Are we operating under BLESSINGS or CURSES - (Ref. 270318)
The WORD OF YAHWEH (our loving heavenly Father) tells us that there are (DIVINE) BLESSINGS for OBEDIENCE to Yah (God) and HIS COMMANDS/COMMANDMENTS -
BUT
ALSO DIVINE CURSES for DISOBEDIENCE.
OBEYING HIS COMMANDMENTS:
In Deut. 11:26 Yahweh disclosed BLESSINGS and CURSES in the lives of His people. Blessings if they OBEY His COMMANDMENTS ...
DISOBEYING HIS COMMANDMENTS:
... and CURSES IF they WILL NOT OBEY the COMMANDMENTS of Yahweh but TURN ASIDE FROM the WAY He COMMANDED THEM, to go AFTER OTHER gods ..."
Other gods?:
Many times we think that the ... "to go AFTER other gods" is not applicable to us. But other gods are not only pagan gods but ANYTHING that we REVERE MORE than Abba in our lives.
It can also be PRIDE - HATE - ANGER - LUST - PASSIONS - SEXUAL PERVERSITY - WEALTH - GREED - etc.
It can be another person we adore (admire) so much that we will do anything for him/her and even want to be like him/her.
'Self' :
It can be "SELF" in arrogance and self-importance - or the
"SELF" in self-ridicule.
It can be ANYTHING that is TAKING Yahweh's RIGHTFUL PLACE in our HEARTS (spirits) and MINDS (souls - our thoughts and thought-life) - ROBBING US from a HABITUAL INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP with the KING.
Deut. 7:9 "KNOW, RECOGNIZE AND UNDERSTAND therefore that the Elohim your Yahweh, HE IS YAH (God), the FAITHFUL YAH (God), Who KEEPS COVENANT and STEADFAST LOVE and MERCY with THOSE who LOVE HIM and KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS, to a THOUSAND GENERATIONS.
:13 And He will LOVE you, BLESS you, and MULTIPLY you; HE will also BLESS the FRUIT of your BODY and the FRUIT of your LAND, your GRAIN, your new WINE, and your OIL, the INCREASE of your CATTLE and the YOUNG of your FLOCK ...
:14 You SHALL be BLESSED ABOVE ALL PEOPLES; ...
:15 And the Lord will TAKE AWAY from you ALL YOUR SICKNESS ..."
Deut. 11:26 "Behold, I set before you this day a BLESSING and a CURSE -
:27 The BLESSING IF you OBEY the COMMANDMENTS of the Lord your God ...
:28 And the CURSE IF you WILL NOT OBEY the COMMANDMENTS of the Lord your God, but TURN ASIDE FROM the WAY I COMMAND YOU ... to go AFTER OTHER GODS ..." (AMP - emphasis added).
What is going on in our minds:
We must remember that our thought-life - is "SILENT PRAYER" and it can be very destructive in our faith-life. Most of our lives is led in our heads - going over into our actions and our deeds. ALL SIN begins in our thought-life as in the words of Messiah Yahshua Himself in:
Mark 7:20-23
:20 "And He (Yahshua) said, What comes OUT of a MAN is what MAKES him UNCLEAN and RENDERS [him] UN-HALLOWED (profane, blasphemous, ungodly, unbelieving, godless, absurd, immoral, corrupt, vile, despicable, awful, abominable, disgusting, evil, irreligious, disrespectful, wicked, rude, impolite, bad-mannered, ill-mannered, vulgar).
:21 For from WITHIN [that is] OUT OF THE HEARTS of men, come BASE (improper, vile, dreadful, despicable, revolting, awful, hateful, evil, immoral, dishonorable) and WICKED THOUGHTS, SEXUAL IMMORALITY, STEALING, MURDER, ADULTERY,
:22 COVETING (a greedy desire to have more wealth), DANGEROUS and DESTRUCTIVE WICKEDNESS, DECEIT, UNRESTRAINED INDECENT CONDUCT, an EVIL EYE (envy - [jealousy, bitterness, resentment, spite, desire, grude]), SLANDER (evil speaking - [insult, smear, offense, upset, rudeness, attack the dignity], MALICIOUS MIS-REPRESENTATION, ABUSIVENESS), PRIDE [arrogance, self-importance, vanity, self-satisfaction, self-pleasure, self-delight] (the SIN of UPLIFTED HEART AGAINST Yahweh and man) FOOLISHNESS (FOLLY, LACK of SENSE, RECKLESS-NESS, THOUGHT-LESSNESS).
:23 All these EVIL (purposes and desires) COME from WITHIN, and THEY MAKE the man UNCLEAN and RENDER him UN-HALLOWED."
WARNING! :
Our thoughts are SILENT PRAYER.
What goes on in our minds - our thoughts - usually settles in our hearts.
It is for this very reason that the apostle Paul told us to MAKE EVERY THOUGHT OBEDIENT to MESSIAH YAHSHUA. 2 Cor. 10:5b "... and we LEAD EVERY THOUGHT AND PURPOSE AWAY CAPTIVE into the OBEDIENCE of YAHSHUA the MESSIAH, the ANOINTED ONE."
For WE are a SWEET FRAGRANCE:
2 Cor. 2:15 "For we are the SWEET FRAGRANCCE of MESSIAH YAHSHUA [which EXHALES] UNTO YAHWEH, [DISCERNIBLE - visible, obvious, noticeable, evident - ALIKE] AMONG THOSE who are being SAVED AND AMONG THOSE who ARE PERISHING. :16 To the LATTER it is AN AROMA [WAFTED - drifting, blowing, gliding] from DEATH to DEATH [a FATAL ODOR, the SMELL of DOOM]; to the FORMER it is AN AROMA FROM LIFE to LIFE [a VITAL FRAGRANCE, LIVING AND FRESH].
:17 For we are NOT, LIKE so MANY, [like HUCKSTERS - one who sells or advertises something in a dishonest way - one who produces promotional material for commercial use - MAKING a TRADE OF] PEDDLING (pushing, selling, vending, retailing) YAHWEH'S WORD [SHORTCHANGING - to give less than the correct amount of change - AND ADULTERATING - contaminating, spoiling, infecting, polluting, make impure - the DIVINGE MESSAGE]: but LIKE [men] of SINCERITY (genuineness, honesty) and the PUREST MOTIVE, as [COMMISSIONED - ordered, appointed - authorized - assigned - AND SENT] by YAHWEH, we SPEAK [HIS MESSAGE] in MESSIAH YAHSHUA in the VERY SIGHT AND PRESENCE of YAHWEH (God).
O Father please disclose to us through the working of Your Spirit - the other gods in our lives so that we can repent and be cleansed by the BLOOD OF THE LAMB. Open up our spiritual eyes and ears and give us UNDERSTANDING FATHER into the DEEP INTIMATE KNOWLEDGE of YOU that YOU are HOLY and JUST and RIGHTEOUS - that YOU and YOU ALONE are GOD . Help us Father to run the race of life FOUNDED ON YOUR SON, YAHSHUA our MESSIAH - OUR SAVIOR. Amen.