I believe one of the most important principles in scripture is found in Galatians 6. Paul writes, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh , from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest, if we do not give up” (Gal. 6:7-9).

This is a spiritual principle confirmed over and over agin in scripture. It is a spiritual principle revealed in nature and in the outcomes of our own decisions and the decisions of others if we pay attention. First of all, it is an immutable law. Like gravity, you cannot escape the reality of consequences. If you accidentally step off the edge of your roof, you are going down not matter how often you test the law. To deny the law of consequences is to mock God. That word means to belittle, to not take seriously, or to treat with contempt. When we live as if we can violate God’s law without consequences, we mock him.

We often think of those who mock God as brazen sinners who shake their fist in God’s face as if they determine the outcome of their own lives. But many believers do so as well. When we operate outside of God’s will in parts of our lives, we often are doing so because we are deceived. The enemy whispers his familiar phrase spoken first in the Garden of Eden, “You will not certainly die!” He whispers that we will be the exception, even though we know others who have done what we are doing and ended up in a very deep ditch..

When it comes to sin, Satan’s favorite strategy is to simply convince us that we won’t be found out, we won’t get addicted, our unhealthy habits will not end up destroying our health, or that we can cash in on God’s grace so that nothing really hurtful will come from our actions. I can’t count how many church- going believers I know have been deceived into believing that an affair won’t be found out, that dabbling in pornography won’t end up in an uncontrollable addiction, or that they will be able to put the money back before the boss realizes it is gone. Here is the thing: these secret sins will not be without consequence because either God will bring it into the light to cleanse it, or Satan will bring it into the light to destroy you and your family. Why? Because God will not be mocked. There will be consequences. We will reap what we sow. If we sow to the desires of the flesh, we will reap hurt and destruction.

This deception from the enemy can be incredibly strong. There is no greater expression of sowing and reaping than in Deuteronomy 28-30. In these chapters, God spelled out in detail the blessings he would grant Israel if they remained faithful to him. He also spelled out in detail, the disasters that would come if they chose to reject God and his commands. And yet, Israel chose to ignore God’s commands and to chase after other gods. The only explanation is that they believed Stan’s lie that God was all bluff and no action. Yet, they were destroyed and scattered all over the world….not because God was evil or unfair, but because those were the consequences of their choices. When we choose the path, we choose the consequences.

Now the good news is that, when we do life God’s way (sow to the Spirit), God promises good outcomes and blessings. We receive life…in this world and the world to come. God cannot be mocked in this matter as well. This is not a promise that trouble will never come our way, but that God will ultimately bring blessing, even out of trouble. “And we know that in all things, God woks for the good of those who love him. who have been called according to his purpose” (Rom.8:28). Sometimes, the challenge is in waiting for the blessing to manifest. Remember Paul said they we must not grow weary in doing good (sowing to the Spirit), but should know that in due time, a harvest will come.

When a farmer plants, it takes time for the seed to germinate, the stalk to grow, blooms to form fruit, and the fruit to mature. It can be the same with prayer or acting righteously whenever all those around us are ignoring the commands of God. Waiting is hard. Satan will whisper that God does not hear our prayers or that he has obviously said “No” to our prayer, so that continuing to pray or act in faithfulness is pointless. Like a crop, It takes takes time for blessings to manifest and we will have to fight discouragement at times, especially when we see those who don’t serve God getting what they want in this life while we wait But don’t be deceived, God will not be mocked. What you sow in faithfulness will bear a harvest.

When we think serving God is pointless because the wicked seem to prosper, we must remember that it takes time for curses to manifest as well. That is part of the trap. People disobey and see no immediate consequence and, because of that, they believe nothing will ever happen. I have a pastor friend who had a secret addiction for years, but was eventually found out. It became a huge embarrassment to him, his family, and his church. He told me that the deception was that you only imagine the moment of pleasure or excitement, for relief but you need to “run the film to the end.” What he meant was that you need to imagine not only the pleasure of the moment but the pain that will come when your sin is revealed…because it will be. “Running the film to the end” is a very effective way of discouraging the persistent sin or secret sin in our own lives because it recognizes that consequences will come because God will not be mocked. Of course, when negative consequences arise we are prone to blame God for our losses, our embarrrassment, or our hurt. But God is just and has revealed the truth to us about our choices. he simply honors our choices, whether we choose curses or blessings.

When we make choices, we need to do so with Galatians 6 in mind. Every deed, every word, every prayer is a seed that will some day bear fruit. It is up to us to determine the harvest. Because seeds take time to grow, we often forget this immutable law of God. But if you remember, you will see the faithfulness of God in blessings as the years of your life wear on.