One of the biggest tools that satan uses in today’s world is the mass media. He doesn’t have to be invited in our home. In fact WE invite him in every time we turn the knob. The little, or in some homes the big box, in our living room is a way for him to invade our home, influence our children,feed pornographic desires, enflame people to act out aggressions and trigger desires that are contrary to the teaching of Jesus Christ.And what is so disturbing,in most cases, its under the eyes of the parents.
There’s another way for satan to invade our home and family, and that’s through our attitude.
I’m going to talk to you about blessings and curses.
You’ve heard it said that there’s a thin line between sanity and insanity. I’m telling you that there’s a thin line between blessings and curses. For the Christian one of the biggest factors deciding blessings or curses in our lives is our tongue.
I’m reminded of an incident when I was in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom.We were in our barracks. In an eight man room. One of the biggest entertainments that we had was a playstation 2. A lot of the guys played the football game on it. One college team against the other.One guy was losing and everytime he made a bad play he let out with a string of profanities that would make satan blush. After it was over he threw the controller down and kept on spouting the profanities. I had just about had enough. I said "No wonder you lost. You cursed yourself. You’re the one that had the controller".
Matthew 15:18 says “But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man".
A person can defile themselves simply by what comes out of their mouths.Verse 19 says"For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts,murders,adulteries,fornications,thefts,false witness, blasphemies;".
My wife Bonnie loves to play golf.She’s good at it too. In fact, she beats most of the men that she plays against. Have you ever met a stranger and before you finish talking to them you find out a lot about them just by the way they talk? A lot of men in business will meet for the first time on the golf course.Have you ever wondered why? Well, for one thing they LOVE to play golf, but I think it’s also for another reason.During a game of golf you can learn a lot about a person.
How many in here have ever played golf?. That little round ball can bring down a 250lb.man.It can be humiliating. I have seen some terrible antics on the golf course. I’ve seen clubs banged on the ground, clubs thrown, and clubs broken. I’ve heard wives curse at husbands and husbands curse at wives. You can learn so much about a person. Do they cheat? Do they lie? Do they have patience?
In Luke 6:45 we read,"A good man out of the treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good;and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh".
From your mouth you can bring curses to your children. From your mouth you can bring curses to your home, to your job, to your finances and you can curse your own health and life. Your mouth can bring you death. Now, if you think I’m just talking about profanities, I’m not. You can curse yourself by being negative, by complaining, by saying bad things about other people. No problem; just don’t outwardly voice things. Right? Wrong! God knows your thoughts. There are so many passages of scripture that are too numerous to read about the subject of God knowing our thoughts. Paraphrasing just a few; Mat: 9:4: And Jesus knows their thoughts. Mt: 12:25 And Jesus knew their thoughts; Lu: 5:22: But when Jesus perceived their thoughts; Lu: 6:8: But He knew their thoughts; Lu: 11:17: But He knowing their thoughts; In 1 Chro. The LORD knoweth the thoughts of the wise, and many, many more. So from your heart, your mouth, and even your thoughts, you can bring curses to yourself and to others.
Do you know what is really sad? A lot of these people that I’ve been talking about are professing Christians. They profess Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.They go to church on Sunday, hold important offices and jobs, and do the good works, but out of their mouth their witness is defiled.
Jesus calls them a viper.
In Matthew 12:34 Jesus says "O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh:
Jesus says"HOW CAN YOU?"
You speak goodness and out of the same mouth you speak evil.
Jesus says your heart is far from Him.
Matthew 15:8, Jesus says "This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honor me with their lips; but their heart is far from me".
Friend, Do you want your heart FAR from him or CLOSE to Him? Only you can answer that.
Ephesians; 4:29 says Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying,that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
What our mouth should be used for is edifying or building up our fellow christians.In a lot of cases our christian brothers and sisters will spend more time tearing down each other than building up each other, or praying for each other or encouraging each other. It’s a shame.We need to be careful because all the blessings that God has given us can be taken away or as the bible says our blessings may be in danger of turning to curses.
Mal; 2:2; "if ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart, to give glory unto my name," saith the LORD of hosts, "I will even send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings: yea, I have cursed them already, because ye do not lay it to heart."
Now these are not my words but the LORD of hosts.Don’t let the corrupt communication that comes out of your mouth, and your thoughts, turn those blessings that you are receiving into curses. Praise those children. Praise those wives. Praise those husbands. Uplift each other. Instead of spreading gossip about someone’s misfortune, lift them up in prayer. They say if you do something for seven days in a row, it becomes a habit.Try it for seven days and see what happens.Use your mouth to bless,bless,bless,bless.And you’ll see a change,change,change.
Numbers; 6:22-27 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying Speak unto Aaron and unto his sons, saying, On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel, saying unto them, THE LORD BLESS THEE AND KEEP THEE: THE LORD MAKE HIS FACE SHINE UPON THEE, AND BE GRACIOUS UNTO THEE: THE LORD LIFT UP HIS COUNTENANCE UPON THEE, AND GIVE THEE PEACE. And they shall put my name upon the children of Israel; and I will bless them.
Is God the same now as He was then? Then why will not the same blessing work today for each of us. IT WILL. Say this blessing to your children, your spouses, your friends, and your enemies. YOU WILL see a change. Use your mouth to bless, not tear down. Lives will turn around. Attitudes will change. Relationships will only get better. If you believe that God is exactly the same tody as 4000 years ago, raise your hands. O.K. Everyone agrees, so then you’ll believe the next scripture when God was talking to His chosen people, the children of Israel. We are also His chosen thru the blood of Jesus Christ.
He says " I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life that both thou and thy seed may live." Is that powerful? Choose life. Life in Christ, so that you and your off-spring may live. We have the power of life and death just by the way we talk. We can spritually kill someone or we can spiritually give someone a reason to live. That reason is Christ. Share Christ with edifying words; don’t kill your testimony with foul communication.
Listen to the word and to the reward from God if you will do these things.
Psalms; 29:11 The LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace.
You’ll have strength given by the LORD and He will bless you with peace.
It’s a win win situation. You can’t lose.
Now as I close I want to read a couple more scriptures.
Matt; 5:44; But I say unto you,love your enemies,bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.
I know that is a hard pill to swallow for some of us, to bless and love our enemies. If we do, then we will recieve those blessings that God has stored up for us and is just waiting for us to ask.
I’m reminded of a little story about a christian who dies and goes to heaven. He is met by St. Peter, who takes him on a tour of heaven. As they are going by beautiful golden buildings, he asked St. Peter what they were. St. Peter opened the door to one and there are thousands of beautiful golden boxes with ribbons on them.
"What are those?" the christan asked.
St. Peter said "These are blessings that God had up here for you while you were down there on earth."
"Why are they still here? Why did I not recieve them?" he asked.
St. Peter looked at him sadly and said "because you never asked for them."
How many blessing are we losing out on because we do not ask?
Today if you want to gain more strength in your life and gain a peace that you’ve been lacking then ask the Lord to make that happen.If you have been born again and want to renew your vows to God, then come.If you have never recieved Christ as you saviour and have been living the ways that have been described here this morning, don’t leave here with out giving it all to Jesus.Will you come?
