those who believe in Him are no longer under a curse, and we will not be cursed if we fail to obey.
Hello Julie
Here is the problem I have with that
That doesn't offer any explanation for the reason why many blessings I received from God were gradually being removed one by one. The more I disobeyed, the more blessings I began to notice were being removed. I initially ignored and wrote this off and assumed the same position which you hold to until the severity of their removal gradually increased. This continued right up to the day I said, OK, God, you've got my attention now, I am ready to become obedient once again. I thanked God for for discipling me out of love. Once I came to an obedient state once again I no longer experienced any more blessings being removed. The removal of blessings suddenly stopped the moment I came to my senses and returned to my Father in obedience.
So Julie, should my experience be negated?
Should I get rid of the notion that God was dealing with me and discipling me out of love as Scripture says He does with those whom He loves?
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.
Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;
And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed. Hebrews 12:5-13
I like what Tozer once said: Tozer said . . .
To escape the error of salvation by works we have fallen into the opposite error of salvation without obedience. The Bible knows nothing of salvation apart from obedience. Paul testified that he was sent to preach “obedience to the faith among all nations.” He reminded the Roman Christians that they had been set free from sin because they had “obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.” In the New Testament there is no contradiction between faith and obedience.
The Bible recognizes no faith that does not lead to obedience
The two are opposite sides of the same coin. Were we to split a coin edgewise we would destroy both sides and render the whole thing valueless. So faith and obedience are forever joined and each one is without value when separated from the other
The trouble with many of us today is that we are trying to believe without intending to obey.
The message of the cross contains two elements (1) Promises and declarations to be believed, and (2) commandments to be obeyed.
He became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him.
The weakness in our message today is our overemphasis on faith with a corresponding underemphasis on obedience.
Non-obedience has paralyzed their moral legs and dissolved their backbones and they slump down in a spongy heap of religious theory, believing everything ardently, but obeying nothing at all.
"Living for Jesus a life that is true, striving to please Him in all that I do. Yielding allegiance, glad hearted and free, this is the pathway of blessing for me." - Thomas Obediah Chisholm
Whoever keeps his commandments abides (remains) in God, and God in him. 1 John 3:24
"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Matthew 7:21
Blessings
Kenny