God’s warnings are a blessing if we put into action what the Lord is telling us. Have you ever received a warning from the Lord? How did you respond? Were there times you wished you had reacted differently? There have been times when I heard the Lord’s warning, decided to move forward anyway, and suffered the consequences. Perhaps you have done the same thing and learned an important lesson the hard way.
God does not waste anything and can use our actions’ consequences to help us understand that we can trust Him. As I matured in the faith, I learned that God does not warn us to make our life more difficult or constrict us but to protect and care for us. Even mature Christians can fall into the trap of thinking their faith is strong enough and fail because they trust themselves and not God.
Jesus Warned Peter and the Disciples
Jesus knew His cross of suffering was just hours away as He gathered His disciples to prepare them for what was ahead. Although the disciples had been with Jesus for three years, they were far from perfect. How would the next twenty-four hours have turned out differently if they had taken Jesus at His word? Like the disciples, we can have a false view of what we are capable of until we are in that situation and dismiss the Lord’s warnings.
Mark 14: 26 Then they sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives. 27 On the way, Jesus told them, “All of you will desert me. For the Scriptures say, ‘God will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’ 28 But after I am raised from the dead, I will go ahead of you to Galilee and meet you there.”
29 Peter said to him, “Even if everyone else deserts you, I never will.”30 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, Peter—this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny three times that you even know me.” 31 “No!” Peter declared emphatically. “Even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you!” And all the others vowed the same. [1] As the following days unfold, everything happened just as Jesus warned. The disciples scattered, and Peter denied Jesus. The Lord taught them in their failure, and He does the same for us.
Learning From Those Who Followed the Lord’s Warnings
King Herod wanted the Wisemen to return to him once they found out where the baby Jesus was, but God intervened. Matthew 2:12 When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod. [2]
The Lord asked Noah to trust Him and build a large ship to save Himself and His family. Hebrews 11:7 It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before. By his faith, Noah condemned the rest of the world, and he received the righteousness that comes with faith. [3]
As you think about the Wise Men and Noah, they give us insight into the importance of following God’s warnings by faith and not trying to figure things out. The Lord calls us to do the same today, and when we trust His warnings, we can save ourselves a great deal of pain and suffering.
To learn how God’s warnings are a blessing, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/follow-denial
[1-3] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation . Tyndale House Publishers.