12. So I let them follow their own stubborn desires, living according to their own ideas.
People often ask two questions concerning God, “Did God create evil?” and “Why does God allow evil to happen?” In a single sentence, Psalm 81:12 answers both questions with a resounding “NO” and “He doesn’t!” God does not create evil, and He definitely does not condone it. However, He has given free will to believers and nonbelievers alike, and He will not force His will upon either.
To the contrary, at the risk of accepting responsibility for our own actions, we must acknowledge that we not only create more ways of doing evil, but we also accept, normalize, and condone the evil that is contrary to the righteousness of God. Whether in word, action, or deed, this current generation has become less inclined to the ideas of godly living, leaning instead on its own understanding and desires of the flesh.
God has always allowed mankind to follow its desires. For the individual child of God, His discipline becomes the method to bring the lost soul back into alignment with Him. But with the hardened heart, discipline is ignored and dismissed as merely bad luck. Prompting “Why me” moments, and self-inflicted wounds become reasons to question God. The proud heart may never even recognize God’s calls. Pride becomes a guard against pain, making them judgmental of others as a way to deflect from their own shortcomings and misfortunes — pacifying themselves instead of repenting. Godly discipline should not be shunned but embraced. Hebrews 12:10 reminds us that, “For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness.”
God’s desire is for His children to walk in His ways. When we do, He can bless us with the desires of our hearts, protect us from the evil that lurks, and satisfy us with His peace. Yet sometimes things beyond our control will happen, leaving us without understanding. The righteous will suffer many afflictions in this fallen world, but God promises to deliver them from them all (Psalm 34:19). His blessings, promises, and protections are not blocked by earthly circumstances — only by hearts that are hardened against Him. Humble hearts hear and respond to God’s calls, but a proud heart is blind to discipline, resists correction, missing the protection God wants to give.
By letting us follow the desires of our flesh, God is showing us the consequences of our choices when they align with the world, and not His ways. Allow His discipline to lead to self-discipline. Fear not the shedding of relationships, habits, and misguided teachings handed down. Instead, dare to come boldly seeking new understandings that reveal you to be the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21). Unblocking the blessings and rewards that God has for your life.
Father God in Heaven, my faith has stayed in you, although my heart has swayed far from You at times. The desires of my flesh scream louder than the groanings of Your Spirit when I am weak. Correct my path, gently cure my thirst with your living Word, that it may go well with me, and my worldly pain turns into spiritual pleasure. In the name of Christ Jesus, I pray. Amen.