Breaking Generational Curses:

Ex. 20:4-6 “You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments."

I believe the reason God would punish the future generations with the sins of their fathers, is because of God's bitter hatred for sin. He would require somebody who practiced witchcraft to be put to death (Exodus 22:18). He knows that one of the most prized possessions we have, is our children, and therefore it makes sin a lot harder to commit when you realize that you are not the only one that is being punished for it, but also your own children are going to pay the price for your foolishness. The whole human race fell thanks to Adam's sin for that matter.​

Have you been experiencing these issues:

- Continual financial problems.

- Continual lack of prosperity.

- Chronic physical or mental illnesses.

- Premature death.

- Multiple or repetitive accidents or injuries, particularly of the same type.

- Chronic strife or arguments or problems with interpersonal relationships.

- Hereditary physical or emotional problems.

- Poor eating or sleeping habits in infants or children.

- Business failures, single or repeated.

- Inability to conceive children or multiple miscarriages."

The good news is that once you accept Jesus, the transference of bondage stops from your ancestors by means of generational curses. You can no longer receive spiritual bondages in this manner from your parents once you accept Jesus!

Christ was made a curse, so we can be freed from the curses that sin (both our sins and those of our forefathers) has brought us. Galatians 3:13, "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:"...Thank you JESUS.

Once you become a child of God, no longer will the sins of your forefathers cause curses to transfer into your life: Jeremiah 31:29-30, "In those days they shall say no more, The fathers have eaten a sour grape, and the children's teeth are set on edge. But every one shall die for his own iniquity: every man that eateth the sour grape, his teeth shall be set on edge."

My Affliction is Working for my Multiplication

This Pharaoh realized that there were more Israelites than there were Egyptians. If they combined with one of Egypt's enemies, like the Hittites, the Egyptians would be in a bad place. So he enslaved them - appointed taskmasters over them.

Exod. 1:12 But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied

This is a principle of God - that growth comes from affliction. When the Israelites went through affliction, they multiplied. When the church goes through affliction, it too multiplies.

Paul wrote from prison to the Philippians,

Phil. 1:12-14 Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel, so that my imprisonment in {the cause of} Christ has become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else, and that most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear.

When the persecution broke out against the church in Acts 8, it spread the Christians into Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch. There they preached Jesus and a large number turned to the Lord.

That is why the American church does not grow exponentially - because we "enjoy" freedom from affliction. But the day will come that tribulation hits the Christians in our country, as it has the Christians in the majority of the rest of the world, and people will have to make a stand. The religious fakers will be weeded out from the true followers of Christ. In that day, the church will begin to see real multiplication. Glory

Beware Of Ministry Pitfalls!

1. Neglecting daily personal devotions. The danger in ministry is that all of our energy is pointed at studying for others and we can easily neglect studying the Word for our own edification.  This naturally creates a weak spiritual framework for our lives where others are fed while we remain hungry.

2. Lack of accountability.  There should always be a pastor, preacher, prophet, or leader that can tell us the truth and not just what we want to hear. King David needed to have a Nathan in his life to be saved (2 Samuel 12:1-13).  We all need a voice of authority regardless of how much authority we may wield.

3. Lack of self-control. Self-control is a vital ability the ministry should exhibit even in areas that may or may not be classified as sinful.  Impulsiveness may be charming, but it is also dangerous especially when you are tasked with caring for the well-being of others.  Finance and temper are two areas that are often troublesome for ministers who struggle with self-control.

4. Getting too comfortable. I know some of us wish we had this struggle but before you laugh it off remember that complacency is a tragedy. The church and especially its leaders must remain vigilant lest we fall asleep waiting on the Bridegrooms return.

5. Getting too defensive.  I realize that the ministry and the things of God are constantly under severe attack, but it is unhealthy and counterproductive to be constantly defensive rather than offensive.  Admittedly, sometimes the best offense is a good defense, however, that can morph into a hunker-down mentality when we should be advancing.

7  Things that Cause us to Grow Weary!

Paul encourages us in Galatians 6:9 to not be weary in well doing; I know, I know, easier said than done. I’ve identified seven culprits that can cause us to be weary of doing good even in the good times. Here are seven things that make us weary in well doing:

1. Discouragement 

I think it’s interesting that Elijah found himself in his darkest moment of depression immediately after witnessing fire fall from heaven (1 Kings 19:4).

2. Murmuring 

Time and time again Moses had to deal with a murmuring congregation that would not trust God’s plan. It took a toll on Moses (Numbers 14:27). Be careful about spending too much time with murmurers and complainers because eventually it will impact your spirit.

