TESTING, CHASTENING OR SCOURGING (PART 2)

On my last blog, I gave the readers a question on which to reflect. The question was, “How do you determine if it is the devil interacting with you, or is it God testing, chastening or scourging you?” This question was the results of my pondering over the text below:

Hebrews 12: 5-11 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:  For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.  If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.

To start let me say according to John 10:10 when Satan interacts with us, it is to steal, kill, or destroy. Therefore, when you are going thru painful experiences stop and think is one of these three things happening; if so, it is Satan and not God.

Fellowship means the condition of sharing similar interest, ideals, or experiences, companionship in a congenial atmosphere, and a close association of friends sharing similar interest. Thus, when things are moving smoothly in our lives, we can call this a time of fellowship. God is a blessing, and I am not messing!

When I researched the Greek meaning of the word chastening as used in the above text, the purpose was child training, instructions, education, warning, correction, and discipline. The English dictionary meaning was to correct by punishment or suffering. This leads me to believe this chastening is two-fold. One part is educational, and the other entails corrective discipline. God desires believers to grow up; therefore, our Christian walk with Him will include training, education, and correction. And as it is with natural schooling, education is accompanied by testing.

The final word scourging means to flog, whip, and to punish severely. When it is necessary for God to scourge us, it is probably because we were rebellious, and would not listen to His rebuke, and warnings. For this reason, His love for us makes it imperative for Him to tear our flesh up. A timeout just was not working.

Other principles to learn from the text are that every believer is chastised, and we are to accept it as a sign of the Father’s love for us. This text admonishes believers not to show displeasure or have an attitude toward God for whatever method He may use  disciplining us; but rather accept it as proof of our position in Him and His continual love for us. Finally, the reverence and respect we give our earthly fathers for their chastisement should also be rendered to God for His chastisement.

This text was incredibly insightful for me, and I pray it will aid you in your understanding of God’s interaction in your life. Also, I invite you to revisit this blog site again as I continue to share God’s word with you.