2014 Blessings and Curses
Greetings in the Lord!
I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving holiday and were able to spend some time with their loved ones. It is now a busy Monday, back to work and school, and the routines of life. It is also a very windy, almost blustery day, here in the mountains. That always means the weather will be changing dramatically in the near future. On today's morning, I happen to believe it another prophetic reference to the word the Lord I shared early last month about winds blowing over the US. There are several places in Scripture where the "winds" are called upon to blow through with the purposes of God. 'Winds' are used a couple ways in Scripture, but also an allegory of divine judgment or correction, or a trial sent by the Lord. And if there is one thing I have learned over the years, it is that the spirit and natural realm are linked together, while the Spirit of the Lord opens the eyes of our hearts to discern His meaning. So, as 2013 draws to a close, I see that the Lord's Presence continues to swiftly blow in over the land. I say 'continues,' because on the Jewish calendar, the new year began back in September, and the winds began stirring up then. I've already written that 2014 will be a bumpy year ahead, and with the intensity of the wind storms we've been having, I feel no less certain about it. Today's word sheds some light upon this new season--a reason for the season, so to speak, and then offers encouragement for the faithful in the land; the ones who humble themselves at the feet of Jesus and commit themselves to walking in His ways. Great blessings are in store for those who love the Lord and delight to serve Him. For in 2014, "you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not." Malachi 3:18
To help us understand the upcoming year, the Lord led me to read Malachi chapters 2 and 3. The spiritual condition of God's people at that time was that they simply did not believe God--not His words, not His love for them, not His power over all the earth or His promises to bless them if they followed His ways. They were religiously cynical and sought to go about life in their own way, which led to a serious decline in morality. Such is the spiritual condition of much of the US today. In Malachi 2 & 3 the issues at hand were listed as court indictments:
"I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive aliens of justice, but do not fear me, says the Lord Almighty." Malachi 3:5
Chapter two also mentions about 'priests' who teach lies, which, since we have the Word of the Lord here in the US, could mean anyone who grew up in the church but now teaches and promotes false ideologies and religions, and doctrines against the truth of His Word. They have a knowledge of God, but have cut out and changed what they don't like to suit themselves. Our society is inundated with that kind of "knowledge," unfortunately. Add to this issue, "sorcerers", which like it or not, includes those who have and enjoy things like Harry Potter books, witchcraft, magic arts, or a huge list of demonically-inspired entertainment. We will see the distinction grow between people who practice and endorse these things and those who refuse to have anything to do with it because they love and obey God's Word. Amen.
The verse in Malachi also includes "adultery" and "perjury". These are understood in the literal sense, but also, as an extension of what was discussed above because to promote false doctrines is perjury--a false testimony against God--and adultery includes the spirit realm, where one breaks faith with God to join with a false or foreign god or idol. That is why when God was talking about Saudi Arabia to me, He referred to it as "The Land of Adultery" because of the rampant adultery of the men there (and by default, women through prostitution and coercion) and also because they primarily worship a false god. But we in the US cannot stand on a pedestal--our divorce rate is over fifty percent! Our TV shows and movies are full of sexual immorality and glamorize sexual sin. That is adultery, too. So, expect this next year a growing distinction between those who choose fidelity in their marriages and those who do not; between those who live with honesty with people and those who live by falsehoods and deception; between those who choose to walk in peace with people and those who love violence. Blessings will cover the lives of those who choose God, and curses, which come in the form of evil spirits to wreak havoc, will come to those who refuse God's ways, maybe through non-catastrophic ways in part, but in whole, the nasty fruit is obvious. The sons of darkness will get darker and the sons of Light will shine brighter in 2014.
So, as we pray fervently for the presence of the Lord...He will come to us!
"But who can endure the day of His coming? Who can stand when He appears? For He will be like a launderer's soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; He will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the Lord, as in days gone by, as in former years." Malachi 3:2-4.
And just like in Zechariah 3, so the Lord desires to save us from the fire; to put clean clothes on us (righteousness) and a new turban (spiritual authority). For this new year will be a powerful year for those who opt to serve the Lord.
The angel of the Lord gave this charge to Joshua: "This is what the Lord Almighty says: 'If you will walk in My ways and keep My requirements, then you will govern My house and have charge of My courts, and I will give you a place among these standing here." Zechariah 4:6-7.
The Lord desires to bless His people and reinstate them as servants of the Lord; He desires to restore the land to true peace and security after the refining process has done its work.
