There Are Consequences for Disobedience
By Rick Warren
“In the wilderness their desires ran wild, testing God’s patience in that dry wasteland. So he gave them what they asked for, but he sent a plague along with it.” Psalm 106:14-15 (NLT)
God has given you all the rules you need for living. The Bible is the manual for life! In it you find all the laws God established for living a happy, healthy, and holy life.
When you follow God's plan, things work out well. But any time you forget God and ignore the playbook, things start to fall apart in your life—physically, emotionally, financially, relationally, and in every other way.
You hurt yourself—and others—when you doubt God's goodness and disobey him.
This happened many times in the Bible. Every time a person or a group of people forgot God and turned away from him, they had some major problems.
Psalm 106 tells us about one such scenario: “In the wilderness their desires ran wild, testing God’s patience in that dry wasteland. So he gave them what they asked for, but he sent a plague along with it” (Psalm 106:14-15 NLT).
If you say to God, “I want to do what I want to do when I want to do it,” sometimes he will give you what you want. But there are often unwanted consequences to getting everything you want.
Having all you want to eat, whenever you want to eat it, can lead to obesity and high blood sugar. Having all you want to drink, anytime you want to drink it, can lead to alcoholism and heart disease. Ignoring God’s very clear guidelines about his gift of sex can lead to STDs and broken families.
When you ignore the healthy principles God teaches in the Bible, you’re telling him you think you know better. But disobedience always has consequences, sometimes big and sometimes small.
There is no better time than today to start making choices in obedience to God’s Word. When you live in a way that honors God, you’ll find that great blessings follow.
PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick
For more Daily Hope with Rick Warren, please visit pastorrick.com!
Help Share the Good News of Jesus with the World!
In God’s Answers to Life’s Difficult Questions, Pastor Rick Warren takes you to the Bible to find practical, life-changing guidance for some of life’s biggest struggles.
This book will help you:
- - Cope with stress in a healthy, biblical way
- - Find peace and confidence in times of crisis
- - Rebound from failure and move forward with purpose
- - Overcome loneliness and build meaningful relationships
- - Experience real, lasting change through God’s truth
Request your copy today when you give to help take the hope of Jesus to the world through Daily Hope. And thank you for your partnership!
*The USA IRS code permits you to deduct the amount of your financial gift to Daily Hope that exceeds the fair market value of materials you received from Daily Hope.
This devotional © 2018 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
You can listen to Rick Warren on OnePlace.com.
