Beloved: grace, mercy and peace be yours immeasurably from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. I am pleased to welcome you to another month of the year, the month of July 2023. And I pray that God will separate your life from every ungodly thing that is preventing His blessings from fully finding expression in your life, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
As we are told in the bible, all of us who have been born again by God through faith in Christ Jesus have been blessed with all the blessings in the heavenly places in Him (Eph 1:3). These blessings, then, ought to be finding expression in our lives, bodies, homes, jobs, businesses, ministries and so forth. And if they are not finding expressions in them, we ought to know why. I mean that if it is not obvious in our lives that we are inheritors of God’s blessings, we ought to find out what is wrong.
At least, from what we know in the bible, even though Joseph was a slave in Potiphar’s house, the man could still tell that he was a special young man, that he was blessed of God (Gen 39:1-6). Also, though Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came into Babylon as slaves, all the kings they worked with could tell that they were blessed of God (Daniel 1-6). Then, though Laban did all he could to cheat Jacob and ensure that he did not prosper under him, he still could not deny the fact that Jacob was the reason God was blessing his household (Gen 30:27-28).
So, the circumstances of our lives, however ugly they may seem, cannot prevent the blessings of God from manifesting in our lives. That is because His blessings are more powerful than what any circumstance or curse can limit. However, through our own attitude to God and His word, we may limit the manifestation of His blessings in our lives.
For example, when Moses was done proclaiming the blessings of God on the people of Israel, he went on to tell them one of the things that could hinder the manifestation of these blessings among them. He said, “Make sure there is no man or woman, clan or tribe among you today whose heart turns away from the LORD our God to go and worship the gods of those nations; make sure there is no root among you that produces such bitter poison. When such a person hears the words of this oath, he invokes a blessing on himself and therefore thinks, “I will be safe, even though I persist in going my own way.” This will bring disaster on the watered land as well as the dry.” (Deut 29:18-19NIV)
Did you see that? Idolatry hinders the manifestation of God’s blessings. Idolatry will bring disaster on everything in your life, good or bad. So, if you are involved in idolatry, it does not matter how hard you pray and fast, the blessings of God will not find expression in your life. Yes, as long as you are involved in one form of idolatry or the other, bowing down to other gods or employing their services for your prosperity, health or safety, the blessings that have been given to you in Christ Jesus will not work as they should.
All of this is why both Paul and John tell us in their letters to flee from idolatry and to keep ourselves away from idols (1Cor 10:14; 1John 5:21). So, keep yourself away from idols and anything that is connected to idolatry. Otherwise, you will be arousing God’s jealousy. And when you arouse His jealousy through your involvement in idolatry of any kind, you can expect Him to block the manifestation of His blessings in your life. Therefore, even if you are confessing His word of blessings, praying or having servants of God blessing you, it will not work. It will only be a waste. And if that is not what you want, if you don’t want your prayers and the prayers of others for you to go to waste, then, stay away from idolatry.
Also, if you do not want to be the reason the people in your life will be hindered from progressing, stay away from idolatry. That is because, as we see in the bible, it is not every time that those involved in idolatry suffer alone; there are also times that others in their lives may suffer with them. This is why Moses told the children of Israel in the bible text above to watch one another and see to it that none of them was permitted to engage in idolatry. Otherwise, he may bring disaster not only on his dry life but also on their own well-watered and flourishing lives.
In like manner, do not permit the people in your life who call themselves Christians to engage in idolatry of any kind. Instead, strictly warn them. And if they will not listen, stay away from them. Otherwise, you may end up being partakers of their punishment. This, of course, is only applicable to those who claim to know God but who are still involved in idolatry (1Cor 5:9-11). So, don’t apply it to the unbelievers around you. And may you always be filled with adequate strength and wisdom to abstain from every form of idol worship, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Have a splendid week.
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