How do we know if we're going through a trial or if we're being chastised of the Lord?
Well, trials come for a variety of reasons.
One could be that we're simply suffering the consequences of our actions.
The Bible says that the simple pass on and are punished.
We simply go through trials, not because we're bad people,
but because we make unwise and bad decisions.
Another reason could be that we're being persecuted for righteousness sake.
If you believe the Bible, it's going to cause people to persecute you for what you believe.
But sometimes we go through trials because God is actually punishing us
for unconfessed sin.
There is a concept in the Bible that if we regard iniquity in our hearts,
the Lord will not hear us.
The Bible says,
For whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
And he actually does it for our prophet that we might be partakers of his holiness.
So the next time you go through a trial, think about those factors.
Is it because you made a bad decision?
Is it because you're being persecuted for righteousness sake?
Or is it because you have unconfessed sin in your life and God is trying to get you to repent?