I have another thing to say, and there is certain understanding that goes with it.
I was recently in a place where I could not sleep on top of all the other troubles at the time and all the uncertainty and this little evil voice was actually quoting the Bible to me! Remember when Jesus was tempted?
I couldn't sleep and this little demon voice kept going through my head trying to break my faith in God. It kept saying "The Lord grants sleep to those He loves" and I was lying awake in the night. It wanted me to reason that, if the Lord grants sleep to those He loves, and I'm not asleep, then God must not love me. I held tightly onto my faith. I refuse to be someone who reads of God's blessing and then falls apart when I don't receive them right now. I know my Jesus.
This is from John after Jesus talks about asking and receiving in prayer. The disciples and Jesus speak and part of what Jesus tells them is this:
"“Look, an hour is coming and has already come when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and you will leave Me all alone. Yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace.
In the world you will have tribulation. But take courage; I have overcome the world!” John 16:32-33
My Jesus has overcome the world so I will not lose my faith since I could not sleep at night.
I have learned this recently: There is a difference between punishment and discipline. They may look similar, but they are for different purposes and have different outcomes. Punishment is to make someone pay for what they did. Discipline to correct behavior.
Punishment is for the wicked, those who are condemned. When a house is condemned, you leave and it is usually torn down unless someone comes along and cleans it up and fixes it.
[For context, Romans 7:14-25 NIV, since the verse(s) I quote starts with "Therefore"]
"14 We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. 15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18 For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature.[c] For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
21 So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? 25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature[d] a slave to the law of sin."
"Therefore, there is now
no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2
because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life
has set you free from the law of sin and death." Romans 8:1 NIV
What is this law of sin and death? Paul, the author of Romans, mentions something of the sort earlier in his letter:
"For
the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Death is punishment for sin. While I speak of Paul and whether or not circumstances and situations are punishment, I will speak of Paul's second letter to the Corinthians.
There were those false teachers who taught false doctrine: a mixture of faith and works. These people are known as the "Judaizers" due to the fact that they forced the Gentile believers to follow Jewish law and tradition in order to be saved. The Judaizers told the Corinthians Paul's suffering was because of his sin. Paul tells the Corinthians in the 3rd person of how he went to "the 3rd heaven" which is beyond the stars and space and is believed to be the location of God's throne. He tells in the 3rd person due to his training with the rabbinical tradition. [2 Corinthians 12 NASB link:
Bible Gateway passage: 2 Corinthians 12 - New American Standard Bible]
Paul, pressed by the church of Corinth following the Judaizers, says this:
"7 Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself! 8 Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. 9 And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. 10 Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong." Paul suffers to keep him humble and dependent upon God. I do not know why this person is without child. It may just be the abortions affected their fertility somehow. Even if this is true, we know God allows suffering to come to us to make us stronger in Him and refine us. Not everything is punishment.
Once, in a dark place where I could not sleep, a demon continued to whisper in my mind "The Lord grants sleep to those He loves." Even Satan tempted Jesus with scriptures. I lay awake for two days. I had no help but I put my trust in God to rescue me. I refused to fall into the trap: believing that God did not love me on the basis I was awake. Do you know what my Lord said?
From John 16:33 KJV "
In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."
I have already explained to this faithful believer that they are not condemned. They have already repented. The two they initially called "servants of God" I have exposed as servants of the devil. A true servant of God would not condemn a repentant person. They had information that had not been disclosed to them. This has happened in the Bible!
"16 Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a female slave who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. 17 She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, 'These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.' 18 She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so annoyed that he turned around and said to the spirit, 'In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!' At that moment the spirit left her."
Though these types of people may seem to be God's messengers, they are messengers of Satan. I refuse to put up with such lies. This is why I write of love, which is not my own but from my Father. I must speak up and correct what is wrong.
You say that God chastises those He loves. This I believe. What I do not believe is that He will continue to chastise someone of who He says "
For I will forgive their iniquities and will remember their sins no more." Hebrews 8:12 BSB. What Father, when their child has confessed and has already been forgiven, continues to discipline them when they keep no record of wrong? [1 Corinthians 13:5 -- Love keeps no record of wrongs, and we know God is love.] That is abuse!
I would write more, but I now lack the time.
God bless you. May I see you in heaven.
