Topic: YOUR CHALLENGES ARE NOT PUNISHMENT FROM GOD  [Church of God Mission International] Above Only Daily Devotional 7 May   2022

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ABOVE ONLY DAILY DEVOTIONAL

BY: ARCHBISHOP M. E. BENSON IDAHOSA

SATURDAY MAY, 7TH, 2022

YOUR CHALLENGES ARE NOT PUNISHMENT FROM GOD

James 1:2-5 (NLT), 1Corinthians 10:13b (GNB)

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. *…he will give you the strength to endure it, and so provide you with a way out.

ALSO READ: Open Heaven 7 May 2022 Saturday – Topic: Make The Right Choices I

One disadvantage of choosing to view your challenges as punishment from God is that it will hinder your ability to come boldly to Him to receive His wisdom and strength to go through and overcome those challenges. God doesn’t use challenges to chastise us. Rather, He uses His Word to chastise us. In Revelation 3:19-20 (NKJV) Jesus said, “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.”

This verse reveals that Jesus rebukes and chastens us by speaking to our hearts. Clearly, Jesus did not bring sickness or certain hardships on the Laodicean church because of their negative attitudes. This is because Jesus has already taken all our punishment as well as our sickness and sorrows upon Himself. The truth is that we sometimes suffer the negative natural consequences of our own decisions and actions because we ignore God’s voice and leading.

Some challenges are tests of our faith to build us and position us for God’s purpose (such as with Joseph and Paul), but others are a direct result of our ignorance. Sometimes, the devil will try to weigh us down with various situations and experiences. By God’s wisdom, you will be strong, you will learn what you need to learn and resist the devil where necessary. God wants us to be assured that He is always on our side and that He wants to strengthen us, teach us and help us overcome our challenges. He doesn’t want to use them to punish us or to teach us a painful lesson. That is not His attitude towards us.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, I receive Your wisdom and grace to maintain the right perspective of my challenges and to overcome them.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR READING PLAN
1Chron.23-25

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