THE PRICE OF DISOBEDIENCE 1

We are looking at three distinctive bible character in terms of their disobedience to God, the price they paid for been disobedient, and the reasons some Christians could still be living under the same curse.

1.   Adam

Genesis 3:17 “And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life.”

The first human created by God had a special relationship with our Daddy in heaven. God would literally come down from His heavenly throne to commune with His creature. He was so much in love with the first man, that he had to plant a garden for him, and wanted him to live in splendour all the days of his live.

However, when that man disobeyed Him and acted contrary to his commands, He didn’t hesitate to lay a curse, targeted at him and his descendants after him. God said, for disobeying me “cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life”

Can you think of anything today that is earthly, that does not have a direct relationship with the ground? Let us list a few things that grow on the ground;

1.   Trees. What are threes used for today?

2.   Diamonds. What are diamonds used for?

3.   Gold: Can you think of usage of gold?

4.   Food: We grow foods on the ground. How important do you think food is to us?

5.   Water: It flows on the ground. Do you think water is important?

I want you to look around your room or office and try to determine whether or not, there is a thing there, which does not have a relationship to the ground.

Living under the above curse of the Lord can be very devastating, and frustrating for the person under it. When you are disobeying God’s commandments, the curse automatically begin to work in your life, for His words will not go back to him void, neither is He a man that He should lie.

Even though you have been redeemed from the curse of the law, you are still commanded by Jesus to obey every commandments of the Lord, not by coercion but through your love for Him. However, the consequences of disobeying Him is that; none of the things that have direct relationship with the ground would obey you, as a Christian. Your efforts most times would go to waste until you acknowledge your fault, repent and change your ways.

Your prosperity as a born again child of God is directly linked to your obedience to God.

THE HONOR OF SAINTS

It is time for Christians to recognize the honor due to them in the Kingdom. As Jesus told His disciples: “Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven” This statement indicates that those that are citizens of heaven have the honor of utilizing the powers Jesus utilizes, but the honor of using that power should not be their focus.

“Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you”

The above passage again reminds us of what is more important; the kingdom and not the benefits. However, a lot of Christians have abandoned the idea of seeking the kingdom and are instead chasing after the honor due to those in the kingdom. These types of Christians draw near to God with their lips but their heart is far away from Him. They want the powers without the corresponding holiness and righteous expected of them. Perfection is not in their dictionary; even though Jesus made it clear we should be perfect like our father in heaven.

“Psalm 149:5-9, Let the saints be joyful in glory; let them sing aloud on their beds, let the high praises of God be in their mouths, and a two-edged sword In their hand, to execute vengeance on the nations and punishment on the peoples; to bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; to execute on them the written judgment-This honor have all His saints.”

As good as the above Psalm reads, it’s only for the saints; those who takes seriously their Christian journey, and seek perfection through Christ. Those that don’t turn away the needy, neither sit on the seat of the wicked. It is for those that delight themselves in the law of the Lord, those that obey every of His commandments. It is for those that seek first the kingdom and its righteousness.

All Christians wants the “two-edged sword” but most cannot handle the Word of God. How many of us can sell all their earthly possessions, give the proceeds to the poor and follow Christ if Christ were to asked us to do so today? If we cannot handle it when it concerns us, how can we deploy it against forces of darkness? That is why its important to be in the kingdom. Those in the kingdom understand that the earth is the Lords and its fullness thereof, they therefore can act even when it seems against their interest, knowing that their God is able to provide above even their imagination.

To glory and exercise the power of God as communicated to us in Psalm 149:5-9 above, we must do the following:

1. Repent of your sins and be baptized
2. Obey every God instructions whether or not it is convenient.
3. Be a joyful giver and plead the cause of the widow and the fatherless
4.  Put on the righteousness of Christ. Don’t be self righteous
5. Pray in season and out of season

When you give yourself totally to the Lord, He makes you His business, and you therefore, will rejoice in Him and be able to cast out demons, walk on waters, heal the sick, raise the dead, and shall be blessed and be a blessing to others. Ask God for the spirit of perfection today, that you might be counted among His saints that He continues to honor with power to the glory of His name.

ANOINTING TO PROCLAIM THE ACCEPTABLE YEAR OF THE LORD

As we have discussed throughout this anointing series, all Christians have the anointing to preach the gospel, heal the brokenhearted, proclaim liberty to the captives, restore sight sight to the blind, set the oppressed free and proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.

Proclaiming the acceptable year of the Lord has become more urgent than ever before, this so because the things Jesus asked us to look out for on the last days are now all around us:

“Matthew 24:7-9 …and there will be famines, pestilence, and earthquakes in various places…and they will kill you, and you be hated by all nations for my name’s sake”

A study of Matthew chapter 24 will convince you that the time to accept Christ and be in the Kingdom along with the saints is now. All Christ said was going to happen as a sign for the coming tribulation is already happening. From Pakistan where some simply wants to wipe out their brothers simply because they believe in the name of Jesus, to USA where freedom means to indulge in ungodliness and Nigeria where pastors collect offerings and tithes to buy private jets while their members wallow in poverty, and yet tells their congregation that they come in the name of Christ.

