completely believe this, sometimes I can’t help but wonder if some of the hiccups in my life are caused by sins I have committed. Yes, I know God has forgiven me, but is it possible that this storm is just a by-product of my actions, and the forgiveness has nothing to do with it? Maybe he has forgiven and forgotten, but maybe the consequences just have to occur? Are the consequences his way of keeping me in check from committing further crimes? Or is it just the law of the world, just simple karma that even the forgiveness and forgetting don’t cancel? Or is it possible that my storms have nothing to do with God and its just Satan taking the piss out of me? But if it is Satan, how does he have the power to show me shege if God does not allow it, just like Job? Also, if God has forgiven me, why do people say ‘Oh, your sin has caused a hole in your edge of protection, and that is why trials can come in’, what do you mean hole? Didn’t the forgiveness cover the hole? Or did the trials come in before the hole was closed?
I know God’s forgiveness is complete and genuine, but that sounds greater in theory than it sounds in reality, so once in a while, it is completely human to doubt the truth of it when you are faced with the challenges and storms of life. However, one thing to always hold on to is that our doubts and circumstances do not make God’s love and complete forgiveness less true. I like to think that the guilt and shame we sometimes feel is just the devil’s way of messing with us, cause if we really think about it, Why will Jesus g through so much for me and promise me this overwhelming love which he proved by dying, only to turn around and keep spanking me. Doesn’t that nullify the entire purpose of his suffering and pain?.
A better way to look at the storms and hurts we sometimes face is to believe that somehow, some way, they are working together for our good. Yes, I know just how hard it can be to assume this, and the weirdest past is sometimes the storms have nothing to do with us; we could go through the hardest times of our life, only for it to be a source of encouragement for someone else. Crazy, I know, you went through the fire just so one random lost sheep can find his or her way back to God. Remember Paul, he went to prison and finally died. I am sure while he was going through those trials he had his low days but the whole purpose of that storm was not to benefit him in anyway, instead it is benefitting the whole world right now because we get to read his letters, which might have never existed cause he could have just spent his life travelling and preaching but not writing. Remember the time his shipwrecked and he landed on an island only for that to turn out to be a moment of evangelism? Again, the storm did not technically ‘end up in his own good’. None of these things he went through were tied to the fact that he once persecuted God’s people and even referred to himself as ‘the worst sinner of all’. He was forgiven and his sins forgotten, but that did not mean an absence of storms; it just meant a change in purpose.
Always remember, as a child of God, you are loved, forgiven and restored. Your sins have no hold on you. So, whether you’re in the storm because of a past decision, an attack from the enemy, or just a God-designed lesson of complete surrender, remember that the storms are not punishments; they are platforms for growth, testimony, and for grace to shine through brokenness. Platforms to remind us that God’s forgiveness doesn’t erase the reality of life, but it redefines its meaning.
Let’s Say This Prayer Together:
Dear God,
This is your child again, calling out from the waves. I can barely keep my head up, but it is my heart that carries the most weight. All I can feel is the guilt of my past sins pulling me down.
Abba, help meto always remember that you are a God who forgives and forgets; help me to walk in the freedom of one who has been saved by grace, no longer bound by the shackles of sin.
Daddy, on days when the storm seems overwhelming, remind me that I am not being punished by you; rather, I am being carried. And even if it doesn’t seem like it, you are still working, loving, and turning my ashes into beauty, just like you always promised.
Amen.
Now walk in the truth of this grace: You are forgiven. You are loved. You are restored. And you are never alone.
Hi guys, thanks for reading. Faith doesn’t always silence the questions, sometimes, it just teaches us where to bring them. This series is not about having all the answers; it’s about creating room to ask the hard ones. So if you’re doubting, hurting, or just tired of pretending, know this: God is not offended by your questions. He’s already in them, waiting to meet you with love, truth, and grace. So, keep showing up, keep asking, and keep believing, even with trembling hands. Because even in the questions… He is still God.
So if you are interested, please join us on this journey as we navigate the emotions we feel but are too scared to admit. Always remember, this is a safe space. If you have questions you would like us to address, do not hesitate to send us a message here-https://www.justhummingbird.com/contact-me/ or here-https://stats.sender.net/forms/e7ly1a/view