The effects of sin:

Death

Murder

Lying

Disloyalty

Dishonesty

Omission

Pride

Anger

Betrayal

Lonliness

Sorrow

Tears

Cutting

Slashing

Suicide

Bullying

Disobedience

Wrath

Disease

Poison

Weeds

Toil

Extreme heat

Extreme cold

Rape

Abuse

Cancer

Fights

Torture

Gangs

Cliques

Exclusion

The sacrificial system

Hatred

Multiple religions

Cavities

Surgery

Scars

Wounds

Deformities

Starvation

Poverty

Anxiety

Divorce

Conditional love

Infidelity

Hell

Dishonor

Disrespect

Shame

Guilt

And so many countless more effects…

These things may not be consequences of your personal sin, but they ARE because of sin. They would NOT be a part of our lives if we had just obeyed. We would be in paradise for all eternity… but Adam sinned… just as we would have. Sin has no hope for us. It has no power to give us! It literally kills us! It eats away at us and makes us struggle. It is a genetic disease given to us at birth. It tells us we are worthless and it keeps us from God. Turn to it no more. God has so much more to offer.

This is something I need to remember

Angela told me such a beautiful statement that I must quote, “God’s perfection and purity are your perfection and purity. Sanctification is for our own benefit and for our relationship with God, but not because He sees wrong.”

She is right. If He saw wrong He could have wiped the slate clean. Started over, so to speak. But he didn’t. By the Lord’s will, the sovereign God, he put this plan into action knowing what would happen. He knew we would choose evil through Adam. He knew I would fall all by myself. He knew I would die in my sin someday.

But without a flippin’ doubt in my mind, I know God gave me grace so I could love Him, because He first loved me. He put this plan into action so we could love Him and glorify Him, all for His glory, because our LORD is sovereign. Nothing could frustrate His plans, not you, not me, nor sin.

It. Is. His. Design.

God is above all authority. God is above all evil. God is above all good. God created good and allowed Evil. He did this all because He wants us to choose Him and to maximize the shine of His glory! All will be made right in the coming days, but the night is always darkest just before the dawn! We must pick up our sin, our struggles, our pains and our doubts and give it to Jesus or, surely I tell you, we will fall!

God is good! There is no evil in Him. Let Him heal you and lead you and I promise you that you will be healed even if the sin kills you. Because we believe in the living God, the God of resurrection. WE BELIEVE IN THE GOD OF HOPE!

Where, O Death, where is your sting!? Where Hades is your triumph?  The victory is with the Christ! The sting is going to disappear one day. The sorrow will be gone and I swear to you, brethren we will be healed of this curse, this disease. We are sons and daughters of God.

With love,

Derek Cozine