~Be blessed and be a blessing.
I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving holiday and were able to spend some time with their loved ones. It is now a busy Monday, back to work and school, and the routines of life. It is also a very windy, almost blustery day, here in the mountains. That always means the weather will be changing dramatically in the near future. On today's morning, I happen to believe it another prophetic reference to the word the Lord I shared early last month about winds blowing over the US. There are several places in Scripture where the "winds" are called upon to blow through with the purposes of God. 'Winds' are used a couple ways in Scripture, but also an allegory of divine judgment or correction, or a trial sent by the Lord. And if there is one thing I have learned over the years, it is that the spirit and natural realm are linked together, while the Spirit of the Lord opens the eyes of our hearts to discern His meaning. So, as 2013 draws to a close, I see that the Lord's Presence continues to swiftly blow in over the land. I say 'continues,' because on the Jewish calendar, the new year began back in September, and the winds began stirring up then. I've already written that 2014 will be a bumpy year ahead, and with the intensity of the wind storms we've been having, I feel no less certain about it. Today's word sheds some light upon this new season--a reason for the season, so to speak, and then offers encouragement for the faithful in the land; the ones who humble themselves at the feet of Jesus and commit themselves to walking in His ways. Great blessings are in store for those who love the Lord and delight to serve Him. For in 2014, "you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not." Malachi 3:18
To help us understand the upcoming year, the Lord led me to read Malachi chapters 2 and 3. The spiritual condition of God's people at that time was that they simply did not believe God--not His words, not His love for them, not His power over all the earth or His promises to bless them if they followed His ways. They were religiously cynical and sought to go about life in their own way, which led to a serious decline in morality. Such is the spiritual condition of much of the US today. In Malachi 2 & 3 the issues at hand were listed as court indictments:
"I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive aliens of justice, but do not fear me, says the Lord Almighty." Malachi 3:5
Chapter two also mentions about 'priests' who teach lies, which, since we have the Word of the Lord here in the US, could mean anyone who grew up in the church but now teaches and promotes false ideologies and religions, and doctrines against the truth of His Word. They have a knowledge of God, but have cut out and changed what they don't like to suit themselves. Our society is inundated with that kind of "knowledge," unfortunately. Add to this issue, "sorcerers", which like it or not, includes those who have and enjoy things like Harry Potter books, witchcraft, magic arts, or a huge list of demonically-inspired entertainment. We will see the distinction grow between people who practice and endorse these things and those who refuse to have anything to do with it because they love and obey God's Word. Amen.
The verse in Malachi also includes "adultery" and "perjury". These are understood in the literal sense, but also, as an extension of what was discussed above because to promote false doctrines is perjury--a false testimony against God--and adultery includes the spirit realm, where one breaks faith with God to join with a false or foreign god or idol. That is why when God was talking about Saudi Arabia to me, He referred to it as "The Land of Adultery" because of the rampant adultery of the men there (and by default, women through prostitution and coercion) and also because they primarily worship a false god. But we in the US cannot stand on a pedestal--our divorce rate is over fifty percent! Our TV shows and movies are full of sexual immorality and glamorize sexual sin. That is adultery, too. So, expect this next year a growing distinction between those who choose fidelity in their marriages and those who do not; between those who live with honesty with people and those who live by falsehoods and deception; between those who choose to walk in peace with people and those who love violence. Blessings will cover the lives of those who choose God, and curses, which come in the form of evil spirits to wreak havoc, will come to those who refuse God's ways, maybe through non-catastrophic ways in part, but in whole, the nasty fruit is obvious. The sons of darkness will get darker and the sons of Light will shine brighter in 2014.
So, as we pray fervently for the presence of the Lord...He will come to us!
"But who can endure the day of His coming? Who can stand when He appears? For He will be like a launderer's soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; He will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the Lord, as in days gone by, as in former years." Malachi 3:2-4.
And just like in Zechariah 3, so the Lord desires to save us from the fire; to put clean clothes on us (righteousness) and a new turban (spiritual authority). For this new year will be a powerful year for those who opt to serve the Lord.
The angel of the Lord gave this charge to Joshua: "This is what the Lord Almighty says: 'If you will walk in My ways and keep My requirements, then you will govern My house and have charge of My courts, and I will give you a place among these standing here." Zechariah 4:6-7.
The Lord desires to bless His people and reinstate them as servants of the Lord; He desires to restore the land to true peace and security after the refining process has done its work.
~Be blessed and be a blessing.
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