March 4th
“1 O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your wrath, Nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure! 2For Your arrows pierce me deeply, And Your hand presses me down. 3There is no soundness in my flesh Because of Your anger, Nor any health in my bones Because of my sin. 4For my iniquities have gone over my head; Like a heavy burden they are too heavy for me. 5My wounds are foul and festering Because of my foolishness. 6I am troubled, I am bowed down greatly; I go mourning all the day long. 7For my loins are full of inflammation, And there is no soundness in my flesh. 8I am feeble and severely broken; I groan because of the turmoil of my heart. 9Lord, all my desire is before You; And my sighing is not hidden from You. 10My heart pants, my strength fails me; As for the light of my eyes, it also has gone from me. 11My loved ones and my friends stand aloof from my plague, And my relatives stand afar off.” Psalm 38:1-11 NKJV
There is often a link between sin and sickness. David shares some vivid details of what happened when he allowed secret sin to remain in his heart instead of confessing it. David felt that God was punishing him for his sin. Though God may not use sickness to punish us for sin (because Jesus paid our penalty), our sins can give the devil an opportunity to use sickness and disease against us.
God won’t prevent the natural consequences of our sin from affecting us. He tells us in his word clearly about this spiritual law:
“7Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.” Galatians 6:7-8 NIV
Like a toxic substance, unconfessed sin harms the person that carries it. The longer it goes unconfessed the more damage that is done emotionally, spiritually and physically. David’s sin had tremendous effects on him:
- Lack of “soundness in the flesh” (peace and health) (3,7)
- No health in bones (3)
- Foul & festering wounds (5)
- Troubled and bowed down greatly (6)
- Mourned all day long (6)
- Back filled with searing pain (7)
- Feeble and severely broken (8)
- Groaned because of the turmoil in his heart (8)
- Strength failed (10)
- Light of his eyes went away from him (10)
- Friends and family rejected him (11)
- Enemies sought his destruction (12)
David finally confessed his sin to God in verse 18, but only after continual sorrow and great trouble.
Sin is rebellion from God. When we turn away from God, we can expect adverse consequences, which may include physical sickness. The road to returning to health starts with confessing our sin to God. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (NKJV). While God may not reverse the consequences from our sin, he does promise to forgive us and cleanse us from the sin. This clears the path of restoration and healing that we desperately need.
Questions for further thought:
Can you think of some examples in your own life of sin that exposed you to sickness or disease?
If sowing to sin yields destruction, what things can we do to “sow to the Spirit” in our life?
What does sowing to the Spirit yield?
Are there any sins that you haven’t confessed to God? If you are not sure, please take a moment to ask God to reveal any unconfessed sin in your life.
Prayer:
“Dear God, I confess that I have sinned by ___________(be specific). Please forgive me for this sin and for not confessing it sooner to you. Father, I see how this sin may have damaged my life. Please use the blood of Jesus to cleanse of this sin and restore my spiritual and physical health accordingly. Please strengthen me to walk on your path of life from this point forward. Thank you, Father! In Jesus’ name, Amen.”