In my most recent post for Pray With Confidence titled Why Does God Allow Suffering?, I touched on a few examples in scripture of those who suffered and some reasons for God allowing it. Of course, it wasn’t an exhaustive post on the topic, because only God is omniscient and knows it all. But I tried to shed some light on the subject and help us see suffering from a biblical perspective.
One thing I didn’t address was that sometimes suffering is a result of our own foolish choices. We don’t like to take the blame for our difficult circumstances, but the truth is that some of our afflictions could be avoided if we just learned to fear the Lord and obey Him instead of giving in to our fleshly desires or going our own way.
The Lord gives us his mind on every subject in the pages of scripture. He clearly lays out right and wrong, good and evil, life and death, blessing and cursing. He gave us free will to choose to love him, trust him, obey him, and enjoy a relationship with Him. But so often we select the lusts of our flesh and find ourselves in a pit of pain and problems.
When we choose to live in a way that is contrary to the word of God, we can expect repercussions for that. While God is merciful, he is also just, and cannot merely turn a blind eye to our rebellion. He disciplines His children and allows us to bear the consequences of our actions. This is when we experience suffering because of sin in our lives.
James 1:14-15 ~ But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
How do I know if I am suffering because of sin in my life?
We don’t always know the reasons behind it, but we can discern whether we are suffering because of sin in our lives. Here’s how, and what to do about it:
- Pray. Ask the Lord to reveal any area of your life that you are not in line with his will, his word, or his ways. This could be fornication, lying, envy, bitterness, covetousness, idolatry, gossip etc. (1John 5:17) Or even sins of omission like not sharing the gospel, not honoring your husband, or not tithing. (James 4:17)
- Repent. Confess your sin, see it as God does, and turn away from it and to God. If you’re struggling with habitual sin, I wrote about that in 8 Roadblocks to Victory Over Habitual Sin- Part 1.
- Obey. It’s easier said than done, but to walk in peace with God we must obey his word. Believers have the power of the Holy Spirit within us to help us surrender our will and yield to God’s.
Galatians 5:16 ~ This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lusts of the flesh.
Examples in scripture of suffering because of sin
There are several examples in scripture of people who brought suffering upon themselves by their wicked decisions. Here are a few of them:
- Achan in Joshua chapter 7. He deliberately disobeyed God, and as a result of his covetousness, several men of Israel died, and he and his whole family were stoned to death.
- Nadab and Abihu in Leviticus chapter 10. They offered strange fire before the Lord and were consumed by fire.
- Jonah suffered by being cast overboard into the sea and swallowed by a whale because of his rebellion against God.
- Ananias and Sapphira in Acts chapter 5. These two died for lying about their profit on the sale of a piece of land.
James 4:17 ~ Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.
How to avoid suffering because of sin
We are always going to have suffering of some sort as long as we live in this fallen world, in these carnal carcasses. But some of our afflictions can actually be avoided by following some simple steps:
- Know God’s standards for right and wrong, and good and evil. That means we have to spend some time reading the Bible and determining the boundaries God has for us to live within, for our own good and his glory.
- Apply God’s word to our lives. It’s not enough for us to know biblical principles, we have to implement them as well.
- Pray for God’s help to choose wisely and steer clear of sin.
- Rely on the grace of God and the Spirit of God to flee temptation and follow righteousness.
When suffering comes our way, it’s always a good idea to have a talk with the Lord to see if it is because of sin in our lives, so we can correct it. He will make it clear if it is, but if our heart and conscience are clean before Him, then instead of asking forgiveness, we can beseech him for grace to endure it, and growth to come from it.
Books and blog news
On a lighter note, I wanted to share with you a couple of things that I’m loving lately. I recently read Anchored: A Woman’s Guide to Steadfast Prayer by my blogger friend Alonda Tanner on Kindle. If you want to be more consistent in your prayer life then you want to get this book!
I read it in two hours and loved it. She blends the theology of prayer with practicality and gives several great tips for cultivating a vibrant prayer life even during your busiest seasons. Alonda also writes on Bible study and spiritual growth over on her website, and she has a ton of great content!
I’m currently reading/studying the updated version of A Woman After God’s Own Heart by Elizabeth George with my ladies ministry at church. It has been such a blessing to revisit principles I learned early on in my walk with the Lord. It’s been convicting, challenging, and is helping me to correct some things I have been slacking on.
Blog News
I haven’t been writing consistently on the blog lately because I have been so busy with other writing projects, ministry, and life in general. One of the things I was working on is a guide to How to Study the Bible. It has step-by-step instructions, guidelines to remember, study sheets, and so much more! And it’s FREE!
If you would like to dig deeper into the Bible for yourself, then enter your email address in the subscribe section. You will get a confirmation email with the password to my Resource Library that has the How to Study the Bible guide, bookmarks, printables, and other goodies!
(If you are already subscribed to Daily His Disciple, just email me and I will send you the link and password!)
I’m also in the process of creating a devotional to help women gain some ground in the war against worry. I’ll let you know as soon as it’s ready. In the meantime, keep reading, applying, and sharing God’s word for God’s glory. He is worthy!
For More on Suffering:
18 Psalms for a Sober Mind in Suffering
Focus on What Matters in Suffering
The Importance of a Sober Mind for Spiritual Stability
Pray With Confidence
If you would like to grow in your prayer life, then check out Pray with Confidence. It’s a website for helping women overcome prayer obstacles, and I am one of the monthly contributors. Here are a few links I think will be a blessing to you:
3 Short Prayers for Spiritual Stability
19 Bible Verses that Reveal the Will of God
Check out the prayer resources, Bible verses, and tough questions tabs. There are many great options to boost your spiritual growth!
I really like how you covered the subject. People’s own sin is not usually the cause of their suffering, but it sure can be. And I recommend that is the first thing to check out. I like the specifics you listed for doing that. It isn’t the reason for my major problems, but it was the reason for a pesky problem. And when I confessed and changed, the problem was healed. But I certainly don’t like it when Christians proclaim all your physical problems result from some kind of sin exclamation thanks for your good work here.
Yes, I think there are those who blame the devil for all their problems when sometimes it was a result of their foolish choices. Then there are those who say we are suffering because we just lack faith to be healed or whatever the case may be. The truth is sometimes our afflictions are a product of our sin, sometimes it’s spiritual warfare, and sometimes it’s simply unexplained. But always, those afflictions pass through the hands of a loving and sovereign God before they land on us.
Like with Job, the devil had an agenda for his suffering and so did the Lord. Job came out of it with stronger faith and deeper knowledge of God. All of our suffering, no matter the trigger, has a purpose. God is intentional and he sees and knows what we can’t.
It may never make sense to us this side of glory, but we can rest in His character, love, and care for us.