Open Heaven 10 January 2025: You Must Avoid Curses (1)
MEMORISE: 1 Thessalonians 5:22
Abstain from all appearance of evil.
READ: Genesis 4:3-16
3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.
4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:
5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
6 And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?
7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.
8 And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.
9 And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother’s keeper?
10 And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground.
11 And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand;
12 When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.
13 And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment is greater than I can bear.
14 Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me.
15 And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.
16 And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.
Read Yesterday’s Open Heaven Devotional Here
A curse is a summon to spiritual forces to work against someone or a group of people, while a divine curse is a summon to all forces in heaven, on earth, and beneath the earth to do the same. No matter how strong you are, I’m sure you don’t want any spiritual force to work against you; hence, you must avoid curses.
In Judges 9:5-57, we see an example of a curse impacting an entire city. Jotham had escaped being killed by his brother, Abimelech, who had killed seventy of his brothers, and he responded by placing a curse on Abimelech and the men of Shechem who helped him. Three years later, God allowed an evil spirit to execute the curse, leading to chaos and destruction in the land and, ultimately, Abimelech’s death.
I heard a story when I was young that helped shape my actions as I grew older. It was reported that a young man who was travelling on a journey passed by an old man and laughed mockingly at him for no reason. The old man responded by saying, “I may be too weak to do anything, but the basket is never satisfied with water.” After saying this, he continued on his way. Suddenly, the young man felt an intense thirst, so he rushed to the nearest hut to drink some water before continuing his journey.
Shortly after, he became thirsty again, and he stopped at another hut to drink more water. After many more similar stops, some people sensed that something was amiss. They questioned him, and he told them the old man’s statement. They shouted, “Ah! That is a curse.” They found the old man and begged him to forgive the young man. He agreed, released him from the curse, and immediately, the intense thirst stopped.
Beloved, avoid actions that can attract curses to you. Honour elders, and do not cheat or hurt other people. If you have done nothing wrong and someone curses you, it will not come to pass because a causeless curse will never come into effect (Proverbs 26:2).
When you study your Bible, you will see that certain actions can attract curses from God; avoid them like a plague. If a man’s curse can be as powerful as the one in the story I shared above, how much more curses from God? I will discuss more about avoiding God’s curses tomorrow.
If there’s any curse currently operating in your life, I decree that it will be broken today, in Jesus’ name.
KEY POINT
Be wise; avoid anything that can attract a curse.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR
Genesis 32 – 35
Open Heaven 10 January 2025
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