THE PROSPERITY MESSAGE of CHASTENING
Correcting bad habits can be painful. God will break off relationships between people if they don't put Him in the middle. He will cause a business to fail to move us in a new direction. I'm personally familiar with both of those chastening's. There is more profit in being right with God than any successful business plan.
Our vending business had been lucrative for several years affording my family a decent living. Business started to slide downward for a couple of reasons that aren't worth talking about. The important remembrance of that whole season in my life is that God had let me know it was time to let go and sell the business.
Folks looking to buy a business are interested in the bottom line, how much money are you making. I reasoned (by myself without God's thoughts) that if I increased my yearly gross, the business would be more valuable and sell for a greater price. I went out and secured new locations for vending machines to make more money. The only problem was that I lost two locations for every one new location I secured. I believe God was teaching me a lesson about not mixing my own reasoning with God's direction.
There was another local vendor who just happened to live in my home town. That's an odd coincidence because there aren't that many vendors in the area. He approached me about buying the business. We agreed on a price and signed the papers over breakfast in a local restaurant. I wasn't happy about selling a business that had fallen on hard times. My family had built the business from scratch and worked countless long hours to become successful. From our highpoint of success, we plunged into the valley of despair and financial loss.
You cannot fight God when He wants to correct or instruct you. Chastening is used by God to correct our mistakes, curb our passions and instruct us in a way that will increase our virtue or good character. There is no avoiding chastening in life. The closer we get to God, the more our imperfections are revealed.
Chastening can make us bitter or help us enter into greater prosperity by receiving greater blessings from God. When good times roll, give thanks to God and be generous. When hard times hit, ask God what you need to learn. Accept His chastening with gratitude. You are valuable in His eyes. His plan is to give you immeasurable grace, greater joy, limitless love and inexhaustible prosperity.
DAY 17 WORD
“Behold, how happy and fortunate is the man whom God reproves,
So do not despise or reject the discipline of the Almighty [subjecting you to trial and suffering]
Job 5:17 AMP
“So, what a blessing when God steps in and corrects you!
Mind you, don’t despise the discipline of Almighty God!
True, he wounds, but he also dresses the wound;
the same hand that hurts you, heals you.
From one disaster after another he delivers you;
no matter what the calamity, the evil can’t touch you.
Job 5:17-19 MSG
For the time being no discipline brings joy, but seems sad and painful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness [right standing with God and a lifestyle and attitude that seeks conformity to God’s will and purpose].
Hebrews 12:11 AMP
DAY 17 PRAYER
God we praise You for correcting and instructing us. Pain from You is worthy of humble acceptance on our part. You have a greater purpose for our future. Take our present and transform us into more righteous people. We want to be holy in You no matter how much chastening in takes. The gospel is a prosperity message of valuable chastening. We confess our sins to You, forgive us and purify us from all unrighteousness.
In Jesus name.
Amen.
DAY 17 DEEP THOUGHTS
- Our earthly fathers discipline us for the things we do wrong that they know about. Think about all of our hidden sins, mistakes and bad decisions. God sees all things. Nothing is hidden. It's best to voluntarily bring our darkness into His light sooner rather than later.
- Jesus endured the cross of chastening and correction on our behalf. If it wasn't for our sin, there would be no need for chastisement.
- I hurt when I know my life isn't sharing love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control with other people. God may not hurt, but I do thinking about falling short of the desires of God's heart.