How to Pray When Sin Has Consequences

Even good people who love God can make wrong decisions, but that does not stop God from judging them. Sin has consequences! We like to focus on the fact God is loving, but we must remember He is also a righteous Judge. You can choose your sin, but not your consequences!

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Transcript

Press means to apply force. When God said press, prayer reaches every single situation. He gave us permission to apply force to every situation that we will go through.

And in this podcast, we are going to learn to apply force to what's applying pressure to us. Welcome to the Press Podcast. Let's go to 2 Samuel chapter 24.

For our next prayer in this journey, we're going to see Brother David pray one more time. But unlike last week's prayer where it was a prayer of victory and thanksgiving and amen, this prayer is coming from a totally different place. We do have highs and lows in life.

We do make mistakes and thank God he wants us to pray them all. So today we get to see one of David's greatest mistakes. It was very costly to the people.

And in 2 Samuel, we'll find the whole story. The Bible says in 2 Samuel 24, And again, the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel. And he moved David against them to say, Go number Israel and Judah.

For the king said to Joab the captain of the host, which was with him, Go now through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan even to Beersheba. And number ye the people that I may know the number of the people. And Joab said unto the king, Now the Lord thy God add unto the people, How many soever they be, and hundredfold, in that the eyes of my Lord the king may see it.

But why doth my Lord the king delight in this thing? So basically, David is telling Joab, who was one of the leaders of Israel, Go take a head count. Now on the surface, this does not sound like a big deal. Censuses had been conducted before in Israel.

We know that Moses took a census in Exodus 30 verse 12. And we know that he also numbered them again in Numbers the first chapter. There wasn't a huge problem with the ideal of numbering them.

But the difference with those censuses was that they were God directed and God ordained. This census started with a different source. We read in 2 Samuel chapter 24.

But in First Chronicles 21, they record the same story. The Bible says, And Satan stood up against Israel and provoked David to number Israel. And David said to Joab and to the rulers of the people, Go number Israel from Beersheba even to Dan and bring the number of them to me that I may know it.

And Joab answered, The Lord make his people a hundred times so many more as they be. But my Lord the king, are they not all my Lord's servants? Why then doth my Lord require this thing? Why will he be a cause of trespass to Israel? Bible says, Nevertheless, the king's words prevailed against Joab. Wherefore, Joab departed and went throughout all Israel and came to Jerusalem.

We know he didn't include Levi and Benjamin in the headcount, but he did go do what the king said. But in First Chronicles 21, it says, Satan stood up against Israel and provoked David to number Israel. In Second Samuel 24, it says, And again, the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them to say, Go number Israel and Judah.

Satan provoked David when God moved. If God turns you over to yourself and he gets out of your way, you can find yourself exposed to things you should have never been doing. This is the case with David.

He was now exposed to something he shouldn't have been doing. Because the Lord was angry with him. God moves.

He's exposed. Satan provokes. And David falls for it.

David can't even hear Joab telling him, You don't need to count the people. God has made them. Always made them.

A hundred times more than what they needed to be. For whatever reason, you're thinking you need to have an inventory of what you have to work with. Joab is telling him, God has already made more ways a hundred times over than what you could calculate this people to be.

Why approach whatever fight you're facing or whatever struggle you're facing from now a cerebral standpoint. For David, that had never been the way God allowed him to fight. God didn't need David to count for him.

Or to show him what he was working with. He needed David to trust him. And that's what makes this census so wrong.

It wasn't God directed. It wasn't from the right spot. It was coming from you being provoked because God moved and Satan provoked you.

And you can't see now, David, yourself that what you're doing is going to hurt people. God has been saving them. God has been making ways.

But you need to follow him in all things. And David could not hear that. He wanted a head count.

So the Bible says Joab counted everybody but Levi and Benjamin. And it took him over nine months to do it. He comes back to King David with a number.

