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1 Chronicles 29: 11-12

11 Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, The power and the glory, The victory and the majesty; For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the Kingdom, O Lord, and You are exalted as head over all. 12. Both riches and honor come from You, and You reign over all. In Your hand is power and might; in Your hand it is to make great And to give strength to all. NKJV

 

The purpose of the Temple was to exalt the Lord, and to acknowledge the universality of His kingdom. David modeled before the people to worship of the living God, it typically starts with the praise for God’s eternity, his complete control over the universe, and his great power. He is the glorious master over all.

 

David confessed that the riches and honor. He enjoyed had come from God’s generosity. The offerings he and his people had just made were possible only because God 1st had given to them, able to offer so willingly: not only the ability to give, but the willingness to give, is the gift of God.

#1Chronicles29:11-12

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Cursing and Blessings, What Are They?

Did you know that words can change the atmosphere? Words can be used for evil, and for love. When did curses begin? Actually curses began in the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve walked with God each day. God uses man to bless the earth.

 

The temptation and fall of man Genesis 3:1 “Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, has God indeed said, you shall not eat of every tree of the garden? 2 and the woman said to the serpent, we may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God said, you shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, least you die. 4 then the serpent said to the woman, you will not surely die. 5 for God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. 6 so when the woman saw the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, she also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. 7 then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings. 8 and they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, where are you? 10. So we said, I heard your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself. 11 and he said, who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I command you that you should not eat? 12. Then the man said, the woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate. 13 and the Lord God said to the woman, what is this you have done? The woman said, the serpent deceived me, and I ate. 14 so the Lord God said to the serpent: because you have done this, you are cursed more than all cattle, and more than every beast of the field; on your belly you shall go, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life. 15 and I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel. 16 to the woman he said: I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; in pain you shall bring forth children; your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you. 17 then to Adam he said, because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, you shall not eat of it cursed is the ground for your sake; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life.”

 

My stepfather would say to me over and over, “You will not amount to anything in your life.” He spoke these words over my life most everyday without realizing he was cursing me. I see many examples of curses in the workplace, out in public, and home life for many families. Yes, we have the power to reverse curses spoken over us. James 3:5 “Even so, the tongue is a little member and post great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles! 6 and the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so said among our members that a defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature, and it is set on fire by hell. 9 with it we bless our God and father, and with the we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. 10 out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things not to be so.” For example, pouring saltwater into fresh water produce a saltwater; and mixing bad fruit with good fruit produces a bushel of rotten fruit. Likewise, mixing the contradictory speech of blessing and cursing will only produce negative results.

 

Whatever you give permission to in your life, Satan will take advantage of it. If a family member, friend or coworker speaks evil over you, stop and forgive them. I bless the person speaking evil over me. I am a good person and I will continue to forgive others bless others and live my life under the direction of the Holy Spirit.

#HolySpirit #Genesis3 #Curses #GardenofEden #AdamandEve #Russfwood #Russandnancywood

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My Father’s Blessing

My father. Jim, must have been a good man when he went off to war. He was in the Air Force and fought in the Korean War. When my father came home from the war, he began to indulge in alcohol and other vices. I am not sure my age. I must have been around three when my father left and my parents divorced. I never really knew my father as I was too young to remember him when he left. The last time I physically saw him I was five years old living with an aunt and uncle in Northern California where he came to visit me. That was the last time I saw or spoke to him for several years.

On my wedding day, June 26, 1982, my father called and wanted to speak blessings over my new wife and myself. I refused and quickly reminded him of his past and his failed obligations to me and my mother. Needless to say, my father never gave us his blessing and we never spoke again.

There are many who come from broken homes. Fathers leaving after divorce or other life situations. It is so important for families stay together. That a father or mother speak life into their families and their children on an individual basis.

In the book of Numbers chapter 2:22-27  The Priestly Blessing 22 “And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 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. 27 So they shall put My name on the children of Israel, and I will bless them.'” This famous Aaronic benediction is a blessing on all people. This blessing follows and describes the special blessing that would result in the life of a man or woman. God’s blessing on the people was not gained by outstanding acts of devotion on their part. Rather, God freely blessed his people as a mark of his outstanding grace and mercy.

#ThePriestlyBlessing #Numberschapter2:22-27 #Russfwood #Russandnancywood

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Destroying My Temple Today And Rebuilding The Lords Temple Tomorrow

Today as I was praying seeking direction from the Holy Spirit, he guided me to the book of Matthew – The temple to be destroyed. “Then Jesus went out and departed from the Temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. 2 And Jesus said to them, ‘Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.'” Matthew 24:1-2

 

The first Temple was built by King Solomon and destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BC. The second Temple under the authority and encouragement of Haggai and Zechariah, and with the leadership of Zerubbabel and Joshua with great delay in 516 BC . The second Temple was completed and lavishly renovated by Herod the Great. The work began around 20 BC, but the renovations were not completed during the lifetime of Christ. The work was finally finish in A.D. 64. The Temple stood completed for only six years before it was reduced to rubble by the Romans.

 

I have fought many battles internally as well as externally. What I have come to realize I cannot fight this battle alone and not have Jesus the center focal point of my life. Why Jesus? I have used Jesus as a Band-Aid off and on most of my life as I look back over the last 40 years. I was baptized a Southern Baptist in November 1970, being young and impressionable. I wanted to follow Jesus, more than anything and I felt protected being around young people going to a youth camp in the mountains outside Las Vegas. I felt his powerful presence and wanted to do more for Him and felt a calling to go into ministry. But what happened?

 

The battlefield is in our minds and all is won or lost there. The most precious commodity on earth is your mind. Not only is God vying for our minds but the enemy is also vying for our minds as well. Revelation 18 states that in the last days the intellectual property of the soul will be one of the commodities bought and sold in the marketplace and used to drive entire economies. The story of the prodigal son in Luke 15:11-32 is a compelling story that shows how the enemy works against us through our thoughts. In this story we see how the god of this world seduced an uninformed young boy into wasting his substance, which is time, talent, treasure, gifts, ability, inheritance, anointing, and experience etc.

 

When I was growing up as a young teenager, moving away from church looking at all the glitter, neon signs, alcohol, showgirls on the Las Vegas strip and been influenced by new friends outside my faith. My newfound friends were all listening to rock ‘n roll music growing our hair long, recording our own music and going to concerts. I began using marijuana, speed, and other drugs. Eventually selling drugs keeping my habit funded and later arrested. My thoughts were being bombarded by the enemy. Satan was telling me lies in rebellion against the establishment was my only way out. Spiritual warfare in the purest form is the Council of the human mind by another spirit, other than the spirit of the Lord God. Ephesians 6:12 “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” I later realized warfare is not with human beings, but with the devil and his demons, who propagate doctrines of devils heresies. Lucifer and ideologies, satanic philosophies, and diabolical imagery. Our enemy. Satan, attempts to defeat us with the strategy and deceit through well laid plans and deliberate deceptions and manipulations. He speaks to our minds, in an attempt to derail us from following a path that leads us to fulfillment of purpose and destiny.

#Matthew24:1-2 #KingSolomon #Babylonians #Haggai #Zechariah #Ephesians6:12 #Russfwood #Russandnancywood