3. Giants (Obstacles)

The entire Israelite army was reduced to hiding in fear because of one Goliath (1 Samuel 17). Scary obstacles still paralyze people today, and they will keep us from living victoriously if we aren’t careful.

4. Hypocrites 

We all know them! And they wear us out if we get too focused on them. Often they come and go as if they are genuine and just the weight of knowing who and what they really are causes frustration in the sincere Christians life. Don’t allow hypocrites to distract you from the genuine.

5. Slow Moving Miracles

When Jesus healed the ten lepers he told them to go and show themselves to the priest, but their miracle was not yet apparent (Luke 17:11-19). As they walked in obedience, it became clear to them that a miracle had occurred in their bodies. Sometimes miracles are slow moving and we have to walk in obedience for a season without any real proof of God’s power. This can be discouraging but if we keep walking we will see the miracle come to pass.

6. Strange Miracles

Jesus was often unorthodox in his methodology. It must have seemed strange when he spit in the mud and rubbed it on a blind man’s face (John 9:6). I mean, who wants to walk around city walls for seven days straight? But God sometimes does things in ways that seem odd to us. How many people have missed out on what God has for them because they faltered at His instructions?

7. Reoccurring Enemies & Familiar Battles 

The Philistines alone are mentioned 217 times in the Bible. Even after David killed Goliath and routed the Philistines he had to fight them many times thereafter. Enemies and battles that seem to resurface over and over again will wear us down over time. That temptation that you keep beating down only to face it again will cause discouragement. But remember, if God delivered you then He can deliver you now.

9 Signs That You Might Be Weary In Well Doing​!

Sometimes we are spiritually worn down and we don’t even recognize that there is a problem until it has spiraled out of control.  The following is a series of warning signs that should make our internal alarms start beeping when detected.

1. Lack of Prayer

I could quote tons of Scriptures about the importance of prayer, but in the end prayer is about having a relationship with God. If you are failing to communicate regularly with the Lord your relationship is not healthy. We instinctively understand this principle in our relationships with other humans, but we often fail to understand it in relationship to God.

2. Half-Hearted Praise

When Mary performed that beautiful act of worship by anointing Jesus’ feet with expensive oil Judas expressed displeasure at her extravagance (John 12:3-6). Now that we have the advantage of hindsight we can clearly see that Judas was exhibiting a warning sign of weariness in well doing. When we begin withholding praise and feel critical of another’s praise we should quickly make some spiritual corrections.

3. Habitually Missing Church

I should clarify that we all miss services from time to time with legitimate reasons, however, I am referring to those seasons of missing for no good reason. We all know the Scripture (Hebrews 10:25) that commands us to stay faithful in our church attendance, and yet the assembling together of the saints is far more than a stuffy commandment; it is for our own edification. Our carnal nature tends to pull away from the very thing that we need the most when we are weary in well doing. Keep a sharp eye out for this important warning sign.

4. Murmuring & Complaining

Whenever the Hebrews were about to do something really horrific that stirred God’s wrath it was always preceded by murmuring (Exodus 16:8; Numbers 14:27; Numbers 17:5). We all become frustrated and need to vent once in a while, but if it becomes the norm you have a serious spiritual condition that needs immediate attention.

5. Spiked Levels of Temptation & Intensified Longings For Worldliness 

When Lot made that fateful decision to lead his family towards and eventually into Sodom it began because of the blessings of God (Genesis 13:6-12); the trend towards Sodom began during the good times. It is extremely important that we constantly check our direction and our desires.  Sometimes we need to desperately pray as the Psalmist did, “Create in me a clean heart, O God and renew a right spirit within me (Psalm 51:10).”

6. Quick to Anger, Quick to Offense & Quick to Speak 

On at least five separate occasions, Scripture describes God as being slow to anger (Nehemiah 9:17; Psalm 103:8; Psalm 145:8; Joel 2:13; Jonah 4:2). When we display the opposite characteristics of God we should always take a spiritual inventory.

7. Unwillingness to Participate In the Kingdom of God  

1 Peter 4:10-11 makes it clear that every Christian has a calling to be involved in the Kingdom of God according to their specific gifts. Refusal to participate or stay involved is usually indicative of a deeper problem.

8. Bitterness 

The apostle Paul acknowledged the defiling power of bitterness in Hebrews 12:15.  The subject of bitterness alone could fill volumes and volumes but just know that it is one of the most dangerous warning signs of all.  Bitterness starts out small and quickly grows into an unavoidable problem if left unhindered.  It is possible to be right the wrong way, and one of the most common ways to be right the wrong way is to be right and bitter at the same time.