Boko Haram, ISIS, and others think they are doing God a favour by killing us. All these point to the fact that Jesus is on the way. We therefore must intensify our effort using the anointing that we have received to proclaim that today is the acceptable day, and indeed, this is the acceptable year of the Lord. He is willing to accept and welcome all into the Kingdom today, no matter your past sinful life, so long as you are willing to let go of that life and put on Christ-become a new creation.

“Isaiah 2:12 for the day of the Lord of hosts shall come upon everything proud and lofty, upon everything lifted up-And it shall be brought low”

Are you too proud and lifted up that you think evangelism is not your business? Evangelism is the core of your business on earth, you therefore must remove every obstacle that makes you feel evangelism is beneath you and immediately go out and tell someone about God and Jesus today.

If you are reading this article and you are wondering what we are talking about or don’t feel any urgent need for repentance, we would draw your attention to the following scriptures:

“Matthew 13:41 The Son of Man will send His angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness.”

“Revelation 21:8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

The above scriptures talks about sins and their consequences, but the good news is that you can talk with God even right now, as He says in Isaiah 1:18-20:

Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

Don’t get devoured by the sword of the enemy such as ISIS, BOKO HARAM, Corrupt politicians, wicked men and women. Turn to Christ today and be saved and proclaim the good news to others.

ANOINTING TO SET THE OPPRESSED FREE

There are a lot of people that are being oppressed especially in the name of religion throughout the world. The painful aspect of this is that some are even doing it in the name of Christ. Recently we read how some churches would deny their followers basic needs while the “Pharisee” in the church feast and enjoy themselves. Jesus said, not all that called me LORD, LORD shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, we therefore know what is prepared and waiting for those.

Our focus today is on the elect who are anointed to set the oppressed free. There are two types of oppression namely; spiritual oppression and physical oppression. We are called to set our brothers free from both types of oppression.

Acts 10:38: How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.

This anointing Jesus passed over to us as well before His departure from the earth. In order for us to set free those that are tormented by demons. This demon could manifest in several many forms, such as alcoholism and drunkenness, barrenness, unfruitfulness, ill health etc. It is our duty to ensure our brother receives the healing and are set free from all these types of oppression of the enemy.

Matthew 23:14: Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.

Jesus led the way in the above passage by showing how we should behave in the face of oppression. Some Churches and political leaders as so greedy, they would take all and leave the masses to suffer. Most of the time, what they steal they cannot spent in their life time, neither can their children. Yet the saints keep quite? No. it is time to speak out and ensure your voice is heard.

In Africa, the story is worse, while the established churches and elders look the other way, money voted for roads, hospitals, housing, portable water etc are all stolen. The thieves thereafter turn around and use the same common wealth stolen from the people to hire police and other law enforcement agents to harass the poor into submission. The more worrisome aspect is the fact that church pastors that should be at the forefront condemning the thieves are busy collect 10% of the loot as tithes and donations.

We must remember that Jesus has passed the anointing to us to set free, we there must not keep quite while many die of hunger because of corruption, and the wealth of the nations are stolen by few, and our roads becomes dead traps, while the hospitals are simply mega mortuaries.  The time for you standup for your brother is now, set them free from oppression of all kinds within your reach power.

The following are ways you could be of help:

1.    Prayers for those in oppression especially in places like Syria, Nigeria, Pakistan etc

2.    Donate to help those in oppression. Identify organizations that genuinely help set brothers and sisters free from oppression and donate to the cause. You may check some of the these and donate through any that you are confortable with.Christian Aid,ActionAid

3.    Speak out against oppression of your fellow workers in the vineyard of the Lord

4.    Condemn those that practice iniquity and refuse to be associated with them even in your local church.

As you help set the oppressed free, God will set you free from every oppression is Jesus name. Amen!

ANOINTING TO RESTORE SIGHT TO THE BLIND

One of the anointing that we have through Christ Jesus is the anointing to restore sight to the blind, to help those that cannot see to clearly be able to see. There are two types of blindness; physical and spiritual blindness. Of this two, spiritual blindness is more severe as it would lead to eternal damnation. We therefore will focus our attention on it, knowing however, that we have been empowered and anointed to heal the physical loss of sight as Jesus did on several occasions as well.

To be spiritually blind is to be disconnected from your source. Reconnection became very difficult before the coming of Christ Jesus, but Christ opens the doors of grace unto us that we may restore sights to the spiritually blind.

“I will bring distress upon men, and they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the Lord…” Zephaniah 1:17

Sin brings about separation from God and ultimately, Spiritual blindness. This is one of the ills we Christians are called and anointed to correct in the name of Jesus.  Have you wondered why what is very plain to you as day, are so very difficult for the world to understand? You believe that Jesus is the Son of God; you believe that one can be healed in His name; you believe that demons tremble at the mention of His name; you believe that a mountain would move by faith, you lay your hands on the sick by faith and they are healed, you command witchcraft to be destroyed and they are destroyed, you could communicated with a birth and a tree and have a conversation with your heavenly Father. But the spiritually blinded thinks you are a fool and should probably get something reasonable to do. Yet, we are called to help them see.

