Cursed With A Curse
Over the years, I have faced the question many times, ”Pastor,
why arent we having revival? Why do we not enter more enthusiastically
into worship? Why doesnt the Spirit fall upon us?“ Early in my
ministry, I took these questions as a personal attack - like people
were really saying, ”Whats wrong with your ministry?“ And I have
asked that question, also. I dont take those questions offensively
any more, because I want revival as bad as anyone else, and yes I
do want to know why we dont have it.
I will say, however, that when I hear about revival going on in
other places, what I see and hear is not on the same level as Biblical
revival, and certainly not on the level I want to see. Truly the
only hope for America is revival!
Let me say, at this point, that I have seen a real move of God
come into our church over the past year or two that thrills my
heart. We have become a real family. I feel comfortable, perhaps
too comfortable, sharing my personal life and struggles with you,
as well as my dreams. I see a deep caring among members of the
body for one another that reminds me of what the early church in
Jerusalem must have been like.
And then, I have seen, just in the last few months, an owning of
the ministry. Not a negative possessive type of owning, but a
true heart for ministry being born in many of you. I see a potential
in our young people that is refreshing and exciting. I believe
our youth are going to lead us into revival.
In the midst of that there is a heaviness. Recent events have
uncovered a grievous sin in our midst that I believe will defeat
us if we do not get it in check. You know the enemy will keep
coming back at us with anything he can find. We must stay on
guard, and we must obey God in all things.
Joshua 7:1-12
God had given a clear command and promise for the people of Israel
to possess the promised land. They were going to reap harvests
they had not planted; drink from wells they had not dug; reap
the benefits of someone elses labor, just because God had blessed
them. But now, as they go into battle to possess the city of Ai,
they failed miserably at what should have been an easy victory.
Why? Because someone in their party had transgressed. A man
named Achan had taken something that belonged to God - referred
to here as the accursed thing, the word used also means devoted.
That is, what is supposed to be devoted to God is accursed to man.
Achan had brought a curse upon himself, and upon the whole nation,
by taking what belonged to God.
In other words, they failed to possess the blessing and the promise,
because one man withheld something from God. No amount of prayer
would bypass the transgression.
Ps 66:18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:
Joshua prayed, ”Why Lord…?“
10. And the LORD said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest
thou thus upon thy face?
11 Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant
which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed
thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have
put it even among their own stuff.
12 Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their
enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they
were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy
the accursed from among you.
13 Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against
to morrow: for thus saith the LORD God of Israel, There is an accursed
thing in the midst of thee, O Israel: thou canst not stand before
thine enemies, until ye take away the accursed thing from among
you.
Now. Let me remind you of a few facts we seem to have forgotten.
(And some of you may get mad at me, but I can live with that. I
just cant live with Gods displeasure, and I cant live with not
telling you the truth. I would do you an injustice not to educate
you on this principle.)
Le 27:28-30 Notwithstanding no devoted thing, that a man shall
devote unto the LORD of all that he hath, both of man and beast,
and of the field of his possession, shall be sold or redeemed:
every devoted thing is most holy unto the LORD. None devoted,
which shall be devoted of men, shall be redeemed; but shall surely
be put to death. And all the tithe of the land, whether of the
seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD'S: it
is holy unto the LORD.
The tithe is the Lords! Period!!
Malachi 3
8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein
have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.
9 Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this
whole nation.
10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may
be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD
of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour
you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive
it.
Folks, please hear me. At the present moment, the church is
financially healthy. I am not asking for money. I am giving you
a spiritual principle that we cannot escape - How can we ever
expect revival if we are in disobedience? How can you ever
expect to get ahead if you rob God? We are under a curse!
You want God to bless you financially - you want God to save your
spouse and your children - you want your family to join you in
church - you want God to answer your prayers and grant a spirit
of revival - but how can He? We have tied his hands! We are
choking out the blessings. We are living a lie! We say we love
God - we say we trust God - but our actions say that we don't.
Please hear where I am coming from - I do not want your money.
If I could win the lottery and support the church myself, I would
do it, but that would only paralyze the church. It would rob you
of the blessing of being a part of Gods work, and it would rob
you of the blessings of tithing.
If you dont like what I am saying, then find another church, or
find another pastor - but I will tell you - Nobody could love you
more than I do. And many will withhold this truth from you in
the fear that you will go somewhere else. Im sharing you a truth
from my broken heart. The tithe is the Lords. You will never
get ahead by keeping it.
Listen again to what God says to His people:
Haggai 1
3 Then came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet, saying,
4 Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled houses, and
this house lie waste?
5 Now therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways.
6 Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have
not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe
you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth
wages to put it into a bag with holes.
7 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways.
8 Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house;
and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith
the LORD.
9 Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when ye
brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? saith the LORD of hosts.
Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto
his own house.
10 Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth
is stayed from her fruit.
11 And I called for a drought upon the land, and upon the mountains,
and upon the corn, and upon the new wine, and upon the oil, and
upon that which the ground bringeth forth, and upon men, and upon
cattle, and upon all the labour of the hands.
Gods greatest desire is to bless His people. My greatest desire
is to see each of you prosper spiritually and financially. But
the only way we can receive the blessings of God is to position
ourselves to receive them. Please consider these words!
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