9. Rebellion

Rebellion against God or God-given authority is never ok and it never ends well; if you remain unconvinced just consider King Saul, Lucifer, or Judas.

1 Peter 5:5...Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.

This commandment flew in the face of the Greek culture because, like ours, it glorified self-assertion and aggressiveness. They worshipped bodily perfection and “wisdom,” as they called it, flaunting it before others as a basis on which a relationship would be conducted. Feeling better than, or being seen as better than, others was very important to people in the Greek world.

Greek culture like ours glorified youthfulness and the apostle Peter felt a holy unction to warn the Church against the dangerous sin of exalting youth and beauty above the wisdom of the elders. Godly young men and young women run from arrogance and seek out the wisdom that only age and grace can produce.

God commands us to be clothed with humility. Humility is pride’s opposite, its antonym. We learn a great deal about humility when we just do the opposite of what the Bible teaches us about pride. Part of the key to understanding humility is in this short phrase “just do.” Just do it, as the Nike® advertisement urges. Why would God want us to do such a thing? Because true humility is a choice. It is not something that comes naturally. We have to choose to do it.

Peter says that we must “be clothed with humility.” We must put on humility just as we put on our clothes. Doing either of these activities is a choice. In this phrase, the apostle is reminiscing about Jesus at His last Passover, when He clothed Himself with an apron and knelt down before His disciples, including Peter, washing their feet as an example of His mind, His attitude, toward them (John 13:1-17). He girded himself and performed this lowly act. He had to put on, choose to practice, humility to do that. Everyday we must reach past the garment of pride and clothe ourselves in humility.

God has called each of us to walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh (Galatians 5:16).

Carnality can be defined simply as a Christian who leans towards worldliness. It is possible to be carnal and not totally backslidden, however, those who flirt with worldliness long enough usually divorce themselves from God eventually or vice versa. I regularly check my own attitudes, actions, and influences for any trace of deadly carnality. It is my prayer that this blog has been written with and that it will be read with a spirit that desires to please God.  

30 Characteristics of Carnality:

…going to church is a low priority in your life.

…your activities at church only involve one-day a week or less.

…you are more comfortable around sin than you are around righteousness.

…you regularly make fun of, laugh at, or become angered by righteousness (spiritual things).

…you have no spiritual disciplines for prayer, Bible reading, Bible study, Bible memorization, witnessing, or fasting.

…you become angered by preaching that challenges, convicts, corrects, rebukes, or even nudges you a little bit.

…you dislike worshipping and other people’s outward demonstrations of worship annoy you as well.

…you don’t want pastoral authority or advice (you may or may not say this verbally, but you feel it inwardly).

…you will only do things for God that others will notice and applaud.  You are unwilling to do small, menial tasks for others, the church, and God’s kingdom in general.

…you regularly give into temptation and get tripped up by the same sins over and over again (even after repenting).

…you live on a steady diet of worldly music and entertainment of all kinds that promote, glorify, and justify sinful activities.

…you will not listen to godly advice even from Church leaders, close family or friends.

…God is not the first priority in your life.

…you withhold your tithes (10% of your income) from God, do not give offerings, or ever give sacrificially (giving until and/or when it hurts).

…you don’t think you have any room for improvement or spiritual progress.

…you regularly participate in gossip, backbiting, and contribute to arguments and strife.

…you look for controversies and ways to bring divisions rather than seeking peace and unity with all mankind.

…you are regularly filled with envy, rage, jealousy, pride, or any other emotion that does not reflect the fruit of the Spirit.

…you put you first rather than others.

…you can’t remember the last time you repented to God or another individual for wrongdoing.

…humility is a word that makes you uncomfortable.

…you are secretly dishonest but would like for people to view you as trustworthy.

…you regularly lie, but you think it’s ok because you don’t get caught.

…you are constantly looking for loopholes in God’s Word rather surrendering to its authority.

…you get more excited over a football game (or you can fill in the blank with your favorite distraction) than you do the goodness of God.

…you can’t remember the last time you talked about God outside of a church function.

…you regularly let your mind dwell on lustful, immoral, wicked, and evil things, but you think its ok because you haven’t acted on them.

…you have no respect for Godly elders and opinions other than your own.

…you do not value those who labor in the Word (preachers, pastors, prophets, evangelists, missionaries, and teachers).  You do not think they are worthy of a double portion (or any portion for that matter).

