Gtcotr/ss121513
We
are at 10 days and counting on our Countdown to Christmas this year. Today we
are going to continue the Christmas story and hear the heart of God as we look
at another passage from the Gospel of Luke, chapter 2.
Luke 2 NKJV
8 ¶ Now there were in the
same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock
by night.
9 And behold, an angel of the
Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were
greatly afraid.
10 Then the angel said to
them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy
which will be to all people.
11 "For there is born to
you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
12 "And this will be
the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a
manger."
13 And suddenly there was
with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:
14 "Glory to God in the
highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!"
Imagine
what those shepherds must have seen that night. Suddenly the heavens opened and
there was a multitude of heavenly saints and angels giving glory to God for the
birth of Messiah.
In
all the excitement heaven spilled over into the earth and the shepherds heard
the wonderful news. Heaven declared a new day of: “Peace
on earth and good will toward men!”
With
this heavenly declaration, things changed, forever. That’s what declarations
do. A declaration is the most powerful and least
respected dynamic in the universe.
Declarations
change things …
·
Among
the first lessons God teaches us – “Let there be light”
·
Declare
a thing and it shall be established – (Job 22:28)
·
Say
to the mountain be removed – (Mark 11:23)
·
Speak
the Word only – (Matthew 8:8)
·
With
the mouth confession/declaration is made unto salvation
·
Words
contain power and words change things – (Hebrews 1&11:3)
There
is only one problem with a declaration … both: Death
and life are in the power of the tongue ~ Proverbs 18:21
The
reason God promised and ultimately sent Messiah as our Savior was so we might
know peace and experience good will in life … His declaration.
There
is no person who has ever lived who has not been acquainted with grief and
familiar with the common sorrows of the heart. Each one of us have faced
disappointments and encountered tragedies which seem all too unreasonable and
worthless to any account. Individuals and families, genders, cultures, races,
tribes, nations and generations carry terrible burdens of hurts and weights of
pain unjustly inflicted on them by others.
Some
small amounts of trouble are agreeably self-inflicted but by and large the
greatest hurts known to man are those visited upon them by the actions or
inactions of others. Generation after generation has experienced the same
unfolding injustices and limitations which we encounter today.
The
Torah contains a record of the Children of Israel and their journey from Egypt
to the Promise Land. At one point we find the Israelites camped in the northern
borders of Moab near the land of Midian, which is directly across the Jordan
River from the city of Jericho. The sheer numbers and strength of the
Israelites concerned the King of Moab, especially since the Israelites had
proven themselves in battle having utterly defeated all their enemies in the
wilderness including the formidable Amorites.
Balak,
King of Moab, conferred with the elders of Midian and together they agreed that
they needed a greater force than their combined armies could muster. In order
to defeat the Israelites, the elders of Moab and Midian decided they needed somebody
to make a spiritual declaration on their behalf. They believed, as does God and
the hosts of heaven, that a spiritual declaration releases power to change
things.
Balak
sent for a man named Balaam who was known throughout the land for making
powerful spiritual declarations. Balaam’s words had power and not only did the
Moabites and Midianites believe it but also heaven was acutely aware of the
power of Balaam’s words. Heaven was concerned that Balaam might be successfully
tempted to make a declaration against Israel and put them at a disadvantage in
the face of those who wanted to see them defeated.
I
encourage you to read the account of Balaam and his encounters with messengers
and the angel and the donkey and the Israelites as he stood and made his
powerful spiritual declarations over the Children of God.
King
Balak said to the Prophet Balaam:
"Therefore please come at once, curse this people for me, for
they are too mighty for me. Perhaps I shall be able to defeat them and
drive them out of the land, for I know that he whom you bless is
blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed." (Numbers 22:6)
And God said to Balaam, "You shall not go with them; you shall
not curse the people, for they are blessed." (Numbers 22:12)
King
Balak believed faith filled words would release power to bless or power to
curse people and groups of people according to what was spoken by someone with
passion and conviction. Interesting to note … so did God, so did the angel and
even a donkey. As well …
James 3
8 No one can tame the tongue.
It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison.
9 Sometimes it praises our
Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image
of God.
10 And so blessing and
cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters,
this is not right!
Well
it might not be right but nonetheless it happens, and that’s what James is
saying. Both blessings and curses are real and powerful in our lives. And, both
are often the result of the words spoken over us by others.
I
need not tell you that some problems are spiritual problems … hurts from the
inside and not something that can be fixed with medicine or money. The pain of
a wounded spirit or a broken heart cannot be remedied by natural means but must
be dealt with spiritually. Many fears, continual failures and some of those
things we call addictions are the results of curses visited upon us by family
lineage, cultural heritage or others around us releasing curses over our lives
whether consciously meaning to or not.
Words
have power as testimony confirms throughout the Bible. Perhaps the trouble you
or someone you know has been facing is beyond the realm of natural remedy. The
Holy Scriptures speak of curses attached to finances, curses on health, curses
on relationships, curses on families, curses on the success of your job,
business, promotion, your mental and emotional health and wellbeing.
In
Matthew 21 Jesus cursed the fig tree by the words He spoke and soon it dried up
and withered away. Curses are real and that’s what curses do.
Is
there something in your life that is drying up or is withering away? Let me
assure you, Jesus is not cursing you today. Galatians 3 says He gave His life
to set you free from the curse. But, the devil hates you …
It
may be that you are facing some dilemma which has a natural cause and can be
remedied with money, medicine or mental help. Perhaps a little discipline or
better decisions might fix your problem. If so, great. However, some of you
have done absolutely everything you can do and nothing has gotten better, in
fact, for some of you things have only gotten worse.
Worry,
depression, financial hardship, pain, problems, attitudes seem to be against
you, you can’t capture your thoughts or you keep falling into the same trap
over and over again, sin has a hold of you or you feel like you are always one
step ahead of failure or losing everything and nothing you do fixes the
problem. It might be a spiritual problem.
If so, good news, spiritual problems can be fixed, regardless of who/what
caused the curse.
Deuteronomy 23:5
"Nevertheless the LORD your God would not listen to Balaam, but the
LORD your God turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the LORD your
God loves you.
God
loves us today and He has made a way for us to effectively deal with curses
caused by others against us in this life.
Isaiah 54:17 No weapon formed
against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in
judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the
LORD, And their righteousness is from Me," Says the LORD.
Today
you can break the spiritual chains that bind you. There is no power in the
universe stronger than the spoken word. And, no one has greater power over you
than you do yourself.
Pray
with me right now and make a new and powerful spiritual declaration over your
life, your family, your finances and your future. Join me as we lift up our
Church family, our communities and the nation.
I
have a passionate conviction that you can change things in the spirit realm and
reverse the curses in your life. I am convinced there is power in your words
and that the LORD our God will not listen to other voices or the words spoken
against us but will turn every curse into a blessing for us – even if we are
the one who needs to change - because He loves us.
This
is not the time for you to check out or to just listen to my prayer. You get
engaged in your mind, in your heart and in voicing your spiritual declaration.
Today you can break the chains that bind you, your family, your finances, your
friends, and your future.
What would you change in your circle of life if only a word would
fix it?
Let’s
speak that word forth as a declaration. Things will change and you will begin
to see the difference. Look for it – testify to it – help others …
Revelation
22:3 And there shall be no more curse,
but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve
Him.
