1 Corinthians 5:5 (ICB)
“Then give this man to Satan, so that his sinful self will be destroyed. And then his spirit can be saved on the day of the Lord.”
I came across this verse yesterday, but I had heard a pastor mention it the day before. And the whole of yesterday, I was quiet because I was thinking about it deeply. Imagine that—sometimes, God will allow Satan to afflict your flesh, not to destroy you but to save your soul. That is heavy.
I started thinking about the problems we go through in the flesh. The battles. The sicknesses. The suffering. Could it be that God allows certain afflictions as a way to wake us up? Could it be that some of the things we go through are God’s way of getting our attention before it’s too late?
Then, I thought about Job. Job had everything—a beautiful family, great wealth, good health. But even with all that, Job’s greatest desire was God. And then, Satan came for him. God allowed the devil to take everything—his children, his possessions, even his health. Job sat in ashes, covered in boils, scraping his wounds with broken pottery. His friends accused him, his wife told him to curse God and die, but do you know what Job said? “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.” (Job 13:15) Job remained faithful, and in the end, God restored everything he had lost—and saved his soul.
Then, I thought about Solomon. Solomon had everything the flesh could ever desire. He had more wealth than any king. He had wisdom beyond compare. And when it comes to women, Solomon had a thousand. Think about that. A thousand women of every type—different shapes, different colors, different accents, different everything. Solomon experienced every pleasure a man could experience, yet at the end of his life, do you know what he said? He said, “Everything is meaningless, completely meaningless!” (Ecclesiastes 1:2, NLT). After everything, Solomon realized that nothing—nothing—satisfies the soul like God does.
That’s when I looked again at 1 Corinthians 5:5. This verse comes from a passage about a man who was so deep in sin that even the unbelievers were shocked. His appetite for sexual sin was uncontrollable, and Paul said something surprising: “Hand this man over to Satan, so that his sinful self will be destroyed and his spirit can be saved on the day of the Lord.” That’s a hard verse to swallow, but what it shows is God’s mercy. Instead of letting the man perish in his sin, God allowed his flesh to suffer so that he could repent and be saved.
And this made me think—how many times does God try to warn us before things get worse? How many times does He send messages our way? You’ll hear a sermon that convicts you. You’ll see a message on someone’s WhatsApp status. You’ll come across an Instagram reel that speaks directly to your situation. You’ll read a random sticker on a car that says, “Change your ways.” These things don’t happen by chance. They are messages from God, trying to get your attention. But if you ignore the warnings, if you refuse to listen, then sometimes God will allow something to happen to your flesh—not to destroy you, but to save you.
This reminds me of William Branham, one of the greatest generals of God. He was a man of extraordinary anointing, carrying a deep discerning spirit. He could look at you and tell you things you never told anyone. During healing services, people said his body would literally glow—there was a halo around him. And when he laid hands on the sick, they wouldn’t just be healed, but they would have an imprint of a hand on their body for hours. The power of God worked through this man in ways few had ever seen.
But towards the end of his life, something changed. William Branham was not a Bible teacher—his calling was in miracles, signs, and wonders. He had an extraordinary anointing, a powerful gift of healing, and a supernatural ability to discern hidden things about people. However, he began to shift his focus, stepping outside his calling to teach the Bible, despite not having sound theology. Other men of God tried to warn him that this was not his assignment, but he refused to listen. As a result, he strayed into doctrinal errors. And then, he died in a tragic road accident. But here’s the chilling part—his wife died in the crash too, yet before he passed, he told someone to place his hand on her, and she came back to life. Then, he died.
Don’t be the person that 1 Corinthians 5:5 is talking about. Learn from Job. Learn from Solomon. Your greatest desire in life should be Jesus—Him and only Him. Give God His rightful place in your life. Yield to His will. And when you do that, everything else will fall into place.
Even the man in 1 Corinthians 5:5 didn’t necessarily die, but what he went through changed him forever. His suffering led him back to God.
As I write this, I’m reminded of a testimony from Pastor T about his life before he surrendered to Christ. You can find it on YouTube. His body was almost handed over to Satan for the saving of his soul. But before it was too late, he heeded God’s warning and changed his ways.
Be careful, my friends. Keep God first. Job lost everything. He was sick, in pain, and completely alone. But still, his relationship with God was the most important thing in his life. And because of that, God restored him.
May God restore everything that the enemy has stolen from you. May He restore your life. May He restore your health. May He restore your joy. May He restore your finances. May He restore your children. May He restore your family. May He restore your relationships.
But restoration is only possible when God is in His rightful place in your life.
Return to Him. Seek Him first. And He will take care of the rest.
Have a blessed day. 🖤