Is God Punishng Me?

I am in my mid 20′s and am struggling with sexual immorality. There are many verses in the bible that illustrate how bad sexual immorality is, which is why I sometimes think the Lord is “punishing” me. Do you think the Lord is withholding blessings from me because of my struggles?

Q. I am in my mid 20′s and am struggling with sexual immorality. I truly believe in my heart I want to live a life of obedience for the Lord and live a life pleasing to him. At the same time, i am single and have been for most of my life, and I feel my struggles are directly due to me being alone. I always believed there was somebody out there for me I was meant to be with, but I worry that because of my struggles, the Lord may withhold her from me or withhold any other blessings from me as well.

There are many verses in the bible that illustrate how bad sexual immorality is, which is why I sometimes think the Lord is “punishing” me, but at the same time I read a verse like 1 Corinthians 7:9 and think this isn’t the case. It is also important I find another believer to be with. Do you think the Lord is withholding blessings from me because of my struggles, or is it just a case of having to be patient and not worrying about being punished?

A. Yours is a good example of how focusing on our behavior can lead to confusion about our relationship with God. So let’s set the record straight. Knowing the end from the beginning, God knew every sin of your life before He sent His son to die for you. None of them surprise Him, or anger Him, or make Him wish He hadn’t saved you. Jesus took the punishment that was due you for all of them, allowing God to live at peace with you from the first moment you were saved. (Colossians 1:19-20) Now all that’s required is that you confess when you sin to purify you from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

If we don’t confess, then our fellowship with God is interrupted. During those times Satan can afflict us, and one way he does that is to convince us that we deserve to be punished. Then if something bad happens, we think it’s God punishing us. But God cannot punish us because He already punished His son. See the problem?

If your behavior is making you feel bad, it’s because you know it’s wrong. Confess, receive your forgiveness and put it behind you. Stay in fellowship through confession and forgiveness and you won’t interrupt God’s flow of blessings. Once you take the emphasis off your behavior and focus on your belief in His forgiveness, you’ll find that you don’t slip nearly as often.