What Happens When You Deny God? Exploring Faith’s Flip Side & 10 Possible Consequences

In a world where the concept of God is often met with skepticism and disbelief, many individuals may find themselves even denying the existence of a higher power. 

However, what happens when your denial of God goes beyond a lack of faith? That will often lead to becoming conformed to this world and ultimately feeling lost at some point.

The righteous have warned about this long ago, as denying God can lead to condemnation and straying away from one’s true identity. 

There’s no sugarcoating this topic. The choices are to glorify God and serve Him or deny His power and deceive oneself. 

And as is often said, serving two masters is not an option.

Check out the following ten consequences of what happens when you deny God. I aim for you to possibly reconsider denying The Lord and allow the power of God to manifest in your life —  before the reality of your decision bites HARD.

That said, this is what happens when you deny God:

1. You Lack True Purpose And Meaning in Life

Why You Feel Empty Without God

Don’t get me wrong; nonbelievers may “feel” they have meaning and purpose. Many substitute worldly things for their purpose in life, such as making money, fighting for “social justice,” or getting involved in movements like BLM or climate change.

What they lack is the wisdom to know what is taught in Ecclesiastes (1:2-3). All such earthly endeavors are fleeting in satisfaction. There’s no ultimate fulfillment in seeking meaning and purpose in worldly tasks. That’s why a person who finds meaning in material things always pursues the next big thing or thrill. And in the process, in the depths of their being, they still feel something is missing.

How God Gives You True Satisfaction And Joy

Only a relationship with God is permanently fulfilling because you realize in your soul that being in the service of God is the ultimate satisfaction.

To have The Lord in your life is to have an eternal perspective. Which means you understand that God has a plan for everything. Whether we know it or not, things that seem bad to us will eventually work out for our(humanity’s) good and His glory.

This understanding is why, as a believer, you can feel satisfied and uplifted no matter how dire the circumstances around you might seem.

What You Need To Do To Live A Meaningful Life

All you have to do is “stay in your lane.” This means living your purpose according to God, working hard, and living according to your Creator’s ideals. Believe me when I tell you that adopting the latter approach to life brings permanent fulfillment because you understand that everything you do is ultimately for His glory.

 And this means you don’t have to be a liar to your conscience. Instead of chasing fleeting worldly tasks to fill that “meaning and purpose” hole in your soul, you only need to seek and trust in the One. The rest of life, as the verse cited above says, is all vanity.

2. Forgo Blessings And Guidance 

Proverbs 3:1-2 says, “My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your mind retain my commandments; for they will bestow on you length of days, years of life and well-being.”

Unlike some may think, God’s effect on our lives is not that of a “celestial butler” when we do things right. Good things just don’t magically appear if we align with the Creator’s will.

My personal experience is that blessings have been bestowed in my life through God’s wisdom. Once I began sincerely heeding the wisdom in The Lord’s commandments, my perspective on life shifted, and I began to make better choices.

And what has sprouted from those good decisions — those are the blessings that a person, even denying a hint of godliness in their life, misses out on.

My Biggest Blessing 

One of the biggest blessings in my life was my decision to fast for 24 hours every Sunday for over four months. This was back before fasting was a trend, and I felt it was THE ultimate sacrifice. Why did I do it?

My mom had just been diagnosed with a pretty malignant cancer. I was scared. And I thought it was my grandest sacrifice to show God how badly I sought her healing. 

Well, the outcome of that period was more than I could have ever imagined. Not only did my mother survive that brutal point in time, but all the praying and studying I did during that time is the reason that I’m here. Ready, willing, and able to serve our Father, which is in heaven, by spreading His wisdom far and wide.

God’s Goodness Inspired Me

That event is why I am front and center as a witness to His goodness. It is the reason I felt compelled and motivated to share His wisdom. And it is why today I can perceive my life as a never-ending blessing.

Needless to say, this wouldn’t have come about if I had rejected God’s influence in my life.

3. Denying God Makes Your Life Harder

Beware of the many false prophets in society who would tell you otherwise. In particular, those that have gone out into the world and found massive material success(e.g., celebrities, etc). 

Everyone who acknowledges a higher power knows the following:

1. Without God, your decision-making is rooted in a shaky foundation. Which often leads to dubious choices that pile up on top of each other and subsequently complicate your life.
2. Without God’s perspective of truth and what reality truly is, you will undoubtedly “perceive” your life as having more crises, difficulties, and hardships. Take the “climate change” phenomenon as an example. It’s definitely an ulcer-inducing, existential issue for secular types who don’t have a clue about the power of God and a world beyond this one.

Rejecting God Leads To Misery And Stress

A godless mind thinks they are the center of their universe. You(man) are the boss. And as the boss, the buck stops with YOU, of course. You heap on yourself not only the entire burden of decision-making but also the outcomes of your decisions—a recipe for misery and panic.

As I said, a Godly mind uses God’s principles and instructions to perceive the world and make decisions. Then, you proceed to make sound choices and understand that the outcomes are God’s will. Whether good or bad.

4. You’ll Have A Hole In Your Soul (general unrest)

Jeremiah 17:5 says, “Thus said GOD: Cursed is the man who trusts in mortals, who makes mere flesh his strength, and turns his thoughts from GOD.”

This verse contrasts the fate of those who trust in human beings and those who trust in The Lord. And if you’re not rolling with your Maker, you’ve got some other man-made ideology leading your life.

To put it another way, if you place your faith primarily in anything(your family, friends, politicians, teachers, scientists, false prophets, celebrities, money, etc.) but God, your life will be “cursed.”

