Protected week 2 (2025-11-02) CAN CHRISTIANS RESIST GOD?

Devotional

Day 1: God’s Compassion Always Leads to Action

God’s compassion is not a passive feeling but a powerful, gut-level stirring that always results in merciful intervention. When God sees His children in need or distress, He is moved to act—healing, providing, teaching, and comforting—never leaving us alone in our struggles. This divine compassion is the hinge between our human need and God’s redemptive work, assuring us that He is always at work in our lives, even before we ask. [02:29]

James 4:5 (ESV)
"Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, 'He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us'?"

Reflection: When was the last time you recognized God’s compassionate intervention in your life? How might you respond differently today, knowing He is already moving on your behalf?

Day 2: God’s Loving Discipline Is Proof of Our Sonship

God’s discipline—His correction, rebuke, and even scourging—is a sign of His deep love for us as His children. Just as a loving parent intervenes to protect and guide their child, God steps in to correct us, not to harm but to teach, shape, and draw us back to Himself. If you experience His discipline, it is evidence that you truly belong to Him and that He is committed to your growth in holiness. [12:41]

Hebrews 12:5-6 (ESV)
"And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? 'My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.'"

Reflection: Can you recall a time when God’s discipline redirected your path? How did it ultimately reveal His love for you?

Day 3: True Freedom Means Being Set Free from Sin

Believers are not left to remain in bondage to sin; God’s grace sets us free and makes us slaves to righteousness. This freedom is not a license to do as we please, but a call to live in obedience, knowing that God will not allow His children to persist in sin without intervening. Our past disobedience is behind us, and God’s relentless pursuit ensures we are transformed and no longer defined by our former ways. [14:17]

Romans 6:18 (ESV)
"And, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness."

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you sense God calling you to walk in the freedom of righteousness rather than returning to old patterns?

Day 4: The Father’s Discipline Trains Us for Holiness

God’s correction is not arbitrary or harsh, but purposeful—He disciplines us to teach us to be holy, to shape our character, and to produce real goodness in us. While discipline may feel uncomfortable or even painful, it is always for our benefit, training us to live God’s best and to grow into maturity, reflecting His holiness in our daily lives. [44:00]

Hebrews 12:10-11 (ESV)
"For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it."

Reflection: In what current challenge or correction might God be training you for greater holiness? How can you embrace His discipline with a willing heart?

Day 5: God’s Rebuke and Correction Are Acts of Love

God proves His love by confronting us with our faults, rebuking, chastening, and even scourging us when necessary—not to condemn, but to turn us to repentance and zeal for Him. His strong arm of correction is always aimed at saving us from ourselves and our sin, working all things together for our good and calling us to a life of earnest repentance and transformation. [46:20]

Revelation 3:19 (ESV)
"Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent."

Reflection: Is there an area where you sense God’s rebuke or correction today? What step of repentance or renewed zeal can you take in response to His loving pursuit?

Sermon Summary

God’s love for His children is not passive or distant; it is a fierce, compassionate, and active love that intervenes in our lives, especially when we resist Him. Just as a parent cannot stand by while their child is in danger, God cannot ignore His children when they stray or harden their hearts. The Spirit within us yearns with a deep, gut-level compassion, moving God to merciful action on our behalf. This compassion is not just a feeling but a hinge between our need and God’s intervention—He always acts when He is moved by compassion, whether to heal, teach, comfort, or correct.

When we resist God, He responds not with indifference but with increasing grace and pressure, much like a loving but determined parent. If we persist in pride or disobedience, God’s correction intensifies—not to destroy us, but to bring us back to humility and spiritual growth. The language of Scripture is clear: God’s discipline is strong, sometimes even severe, but always rooted in love. He will not allow His children to remain in sin or self-destruction. If we are truly His, we cannot escape His loving pursuit; He will intervene, correct, and even chasten us to draw us back to Himself.

This process of discipline is not pleasant, and it often feels contrary to our desires or comfort. Yet, it is a mark of true sonship. If we never experience God’s correction, we should question whether we truly belong to Him. God’s discipline is not punitive but transformative—it is designed to teach us holiness, to shape our character, and to produce real goodness in us. The ultimate goal is that we would share in His holiness, growing to be more like Him, and living out the reality of our adoption as His beloved children.

