When Christians Sulk (part I)

By Odon Bulamba (summary only - 03 May, 02)

We all know that Job loved God and lived a humble life. Job gave 100% in order to do nothing wrong and would do it to please God and not man, so he really looked after his soul to prevent it from sinning.

Job 21:14-15-16. Yet they say to God, leave us alone! We have no desire to know your ways. Who is the Almighty that we should serve Him? What would we gain by praying to Him? But their prosperity is not in their own hands, so I stand aloof from the counsel of the wicked

This text is not for pagans but for the believers. Sometimes we tell God to leave us alone. You may think you haven’t said this to God but according to my observation Christian life disturbs a lot of people because of God’s Word. When we organize our Christian programs or prayer times sometimes it leads us out of our will. When we hear a preaching from the Word of God it finds room in our hearts and this Word helps us not to sin. So when we do evil, the Word that was implanted in our hearts from a preaching reminds us if we are sinning.

However some people say to God’s Word, leave me alone, I will confess and say sorry later. In the book of Timothy it is written that the Word is there to correct and teach us, so how many times as Christians do we accept to be corrected? How many times does our conscience talk to us but we reject it? This is when we tell God to leave us alone, we know what His word says but we don’t care.

How many times do we reject advice from others when we have problems? It is true that God speaks through man but from time to time we reject their advice. If Shari corrects Sylvie and she loses her peace it can build a wall between them, and this happened because Sylvie refused to be corrected, which goes against God’s will. If someone asks you for a loan, how will you feel? If you ask Odon something and he tells you to leave him alone, what will you feel in your heart? Will you be happy? No, you will be shocked. It is the same thing with our God, when God sends someone to talk to you and you refuse his or her advice God is shocked, and He doesn’t like it.

The Bible says that those who blaspheme the Holy Spirit will not inherit the kingdom of God. 1 John 5 says the Holy Spirit is the Word and when we reject this Word we blaspheme without knowing it. This is what we do when we don’t want to listen.

To obey the Word is the beginning of wisdom and disobedience is the beginning of punishment. If you don’t want to obey God’s word then you are foolish so don’t call yourself a Christian because you have no respect for God’s word.

When people become Christians they become slaves of the church or slaves to their Pastors instead of becoming a slave to God and His Word. It is true that by reading the Word and praying helps us to grow. When we first experience salvation we are keen to read the Word and pray every night, however this may only last 1 month or 2 years and after that time laziness comes in. Every night the spirit constantly reminds us to pray or read the Bible before going to bed, but as Christians we are disturbed by this because we don’t want to be slaves. Do you remember that you made a commitment when you became a Christian? Nobody forced you to become a Christian but it was your agreement with God, and to be a Christian means to be God’s slave. Can you find a slave that doesn’t do as he is told? Do you know a soldier who doesn’t listen to a command and stays in bed? Sometimes we pray to God because we respect Him, but we don’t pray enough. We only think of His power when we are in trouble especially when we have material or physical needs. But when we have spiritual problems and God comes to us we sulk by saying that God is a pain and we end up going elsewhere for a solution, and this is when we forget God’s power.

Example: when someone comes to you and says death is knocking at your door, you will automatically pray to God so that He will protect you, but when the Spirit of God tells you not to sin you neglect the warning.

SUMMARY

- Resist temptation to sin
- Make an effort to read the Word of God and to pray everyday
- Be a slave of God (not your pastor, your church or sin)

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