Be Blessed, Not Cursed

It is tried, true, and proven; and it is invariable. You simply cannot resist or refuse something that comes from God without paying a serious price for doing so. Whether it be a word of prophecy, a truth of doctrine, a dream, help of some kind from someone, or anything else; if you turn something away that God has sent your way, you are putting yourself under dominion to the demon spirit that has influenced you to do so. That is not a good place to be my friend. Following the influence of a demon spirit will place one directly in the path of God’s judgment against all who follow after and believe a lie (II Thess. 2:11,12; Rev. 22:15). Isaiah warned Israel of old about the grave danger of vainly worshiping God while failing to recognize what he was trying to do for them for their good: “And the harp, and the viol, the tabret, and pipe, and wine, are in their feasts: but they regard not the work of the Lord, neither consider the operation of his hands… Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure: and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it” (Isa. 5:12,14). God sent a prophet to Amaziah king of Judah to reprove him for worshiping the gods of the Edomites, whom Amaziah and Judah had defeated in battle. Amaziah did not take kindly to the prophet’s rebuke and threatened to have him smitten. The prophet then responded accordingly: “Then the prophet forbare, and said, I know that God hath determined to destroy thee, because thou hast done this, and hast not hearkened unto my counsel” (II Chr. 25:16). When an Israelite prophet prophesied contrary to the prophecy of Jeremiah with a great demonstration of religious drama, God sentenced him to death by the mouth of Jeremiah, and fulfilled that sentence before the year was out (Jer. 28:1-17). The list just goes on, but these few examples should suffice to make the point clearly.

As it is with all things, nothing has changed. God certainly hasn’t changed, and there are still plenty of gainsayers and naysayers who want to do nothing more than to resist and be contentious about something that God has sent their way for their good. I see it continually, that mankind is by and large just bent to his own destruction. The candy apple Christian Gospel of today has conditioned those who adhere to it to be ready and waiting to reject and scoff at anything that God sends their way for their good. And when they reap the fruit of their doings, they simply hunker down to defend their little defenced city with renewed fervor; and they wax all the harder against anything else that the Lord may send their way. None consider the ancient but up to date counsel of Job: “He is wise in heart, and mighty in strength: who hath hardened himself against him, and hath prospered?” (Job. 9:4) But it is noteworthy to mention that nobody actually believes that it is God that they are hardening themselves against, or even that they are hardening themselves at all. Those who deceive themselves in these kinds of things always find a ‘good’ reason for refusing the hand of God in whatever he sends. Jesus warned of the result of this kind of deception, saying, “Yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me” (Jn. 16:2,3). Of course the ‘you’ in this equation are the true followers of Jesus, and the ‘they’ in the formula are God’s people who are NOT truly following Jesus, but think that they ARE.

The Jews who rejected Jesus and had him put to death are the ultimate example of refusing the good that God has sent. And history bears witness loud and clear that they should not only have not rejected Jesus, but also that they should never had said the following ABOUT it: “His blood be on us, and on our children” (Mat. 27:25). God heard those words my friend, and he has not forgotten them. So it is evident that we should with soberness and godly fear realize that it is a very serious thing, as Isaiah said, to “regard not the work of the Lord, neither consider the operation of his hands.” My friend, we will be without excuse if we refuse to “hear what the Spirit saith unto the [congregations],” and if we fail to recognize what, how, and through whom God chooses to work his work for our good (Rev. 3:13). In fact prophets themselves have been warned with this divine warning that applies to us all: “Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another? Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me” (Mat. 11:2-6). The challenge to John’s faith is the one that is presented to all of God’s people, so we should always heed the admonition of wisdom: “Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not. Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors. For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the Lord. But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death” (Prov. 8:33-36). Amen.