When we confuse God’s discipline with the attacks of the enemy, we miss the opportunity to repent and be changed. God’s rebuke, chastening, and even scourging are all expressions of His relentless love, working all things together for our good. Our response should be humble repentance, zeal for holiness, and gratitude for a Father who loves us too much to let us go our own way.

Key Takeaways

1. God’s Compassion Always Leads to Action God’s compassion is not a passive emotion but a powerful force that moves Him to intervene in our lives. Every time Jesus was moved with compassion, He acted—healing, teaching, or comforting. In the same way, God’s Spirit within us stirs Him to merciful action, even when we are unaware or resistant. This means we are never abandoned to our struggles; God is always at work, even before we ask. [02:29]
2. Divine Discipline Is a Mark of True Sonship Experiencing God’s correction is evidence that we truly belong to Him. Just as loving parents discipline their children for their good, God disciplines us to shape our character and draw us back when we stray. If we can persist in sin without feeling God’s corrective hand, it is a warning sign about the authenticity of our relationship with Him. [37:34]
3. Resistance Invites Greater Intervention When we resist God, He does not withdraw but increases His efforts to bring us back. The more we harden our hearts, the more forceful His intervention becomes—not out of anger, but out of a relentless love that refuses to let us self-destruct. Humility and surrender open the way for gentler correction, while pride invites the strong arm of God’s discipline. [11:38]
4. Holiness Is the Goal of God’s Discipline God’s correction is not merely about stopping bad behavior; it is about teaching us to be holy as He is holy. Every act of discipline is aimed at producing real goodness and maturity in us, shaping us to reflect His character. The discomfort of discipline is temporary, but the fruit it yields—holiness and Christlikeness—is eternal. [44:00]
5. Repentance and Zeal Are the Right Responses When God rebukes or chastens us, our response should not be despair or defensiveness, but earnest repentance and renewed zeal for Him. Rebuke is an invitation to turn, to be convinced of our fault, and to embrace the change God desires. This process, though painful, is a profound assurance of His love and commitment to our transformation. [46:20]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:29] - Can Christians Resist God?
[01:24] - The Depth of God’s Compassion
[02:29] - Compassion as Divine Intervention
[03:17] - Jesus as Our Example in the Spirit
[10:12] - Surrender Versus Resistance
[11:38] - God’s Correction: The Warrior Father
[12:41] - The Meaning of Chastening and Rebuke
[14:32] - Past and Present: The New Identity
[18:29] - Recognizing God’s Hand Versus the Enemy
[21:44] - Signs of Spiritual Bondage
[23:11] - The Deception of Cultural Sin
[24:27] - Sons of Obedience and Disobedience
[33:14] - The Fight Against Sin
[37:26] - Submitting to the Father’s Discipline
[44:00] - The Purpose: Holiness and Goodness
[46:20] - Rebuke, Repentance, and Zeal
[50:05] - The Process of Correction
[51:28] - God Works All Things for Our Good
[52:08] - Testimonies of God’s Scourging

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Hebrews 12:5-11 (ESV) — > And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons?
> “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,
> nor be weary when reproved by him.
> For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
> and chastises every son whom he receives.”
> It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

James 4:5-6 (ESV) — > Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

Romans 8:15 (ESV) — > For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”

Observation Questions

According to Hebrews 12:5-11, what is the purpose of God’s discipline in the lives of His children?
In James 4:5-6, what does it mean that God “yearns jealously” over the spirit He has made to dwell in us? How does this yearning show itself? [01:24]
What are some of the strong words used in Hebrews 12 and the sermon to describe God’s correction (e.g., chasten, rebuke, scourge)? What do these words tell us about the nature of God’s intervention? [12:41]
According to Romans 8:15, what is the difference between the spirit of slavery and the Spirit of adoption? How does this relate to how we respond to God’s discipline? [36:31]

Interpretation Questions

The sermon says that God’s compassion is not just a feeling but always leads to action. How does this understanding of compassion change the way we see God’s involvement in our struggles? [02:29]
The pastor compared God’s discipline to a loving parent who cannot stand by while their child is in danger. What does this analogy teach us about God’s motives when He corrects us? [13:29]
The sermon warns that if we never experience God’s correction, we should question whether we truly belong to Him. Why is discipline a mark of true sonship, and what might it look like in real life? [37:34]
When we confuse God’s discipline with the attacks of the enemy, what do we risk missing out on? How can we discern the difference between God’s correction and spiritual attack? [45:25]