And the Bible says in verse 10, And David's heart smote him after that he had numbered the people. And David said unto the Lord, I have sinned greatly in that I have done. And now I beseech thee, O Lord, take away the iniquity of thy servant.

For I have done very foolishly. For when David was up in the morning, the word of the Lord came unto the prophet Gad. David seer saying, go and say unto David, Thus said the Lord, I offer thee three things.

Choose thee one of them that I may do it unto thee. So Gad came to David and told him and said unto him, Shall seven years of famine come unto thee in thy land? Or wilt thou flee three months before thine enemies while they pursue thee? Or that there be three days pestilence in thy land? Now advise and see what answer I shall return to him that sent me. And David said unto Gad, I am great straight.

Let us fall now into the hand of the Lord, for his mercies are great. And let me not fall into the hand of man. So when Job returns, the prophet, the seer Gad had already come to David that morning and told him because you numbered the people, you have three choices.

You can have famine over the land for seven years. You can run from your enemies for three months and be chased. Or you can have three days of pestilence.

And David says, I'd rather fall into the hands of the Lord than the hands of man. And he goes with the pestilence. But it's actually after this that he's praying now.

Sometimes in life, we don't realize how much we messed up until we've already made the mess. You see, Joab was trying to warn him. Don't do this.

Don't do this sin. Don't do this wickedness. Nine and a half months have passed.

And now, sir, that you have consequences. You're ready to go talk to God about it and pray and repent. I do like that he decides to go to God on it.

Because sometimes when we've made mistakes, we try to hide. And that is quite the reflex. I mean, Adam and Eve did it in Genesis.

Their first instinct with sin is to hide. David's heart is not set up like that. He's not hiding from God.

When he realizes he's really messed up, his first instinct is, I've got to talk to God. I've got to see what he'll do. And he goes to God, not with accusations or anything else.

But he goes into the Lord saying, I have sinned greatly and that I have done. I beseech thee, O Lord, take away the iniquity of thy servant. I've done very foolishly.

He's like, God, remove my sin. This is my fault. I did it.

He comes in repentant. He comes in sorry. He comes in wanting to change.

And yet God still allows consequences. You'll have to read the rest of the chapter to see how the consequences played out. But I'll tell you, even when God allows consequences, he is so loving that there's mercy in his consequences.

But that doesn't mean it doesn't hurt. David was wrong and he learned how to pray and repent wrong. But God did not just say yes to him because he repented.

Sister Harris is my mother, is her name. And she has a saying, you can choose your sins, but you can't choose your consequences. Just because you decide to get right and I pray you do.

Or just because you decide to repent and I pray you do. Doesn't mean that God is going to take away all of your consequences. But the mindset and the attitude has to be humbled, knowing that we deserve whatever we get.

All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. We don't deserve anything from God. We can't earn it.

His mercy is his choice, but consequences are what we deserve. And so when you mess up and you know there's consequences, don't take the posture. Why me or how dare he? Humble yourself and ask for more mercy because I guarantee you what you find is even in the consequences.

He's such a loving God. I pray that no matter where you find yourself today, even if you're the person who's made a mistake and you know you're wrong and you're feeling distant from God or what have you, open your mouth. Perhaps you're already dealing with consequences of life in your decisions.

Open your mouth. Don't abandon God in your trouble and he will meet you still, even in the consequences. Because prayer reaches every single situation.

Join the movement. Join the community. Like, share and subscribe to this podcast.

Visit us at PressToPray.com or find us on Instagram or Facebook. Did you know that when you are quiet, your voice is missing to God's ears? I know some of us have prayed and we're wondering how long should I pray about this? Why should I pray if God already knows? How will I know God is answering? And what do I do when I feel like God's not listening? But God is listening for your voice. It's too quiet in this world for the troubles we have.

You have to raise your voice and God wants to hear from you. It's Too Quiet, a book about prayer, is designed to answer your prayer questions and build your faith. Visit PressToPray.com

Transcribed by TurboScribe.ai. Go Unlimited to remove this message.