“Isaiah 29:18 in that the day…the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness”

That day is today. The acceptable year of the Lord, when the blind receives sight by the power in the name of Jesus through you, and the sinner abandons his sinful ways and reconnects to His maker. When we allow the world to lead, we are more or less allowing the blind to lead the blind and will both fall into the ditch-Matthew 15:14. We therefore must intensify our reach to the unsaved and tell them about the saving grace of Jesus and power that He has given those that believed on His name.

“Job 29:15 I was eyes to the blind and I was feet to the lame”

Like Job, we must become the eyes through which those that are blind could see. As salts of the earth, the blind must see the goodness and kindness of God through us, and the signs that would make them believe that indeed we serve the living God. We must therefore marry the word with action tailored toward helping the blind to see and save them from eternal death.

ANOINTING TO PROCLAIM LIBERTY TO THE CAPTIVES

There two types of captives; lawful and unlawful captives. While the world may be proud in keeping lawful captives, Christians are not to hold others captive, rather, when are to proclaim their liberty throughout the land. 

In the Old Testament era, specific period was set aside to proclaim liberty to all captives:

“Leviticus 25:10 And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land to all its inhabitants…”

Freeing captives is very important, so much so that the heavenly father deemed it necessary to institute a law to set free all captives on each jubilee. We are meant to show empathy, to write off debts, forgive those that may have wronged us, and generally give each other a clean slate to start over. This very important commandment was further broadened when Jesus came, announcing that He has come to “proclaim liberty to the captive”, Which He carried excellently to the admiration and astonishment of all. This assignment, like others, He passed to us to continue in His name.

What does it therefore mean to set captive free?

1. Tell them about the salvation that is available in the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, get them to believe and be baptized into the kingdom as citizens.
2. Provide for the needy and genuinely care for the poor, giving a helping hand to the widow and the fatherless
3. Supporting those in prison emotionally and materially to help them work out their salvation
4. Standing in the gap spiritually to deliver those held captive by the devil, conducting deliverance where necessary through prayers and fasten.
5. Show kindness and love to all manner of men irrespective of colour, race or religion.

Doing the above make you son/daughter of your heavenly father.  A story is told recently of two teenage girls that left a service where their pastor had preached that they have the anointing to set the captive free. Few minutes away from the church as they were going home, they saw a mad man. They both turned to each, and one of the girls said, 'this is an opportunity to see whether what the pastor said is possible.' And so she looked directly at the mad man and told him, be healed in the name of Jesus. Instantly, the man regains his senses and began to ask where he was and who took him there.

It may seem impossible but remember “the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds.” Believe and act on your anointing; proclaim liberty to both lawful and unlawful captives today.

ANOINTING TO HEAL THE BROKENHEARTED

Mark 16: 18b says “They shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

Are you a kingdom citizen, do you believe in Jesus, and have you been baptized of water and of the Holy Ghost? The word of God says, if you believe, you shall lay your hands on the sick and they shall recover.

Today, we are focusing on the brokenhearted. A lot of our brothers and sisters are brokenhearted as result of our actions, inaction, and or their own actions. Whichever is the case, we are supposed to heal them of whatever is it that breaks their hearts by giving a helping hand, that hand that heals.

“Acts 4:32& 35b Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and soul; neither did any say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common…and they distributed to each as anyone had need.”

A lot of our brothers are in genuine need of our help and eagerly look forward to it believing that we would obey the Word of our heavenly Father concerning them, but are daily been disappointed because it is now obvious to them that we do not care about them neither do we care about the Word. We pick and choose which to obey and disobey, making the Word of God of no effect.

Now the bible clearly says that faith without action is dead. But a lot of us are so concerned about ourselves and immediate family that we have forgotten others and in the process disappointed them in ways that leaves them heartbroken. We simply do not care about others, and their pains. How is it that in parts of the world, children are in prison with their mothers? Did the child commit a crime as well? Yet we go to church to sing sweet melodies, pay tithes and give offerings.

“Isaiah 1:17 learn to do good; seek justice, rebuke the oppressor, defend the fatherless, plead for the widow”

Obeying the Word of God in Isaiah 1:17 above, qualify you as someone with anointing to heal the brokenhearted, and lift them to their ordained position in life. The widow, the fatherless and the poor has no one to fight their cause. When you choose to stand against those that may oppress them, you make yourself an extension of God right hand, with the ability to heal in ways the world would not be able to comprehend.

Choosing to fight on the side of the wick and making yourself available as battle axe of the Lord makes your invisible. The enemy will not know how you are doing it, but will marvel that you are always getting the desired results. This is because it’s the Lord that is fighting through you. The battle is His, you only need to make yourself available and He will sanctify and use you in ways beyond your imagination.

Do not keep quite as from today, stand your grand against those that bully the wick, the poor, widows and the fatherless. Doing so fulfills your divine call and anointing to heal the brokenhearted.