…you have not felt the presence of God in a long, long time.

2017 IT’S TIME TO ACCELERATE!

JOB 22:21-29.....21 Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee.22 Receive, I pray thee, the law from his mouth, and lay up his words in thine heart.23 If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up, thou shalt put away iniquity far from thy tabernacles.24 Then shalt thou lay up gold as dust, and the gold of Ophir as the stones of the brooks.25 Yea, the Almighty shall be thy defense, and thou shalt have plenty of silver.26 For then shalt thou have thy delight in the Almighty, and shalt lift up thy face unto God.27 Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he shall hear thee, and thou shalt pay thy vows.28 Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways.29 When men are cast down, then thou shalt say, There is lifting up; and he shall save the humble person.

In Job 22:21-29 there is a prophetic revelation of a list of areas in which The Lord wants to accelerate the good that pertains to your life. The key to this acceleration is to ACQUAINT YOURSELF WITH GOD, i.e. get to know Him and to be in agreement with Him and His Word. The key to Divine acceleration in your life is therefore DEVOTION OR SPENDING TIME WITH GOD IN HIS WORD AND IN PERSONAL PRAYER that you may understand who He is, His nature and ability, what pleases or displeases Him and what propels Him to work. 

Job 22:21-23: One of the most important promises of God to you, and also a result of devotion is that YOU WILL BE BUILT UP. This means that in every dimension of your life - in spirit, soul and body, in stature, in economy, in faith, in love, in knowing and serving God etc, God is working with you to bring you to a place of growth, sufficiency, strength and maturity. THE WORD IS GOD's MAIN TOOL IN BUILDING US UP. 1 Peter 2verse 1, 2. 

Job 22:24 -27 A very important component of the good that God wants to bring to your life as you spend time with Him is to bring you into the BLESSING OF DIVINE ECONOMY. This is a life in which He empowers you to create ABUNDANT WEALTH as you follow the Divine principle of honoring Him by putting first your financial service to Him in faithful giving of tithes and offerings and fulfilling whatever vows you have made to serve Him. 

Vs. 21......The Lord wants to accelerate our PEACE and WELL BEING in all things. The Lord wants to accelerate the coming of GOOD to you & I in all areas of our life.

Vs. 22.......The Lord wants to accelerate BUILDING YOU UP in all areas - leading to a wholesome TRANSFORMATION that brings out holiness. 

Vs. 23-24....The Lord wants to accelerate your GATHERING OF WEALTH to where your abundance blesses His House and people's lives. You will practice Divine Economics which is MULTIPLICATION.

Vs. 25....The Lord wants to beef up DEFENSES around all that pertains to you. 

Vs. 26-28.....The Lord wants to increase your REVELATION and CONFIDENCE TO DECREE THINGS SO THAT THEY COME TO PASS.

Vs. 29.....The Lord wants to accelerate HIS ANSWERS TO YOUR PRAYERS.

I'M PRAISING MY WAY TO MY HARVEST IN THE MIDST OF MY TRIBULATION.

"Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee. Then shall the earth yield her increase; and God even our own God, shall bless us." Psalm 67: 5-6

Are you one of God's children that have been waiting with great expectations for blessings from the Lord? Have you been consistently sowing and not experiencing the blessings that you expected to receive?

There is an ingredient that just might be missing in your life that will bring forth the blessing that you have been waiting and desiring to receive.

Anything that you receive from God must come through faith. Where there is no faith there will be no victory. "Without faith it is impossible to please God." Your Heavenly Father expects you to put all of your trust in Him without any wavering or doubt. Even when you do not see anything, you must know that God will not fail you.

When the manifestation that you desire does not come, what do you do? What is your response when everything appears to be falling apart and going in the opposite direction? What comes out of your mouth when the job did not come, the car is not running and the bills are all past due? The majority of people, even those who are children of God will begin to murmur and complain. Speaking and thinking negative will only yield negative results.

God has set forth in His word the plan for overcoming temporary setbacks. 

First of all, you must realize that anyone who achieves great things for God will go through some challenges and obstacles in life. These light afflictions only come to allow us to exercise the faith that God has given to each of His children. The language of faith that moves mountains is praise.

Praising God in the midst of any challenge will cause God’s power to be release in the earth. Most of the children of God spend little or no time praising God. Often times those who do praise or offer up thanksgiving do not realize the power that is being released out into the universe. 

When you praise God the Bible says that He inhabits the praises of His people. God actually gets involved in your praises. This means that His very essence and power is now available to bring forth what you have been waiting for.