Unbelief Leads To Dissatisfaction And Unrest

Before you dismiss being “cursed” as too dramatic, chew on this. To be cursed is not only to have some horrible calamity befall your life. The way that I see this manifest commonly in people’s lives is by saddling an unbeliever’s life with a general sense of dissatisfaction, uncertainty, or spiritual unrest. 

Nothing is good enough. The godless are often resigned to believing this is just how life is, in essence, “life sucks.” So their general approach is to boldly “grin and bear it.”

Trusting In God Brings Satisfaction And Joy

My friends, the opposite is true when our Father, who is in heaven, is leading the way. Honest trust in the Creator of existence allows you to find satisfaction and joy even in the low points or mundane aspects of your life. 

All due to the incredible level-headedness and confidence a relationship with God brings.

Ask me; I am a witness.

5. You’ll Become Conformed To This World And Its Standards 

How did we get here?

A world where a sizable amount of people plus the media bombard us with subjects such as climate change, transgender issues, gender pay gap, and police brutality. All topics that pose severe overestimations of their effect on society.

But accepting these subjects as significant issues are the winds that ungodly people in our society have blown right along with. And let’s not forget that conventional idea among the people that says “abortion is a human right.”

We got here because as our society has drifted away more and more from Godly principles, our moral fabric has degraded right along.

The Solution: Delight In God’s Teaching

As Psalms 1:1-2 professes, “Happy is the man who has not followed the counsel of the wicked, or taken the path of sinners, or joined the company of the insolent; rather, the teaching of the LORD is his delight, and he studies that teaching day and night.”

Rejecting God doesn’t lead to believing in nothing. Au contraire it leads to believing in anything. Essentially, without God, there are no guardrails to the nonsense the human mind/heart can conjure and go along with.

Emotions Vs. Reason

That’s why all the societal “issues” listed above surface primarily because of people’s strong personal emotions/feelings about the subjects, as opposed to reason.

A concept that God advises you to go against — Going with your heart, that is. (see Jeremiah 17:9)

The bottom line: Acquire Godly wisdom, and you won’t go the way of the sheep and conform to ungodly nonsense.

What Happens When You Deny God?…(A quick rundown of the rest)

6. Denying God can easily lead you to hopelessness in tough times 

But instead, in Jeremiah 29:11, we are told, “For I am mindful of the plans I have made concerning you—declares GOD —plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a hopeful future.” This verse tells you that God has a specific plan for everyone. And although you may not realize this through the difficult times, God’s promise regarding your welfare will be fulfilled. If you believe in the grace of our God, that is.

7. You’ll be estranged from your true identity and destiny 

Anyone who rejects their Father in heaven also will deny their true identity. In Genesis 1:26-28 it says you were made in the “image of God.”  We all have a spark of God within us through our souls. This means when we live in contradiction to the Creator’s ideals/image, we suffer—ever had an empty feeling of being lost in this world? You will the further you stray from your true identity as an image-bearer of God.

8. Lack the power to resist and overcome temptation 

Without God, you must acknowledge that you are exponentially more vulnerable to sin. That’s why Psalms 51:12-14 says, “Fashion a pure heart for me, O God; create in me a steadfast spirit. Do not cast me out of Your presence, or take Your holy spirit away from me. Let me again rejoice in Your help; let a vigorous spirit sustain me.” So, children of God can avoid bringing themselves swift destruction simply by seeking and trusting in their Father in heaven.

9. Suffer from moral ambiguity 

God’s teachings are the framework for optimal thinking and living. Or as expressed in Psalms 119:105, “Your word is a lamp to my feet, a light for my path.” Without God in the picture, moral ambiguities like the rise of race-based diversity quotas can take root. The Lord’s word provides clarity, guidance, protection, and peace to those who seek Him.

10. It could lead to material obsession 

And just to be clear, anything that holds a higher position in your life than God is, by definition, idolatry. That, my friends, is a huge insult to God and can lead to stiff consequences. Or as Exodus 20:5 puts it when speaking about idols, “You shall not bow down to them or serve them. For I, your God, am an impassioned God, visiting the guilt of the parents upon the children, upon the third and upon the fourth generations of those who reject Me.”  This was a huge problem for me before I came to God. I thought I had to materially “keep up with the Joneses.” This led me to constant stress and physical ailments. So this is just another one of the many bible verses about denying God and its dire consequences.

Still Not Ready to Renounce Ungodliness and Worldly Passions?

I’ll admit that I don’t fully profess to know God.  

But my affinity to understand His ways comes from a place of reason. I was drawn to God by noticing how often His concepts were validated in real life.

As an aside, I often think to myself, even if men wrote the Bible off the top of their heads, why wouldn’t a nonbeliever just use it as a “self-help” book? There are plenty of those to go around. And nobody questions their authorship. They either help or don’t help. That should be the focus.

Try it with the Bible.  Dare to verify the validity of biblical concepts in your own life. And while you’re at it, ponder this one:

Jeremiah 17:10 says,

“I GOD probe the heart,

Search the mind—

To repay each person according to their own ways,

With the proper fruit of their deeds.”

Another way of saying, “God gives every man according to his ways.” And you’ll be rewarded according to the fruit you bear.

So maybe you cannot serve God right at this moment. Perhaps you continue to deny God until something “hits you.”

But here’s hoping you appreciate the message found in this verse and turn to God before things get “real complicated” in your life.

I’ve definitely witnessed the adverse effects of this verse plenty throughout my lifetime.

Comment below and tell me what you think:

If you were a person not close to God at some point, what were some consequences of your denial of The Almighty? As I alluded to up top, among many things, I felt rudderless and empty – without a purpose in life. What was your experience?