BLESSINGS AND CURSES

MEMORY VERSE: As the bird by wandering, as the swallow by flying, so the curse causeless shall not come. Proverbs 26:2

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Proverbs 7

What is a blessing? A blessing is a summons to all the forces in heaven, on earth, and underneath the earth to work in favor of a man. A curse, on the other hand, is a summons to all the forces in heaven, on earth, and underneath the earth to work against a man. When a man is under a curse everything God created will work against him. When a man is under a curse people will hate him for no reason – even people who don’t know him from Adam. Look at what Cain said after he was cursed. Genesis 4:14 says, “... and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me.”

Blessings and curses don’t have an expiry date. They, especially curses, travel from generation to generation. In Joshua 6, Joshua put a curse on Jericho. Verse 26 says, “And Joshua adjured them at that time, saying, Cursed be the man before the LORD, that riseth up and buildeth this city Jericho: he shall lay the foundation thereof in his firstborn, and in his youngest son shall he set up the gates of it.” Hundreds of years later, one man by the name of Hiel tried to rebuild the wall of Jericho and the curse came on him. 1 Kings 16:34 says, “In his days did Hiel the Bethelite build Jericho: he laid the foundation thereof in Abiram his firstborn, and set up the gates thereof in his youngest son Segub, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Joshua the son of Nun.” Curses are real and powerful, so also are blessings. Do everything possible to get the latter.

There are two sets of people who can change the course of one’s life through blessings and curses. The first is one’s parents especially one’s father. All your father needs to say is "God bless you" and you are made. Even if he is an unbeliever; his blessings can put an end to struggling in your life. His curses, which i pray you don’t get, can change the course of your life. Reuben is an example of a son who was cursed. Although, he had everything going on for him, he was the firstborn and all that. Because he slept with his father's concubine, the father cursed him and that cancelled out the blessing of the first born upon his life. The second is one’s spiritual parents i.e. your pastors. Your pastor may not be as educated as you are, he may not even be able to speak the Queen’s English but i want you to know that his blessings can turn your life around for good and his curse can do the opposite. Blessings and curses are not free; they are provoked. Proverbs 26:2 says, “As the bird by wandering, as the swallow by flying, so the curse causeless shall not come.” Although, Esau was the firstborn of Isaac, he still had to provoke his father’s blessing. Genesis 27:4-3 says, “Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me some venison; And make me savoury meat, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat; that my soul may bless thee before I die.”

NOTE: If your father or spiritual father blesses you, you are made and if they curse you, God have mercy!

ACTION: Do everything possible to get their blessings not their curse. One way to provoke their blessings is by making them happy.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world

POWER WITHOUT CONTROL

Sunday12 August                                               Bible in one year : Joshua 19-21

Memorise: out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be . James 3:10

James 3:5-12

Elijah was one Bible character that experienced victory all the way. In 2 Kings 1:19-15 , some sets of soldiers came to arrest him but soon realised that they were the ones being arrested. Those who surrendered , he spared but those who refused to surrender, he roasted alive.He was so full of power. Power is good but very dangerous. It is commonly said that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.If you have power , you need lots of restraint less it turns your victory into defeat. With the power of God, you can easily secure victory but you need humility and the fruit of the Spirit to sustain that victory. A minister of God who uses his or her tongue unadvisedly will soon erode the gains of victory earlier obtained. What is the use of power without control? One reason God had not increase His anointing on some of His children or answered some who are petitioning Him for higher levels of anointing is because they cannot handle it , that is to say, they cannot control it.

If you are the type that easily curses your children or wards ,if God anoints you , you will not know when you will place a curse on them and it will stick. Pastors who curse members or workers are fast eroding their victories. If you have common sense, you will know that it is wrong to curse anyone who volunteers his or her service to God just because the fellow made a mistake . There are better ways of correcting the fellow but not through a curse. If you are fond of cursing those you should be protecting ,something is wrong with you; you should rather be blessing them. In addition, if God’s power in your life makes you proud, or to feel that you are better than your neighbour , you will lose your victory. One attribute God cannot stand is pride.God fights the proud because they compare themselves with Him, so He will want to prove a point that they nothing without Him. Are you proud of your achievements,You may soon lose them. To keep your victory permanent , handle with them lots of humility, thanksgiving and giving all credits to God alone. God hates the proud: are you proud? Repent today!

ACTION POINT: If you pray for power, pray doubly for the grace to control it.

Excerpts from Open Heavens Daily Devotional by Pastor E.A Adeboye