“Blessing or Curse: We Can Choose” ~ ✨
Where do blessings and curses come from? Blessings and curses come from God! The first person named in the Bible to receive a blessing from God was Enoch, the seventh generation descendant of Adam; he walked with God for three hundred years and was then taken by God, leaving this world without experiencing death (Genesis 5:22-24). Sadly, the first person to lose God’s blessing due to disobedience, resulting in a curse, was actually Adam, whom God Himself created by hand. The curse came from disobedience; Adam violated God’s command, bringing death into the world through him; women would suffer pain in childbirth, and animals and the earth would also be cursed (Genesis 2:16-17; 3:14-19). From then on, humanity was separated from the life given by God (Romans 5:12; Ephesians 4:17-18).
God created the heavens, the earth, and everything in them, and He saw that it was all good (Genesis 1:31). Blessing was God’s original intent in creation, not cursing. Unfortunately, Adam’s sin brought death and the curse upon the earth. However, God is a God who blesses; He gave His only Son, Jesus Christ, to save people from the curse under sin. Jesus bore the curse for sinners to redeem those willing to receive blessing from God, delivering them from the curse of the law. Thus, the blessing God gave to Abraham, the descendant of Enoch, could also come to people of other nations through Jesus, giving everyone the opportunity to receive the promised Spirit by faith (Galatians 3:13-14).
Abraham obeyed God’s command, leaving his homeland and his people, not knowing where he was going (Genesis 12:1-4; Hebrews 11:8). God tested Abraham’s faith and patience for 25 years. When he was a hundred years old, God gave him his only son Isaac, born to his wife Sarah. Later, because Abraham was willing to offer Isaac as a sacrifice, God confirmed Abraham’s faith and obedience and bestowed great blessing upon him and his descendants for all generations (Genesis 17:7; 22:16-18).
From the Old Testament to the New Testament, God is the unchanging God (Psalm 102:27; Malachi 3:6; James 1:17). I see that all who hear God’s word and follow it, He will bless them; conversely, those who violate God’s commandments and laws will be cursed (Deuteronomy 28; Colossians 3:5-6). In the Old Testament era, before the Holy Spirit had come (John 14:16-17; 16:7 & 13), God primarily spoke through prophets (Hebrews 1:1). For those under the new covenant established by the blood of Jesus Christ, they listen to Jesus’ words, revealed through the Holy Spirit. The Lord Jesus said: “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.” (John 10:27-28).
Since this is so, why are there still believers living under a curse? We must first examine what saving faith is. Simply put, saving faith includes intellectual assent (1 Corinthians 15:1-8), emotional response (1 Peter 1:8), volitional acceptance (John 1:12), and behavioural commitment (Luke 9:23-24). Where do those who should receive blessing but receive a curse go wrong? One principle is clear: those whom God accepts as children, He disciplines (Hebrews 12:6). Snow in Summer or rain at harvest time is not the norm. Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow, an undeserved curse does not come to rest. Those who have not truly seen or known Jesus are like fools repeating their folly, like a dog returning to its vomit (Proverbs 26:1-3, 11; 1 John 3:6). The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding (Psalm 111:10). Whether it is discipline or a curse, words of wisdom are like a whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, and a rod for the backs of fools—all meant to lead to repentance or growth.
It turns out that believers stumble in many ways, and one universal failing is in speech. The tongue is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell (James 3:2, 6). Believers use their mouths to praise God, yet also use them to curse others. Those who curse others will be cursed. If one wants to receive God’s blessing, one must hear His voice and do His will. This is the beginning of wisdom for them, showing good deeds born of wise gentleness. God’s wisdom is a blessing, but the world’s wisdom is a curse because it is earthly, unspiritual, and demonic (James 3:15).
However, God also executes curses. Adam’s disobedience brought the curse upon the earth; the Israelites’ rebellion destroyed the nation of Israel. The Bible records many examples of people cursed by God; from the Old and New Testaments, here are a few. Jeremiah 17:5-6 says: This is what the LORD says: “Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who draws strength from mere flesh and whose heart turns away from the LORD. That person will be like a bush in the wastelands; they will not see prosperity when it comes. They will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives.” Another example is the city of Jericho, cursed for its lack of repentance; God decreed that whoever undertook to rebuild Jericho would lose his sons (Joshua 6:26). During Ahab’s reign, when Jericho was rebuilt, God’s curse was fulfilled on his two sons (1 Kings 16:34). In the New Testament, Jesus cursed three unrepentant cities: Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum (Luke 10:10-15); to this day, these cities remain ruins. The Bible also shows animals cursed by the LORD (Genesis 3:14), a mountain cursed by David (2 Samuel 1:21), and the fruitless fig tree cursed by Jesus (Mark 11:13-14, 20-21).
God is love (1 John 4:8); yet, God is also a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29). Faith and obedience bring blessing; unbelief and rebellion bring a curse. It turns out that in Christ, faith expressing itself through love (Galatians 5:6); and “love” is “action.” Thus, faith without deeds is dead (James 2:17). Therefore, believers must respond to God emotionally and behaviorally. Since believers have been redeemed by Christ and have received the wisdom He gives, they should be thankful and serve God in a way that pleases Him, with reverence and awe. They should be wise and understanding, bearing much good fruit. They should not let their tongues become instruments that defile the whole body. Without prejudice in the heart, there is no hypocrisy in appearance; those who do not curse others will not be cursed.
If we ask anything according to the will of the Lord Christ, He hears us (1 John 5:14). Believers should ask God for blessing, to guard their hearts. They should earnestly seek the filling of the Holy Spirit, including the fullness of spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:7, 11, 18; Acts 6:5 & 14:3); the fullness of joy (Luke 10:21; Acts 13:52); and the fullness of virtue (Galatians 5:22-23; Ephesians 5:10, 17-21), so that believers may have breakthrough experiences in their lives, freeing them from a spirit of slavery and fear no longer. They should live sanctified lives, being perfect as the heavenly Father is perfect (Matthew 5:48).
For those who love God and keep His commandments, He shows love to a thousand generations. For those who hate Him, He will punish the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation (Exodus 34:7; Deuteronomy 5:9-10). For believers in Christ, because Christ became a curse for us (Galatians 3:13), our ultimate destiny is no longer the curse of destruction, but if we live in sin, we will still suffer God’s discipline, losing peace in this life and future rewards. Blessing or curse, from ancient times until now, you, I, and he all have a choice!
I conclude with this poem👇🏻
“Is There a Choice?”
How many meals a day to eat
Having a choice is good
A person with terminal illness
Having a choice is a luxury
Those who want to live, won’t die
Those who want to die, let them die once more
Wanting to live, not wanting to die
Only while in this world can one choose
✨✨💖 ~
en yan hua fang 