The psalmist writes the following about one of God’s greatest promises: “If his children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments; if they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments; then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes. Nevertheless my loving-kindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail” (Psalm 89:30-33).
God promises to never remove his loving-kindness from us, no matter how badly we may fall. Yet many believers skip lightly over the heavy warning in this verse: If we forsake God’s law and refuse to keep his commands, he’ll visit our transgressions with his divine rod.
The Bible tells us that whomever the Lord loves, he chastens. We see this truth illustrated vividly in David’s life. Consider how the Lord dealt with this man, a faithful servant who enjoyed God’s favor. At one point in his life, David sinned awfully—justifying it and keeping it hidden for months on end. Finally, God said, “Enough”—and sent a prophet to expose David’s sin. The prophet, Nathan, used an analogy to tear apart every excuse David had until finally the king admitted, “I’ve sinned—I’m guilty.”
David wrote, “My strength faileth because of mine iniquity, and my bones are consumed” (Psalm 31:10). Like a hole in the oil tank of a car, your sin will slowly drain you of all resources. Your peace, joy and strength will literally drip away until they’re gone completely. David confessed, “Neither is there any rest in my bones because of my sin” (Psalm 38:3). He was saying, “All my strength is gone because of my sin. My body has become weak because of what I’ve done. My iniquity simply won’t allow me to rest.”
David was experiencing God’s piercing arrows. He wrote, “Thine arrows stick fast in me, and thy hand presseth me sore” (38:2). Yet this beloved servant was being taught the fear of God. And part of his painful lesson was that he had lost the peace of the Lord. Now he cried out, “He weakened my strength” (Psalm 102:23).
I know Christians who lead lives of utter confusion because they continue to indulge in sins. These hollow souls are always downcast, weak, forever struggling but getting nowhere. I also know ministers who can’t sit still because of their sin. They’re constantly busy, working, never entering into the Lord’s rest.
It doesn’t matter who you are—if you harbor a secret sin, you’ll experience continual disturbances in your life, your home, your family, your work. Everything you touch will be out of kilter. You’ll become increasingly restless, confused, tossed about by endless worries and fears. And all of your peace and strength will be drained from you.
God does not want to expose his servants; rather, it is in his heart to forgive, cleanse and cover our sins. Exposure of secret sin is God’s last attempt to save a rebellious, hypocritical child who has determined to cover his sin, indulge, and play the part of a spiritual man. God’s rod is reserved only for unrepentant, unconverted, hardhearted, false believers. In love he will discipline his righteous one but the rod, the stripes, are for the lawless.
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David Wilkerson (1931 – 2011)
Founder of Times Square Church in New York City with over 100 different languages spoken in the congregation. Wilkerson wrote many powerful books such as: The Vision and Cross and the Switchblade. His ministry was prophetic as God called him to be a watchman to the Church in North America. He gave clear messages on repentance to the Church.Wilkerson also founded Teen Challenge where there are hundreds of centres for Christ-centered drug recovery and addiction recovery. He also organized and spoke at pastors gatherings in many countries where he gave prophetic strong messages to encourage pastors and leaders.
Recommends these books by David Wilkerson:
The Vision and Beyond, Prophecies Fulfilled and Still to Come by David Wilkerson
Knowing God by Name: Names of God That Bring Hope and Healing by David Wilkerson
God's Plan to Protect His People in the Coming Depression by David Wilkerson
David Wilkerson is an American Christian evangelist, most well-known for his book The Cross and the Switchblade. He is also the founder of Times Square Church in New York, an interdenominational church.
Wilkerson is well-known for these early years of his ministry to young drug addicts and gang members in New York City in the 1950s and 1960s. He co-authored a book about his work with the New York drug addicts, The Cross and the Switchblade, which became a best-seller, selling over 50 million copies in over thirty languages since it was published in 1963. The book was included among the 100 most important Christian books of the 20th century.
For over four decades, Wilkerson's ministry has included preaching, teaching and writing. He has authored over 30 books.
David Wilkerson is the founder and president of World Challenge, Inc., a nonprofit organization incorporated on September 22, 1971. Reverend Wilkerson, the author of over thirty inspirational books, is perhaps best known for his early days of ministry to young drug addicts and gang members in Manhattan, the Bronx, and Brooklyn. His story is told in The Cross and the Switchblade, a book he co-authored which became a best-seller. (The story has been read by over 50 million people in some thirty languages and 150 countries since 1963. In 1969, a motion picture of the same title was released.)
For over four decades, Reverend Wilkerson's evangelistic ministry has included preaching, teaching and writing. Throughout that time a distinctive characteristic of his work has been his direct efforts to reach the neediest members of the population with help for both body and soul. Even now, the almost 70 year-old minister often goes out alone or sometimes with an assistant to walk through the streets of New York City, along Broadway and Eighth Avenue or down 42nd Street and nearby "Crack Alley" on 41st Street. His mission is always to seek out the lost, the disoriented, and the addicted , to tell them of the power of the risen Christ to set them free.
David Wilkerson, born in Hammond, Indiana on May 19, 1931, was married in 1953 to Gwen Carosso. The Wilkersons' two sons are ministers, and their two daughters are married to ministers. They have 11 grandchildren. The Wilkersons served small pastorates in Scottsdale and Philipsburg, Pennsylvania, until Reverend Wilkerson saw a photograph in Life magazine of several New York City teenagers charged with murder. Moved with compassion he was drawn to the city in February 1959. It was at that time he began his street ministry to what one writer called "desperate, bewildered, addicted, often violent youth.