Application Questions

The sermon says that when we resist God, He increases His efforts to bring us back, sometimes with strong discipline. Can you think of a time when you felt God “pressing in” on you because you were resisting Him? What did that look like, and how did you respond? [10:51]
God’s discipline is described as sometimes being severe, but always rooted in love. How do you usually react to correction—from God or from others? Do you tend to get defensive, discouraged, or do you see it as an act of love? [12:41]
The pastor said, “If you can run off and live in wickedness and immorality and you don’t even feel bad about it, there’s something wrong with your religion.” Are there areas in your life where you have become numb to God’s correction? What would it look like to invite God to search your heart in those areas? [36:22]
The goal of God’s discipline is to make us holy and produce real goodness in us. Is there a specific area of your character or behavior where you sense God wants to bring change? What step could you take this week to cooperate with Him? [44:00]
The sermon encourages us to respond to God’s rebuke with humble repentance and renewed zeal. What does humble repentance look like for you? Is there something you need to repent of today? [46:20]
When you experience hardship or discomfort, do you tend to see it as God’s discipline, an attack from the enemy, or just bad luck? How might your perspective change if you saw more of your struggles as God’s loving intervention? [45:25]
The pastor shared that God’s discipline is a process—rebuke, chastening, and sometimes scourging. Where do you think you are in this process right now? How can your small group pray for you as you respond to God’s work in your life? [50:05]

Sermon Clips

He's not sitting back, leaving you alone. You don't have to keep begging, oh God, why don't you ever watch what I'm doing? Why don't you hear? Are you kidding? He's, before you ask, He's already stirred and beginning to operate and work because He, the Heavenly Father, moves through the Spirit of God to work in us and to help us and deal with us. [00:03:51] (19 seconds) #GodIsAlreadyWorking

He loves you and he's not going to let you hurt others or yourself. He's coming after you. He wants you to come back to a place where you'll humbly. Accept his grace. Learn from him and grow spiritually. But if not, he has to walk in front of you and stop you. [00:13:48] (17 seconds) #GraceAndCorrection

God will forcefully act and not allow us to live in sin. He's after you. He's after you. Every time I caught my sons, I have to either spank them or correct them in some other way because I love them and want them to grow up to be a good man, not someone that's just living for self and so forth. God is constantly working in that way, and you have to learn. You have to learn to hear and know what he's doing. [00:18:02] (29 seconds) #GodLovesAndCorrects

If you think the devil is working, just look at your life and what you're doing. If you're living under lust and you can't control it, if you're in pleasure and you don't even think about God, if you're getting angry and envy and hateful, if you're jealous and you're fighting with, whether it's your spouse or your neighbors or your guys at work, this is the devil working. This isn't God working. This is where you know that you're in trouble because God's going to try to stop all that. This is where you need help, and that's why he's going to come in and abruptly stop you. [00:21:48] (30 seconds) #RecognizeTheDevil

There's no third choice. My wife always says, you're a prophet. You always want to make it black and white. Well, God does. He makes it black and white. It's either you're a son of disobedience or you're a son of God, not a halfway house of, well, you know, no, no. You cross the line. You're either a son. Of obedience. Does that mean you're perfect? No, we know that because this is what we're talking about. Because when you are a son and you're trying and working and seeking God, even if you get all puffed and huffy, God will break in and stop it and work on you and pressure you through many steps. [00:24:40] (36 seconds) #BlackAndWhiteFaith

True believers cannot get away from his love. I want you to understand this. You can try to run, but he runs faster. Because he doesn't need, he's everywhere. I just want you to understand how this is working. You need to comprehend how much he loves you here. [00:33:00] (15 seconds) #UnstoppableLove

If you do not have a fighting heart against sin, there's something wrong with your religion. Because if you are born again, the Spirit's in you, there's a fight. And there's a growing... And that's one thing I didn't understand. I went to church all my life and didn't hear anything. And I was converted. And like he mentioned, the first thing in my heart was, my conscience was screaming so loud, I couldn't even think without... Everything you did felt like you were guilty. Exactly. And on top of that, I had this growing, growing fight that I didn't want to live this way any longer. [00:33:24] (34 seconds) #FightAgainstSin

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