IBOGIRLLIVING

If you've ever heard me tell the story of my failed marriage, you would have heard me say God clearly told me not to marry my ex but I chose to go through with it anyway. Clearly disobedient even in the face of earlier confirmation not to go down this road, it would not be until after the marriage breaks down and the years that followed that I would struggle with feeling like I failed God because I failed this test of obedience.

I know I'm not alone in feeling like I fail God every day in those little tests that I often go through. I could argue in the past that I was ignorant, neither sensitive to God's voice or willing to obey Him fully because I was still operating under the delusion that I knew what was best for me and could handle whatever came my way without God.

Now however, I am unable to use this same argument to excuse any disobedience because my commitment to the intentionality behind my relationship with God will not allow me to. I know better therefore there is a demand by the integrity of the Holy Spirit on me to do better.

So this begs the question - Is failing a test equal to failing God?

I do not believe so and I will tell you why. All through Scripture we find all the great Bible characters God uses to accomplish great things fail Him in one way or another. Abraham failed the patience test by sleeping with Hagar to gain the son God promised. Moses failed the temperament test by first killing the Egyptian task master and breaking the tablets with the 10 commandments because of the Israelites' turn toward idolatry. David sleeps with Bathsheba and has her husband killed, Peter denies knowing Jesus, Solomon turns to idolatry as a result of his marriage to many foreign women and the list goes on and on. The difference between those whose 'sin of compromise or disobedience' results in their death and those who live is repentance and God being a Promise Keeping God. We only fail God in my opinion when we do not repent after our sin is made known to us and commit to not repeating them.

Does this mean there are no consequences to sin? There are always consequences...even with the above biblical examples. Isaac the promised child takes longer to come, the first child David bears with Bathsheba dies, Solomon's children do not have a heart for God and so lose rulership over 10 of the 12 tribes of Israel and Moses does not enter the promised land.

So even though we may fail God regularly, let's not make a habit of doing it simply because we know He will forgive us once we repent (sincerely or not), see Romans 6:1-2. Insisting on your way over obedience to God will attract consequences you won't like. See Romans 6:23

God will never force you to do anything but your actions(and even inactions) have consequences! ALWAYS!

XOXO

Ibogirlliving