Phil 4:6 tells you to have no anxiety about anything. Instead, with prayer and thanksgiving continue to make your wants known to God. 

This means that you are going to continue to thank and praise God for the desired results that you expect to receive.

Your sincere praise brings glory and honor to God. Praise that comes from a sincere heart will always get the attention of our God. The power of God is already at work in the earth. He is just waiting for you to offer up a sacrifice of praise unto Him with a sincere heart.

Even in the most difficult situation when everything appears to be going in the opposite direction; sincere praise can bring forth a harvest in the midst of tribulation.

If you have been waiting for a release of God’s blessings into your life and nothing has happen. Instead of seeing the manifestation of your harvest, things have gotten worst. Just know that praise that is consistent will create a climate for the release that you desire to see come forth from God. After you praise, “then shall the earth yield her increase and God even our God will bless us.

Your faith mixed with praise can bring forth the miraculous power of God into your life.  Become determined to bless the Lord at all times and keep His praise continually coming forth out of your mouth. As the praises go up before our God, the earth must yield her increase and God even our own God will send forth the blessings. Expect to see the miracle working power of God manifested in your life in 2017.

NOT JUST LIFE BUT THE BLESSED LIFE!

GENESIS 1:27-28 (NKJV):

27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

After God created man the first thing he did was bless man. Not just life but the BLESSED LIFE. THE BLESSED LIFE FOLLOWS LIFE.

A blessed life is a life which attracts God's blessing and favor into our environment. How you live determines what you attract into your environment. You shall know them by their FRUIT. God wants to bless his people! NOT JUST LIFE BUT THE BLESSED LIFE!

Deuteronomy 8:18 (NKJV)

18 “And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.

God gives us power to get wealth, Faith without works is dead, we have to apply what GOD has given us in order to establish his covenant he made with our fathers. NOT JUST LIFE BUT THE BLESSED LIFE!

God blessed man and woman at creation because he wanted them to live a blessed life. The blessing was the first gift and asset which man received from God. 

Man and woman were created to be an expression of God's blessing. God created man and woman to live a blessed life and not a cursed life.

THE BLESSINGS WHICH WERE GIVEN TO ADAM AT CREATION WAS A SPOKEN BLESSING!

Blessings are transmitted through the spoken word of God.

Numbers 6:23-26 (NKJV):

23 “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, ‘This is the way you shall bless the children of Israel. Say to them:24 “The Lord bless you and keep you;25 The Lord make His face shine upon you,And be gracious to you;
26 The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,And give you peace.”’

If it is not spoken it will not manifest.

Blessings flow through spiritual authorities which God has established.

It is Priests who carry the authority to bless the flock.

It is parents who carry the authority to bless children.

It is husbands who carry the authority to bless wives.

IT WAS A BLESSING OF INCREASE AND FRUITFULNESS: Increase and fruitfulness is the manifestation of a blessed life. A blessing gives us power for increase and fruitfulness. Whatever carries the blessing will always increase and not decrease. NOT JUST LIFE BUT THE BLESSED LIFE!

 IT WAS A BLESSING OF SPIRITUAL AUTHORITY: A blessing gives you authority and power over the forces of nature and the forces of satan.

 IT WAS A BLESSING OF LEADERSHIP AND INFLUENCE: God created man to be above and not below, to be the head and not the tail.

Leadership is a blessing from God. The Tribe of Judah received the blessing of leadership and rulership.

MAN WAS BLESSED WITH SEED AT CREATION:  Every blessing from God comes with a seed. God gave seed to perpetuate life and blessing. God has hidden life into a seed. No seed no life. No seed no blessing.

Genesis 8:22 KJV - 22 While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.

Seed time and harvest will never cease it is a principal application from creation.

A BLESSEDED LIFE IS A CHOICE:

Deuteronomy 30:19 KJV - 19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:

WE LIVE A BLESSED LIFE BY PUTTING GOD FIRST:  Matthew 6:33 - Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these shall be added unto you.

WE LIVE A BLESSED LIFE THROUGH OBEDIENCE AND FAITH:  Deuteronomy 28:1 - if you fully obey the commands I give you today

WE LIVE A BLESSED LIFE BY BLESSING WHAT GOD HAS BLESSED:  Genesis 12:3 - Whoever blesses you I will bless.

 WE LIVE A BLESSED LIFE THROUGH ACTS OF GENEROSITY: Prov 19:17 KJV ...He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD; and that which he hath given will he pay him again.

NOT JUST LIFE BUT THE BLESSED LIFE!