Blessed beyond the curse

Blessed beyond the curse

(penned 3/21/14)

I was listening to Israel Houghton last night, and one of the phrases he uttered was that we were “blessed beyond the curse.”  Now, I have been listening to Israel for years, have probably heard that line dozens of times, but this time the seed found fertile ground because it kept rolling around in my mind until bedtime and is still with me.  So as with most of the “words” that the Lord ministers to me, I unload it onto paper.

I didn’t even recognize that I had asked the Lord for its meaning, because almost immediately after “receiving” that word into my spirit did explanations and examples start pouring out.

The first one was Saul and David.  Although Saul had sinned in the eyes of the Lord, and the Lord had begun to send him troubling spirits and various forms of madness, he was still an anointed man of God, and David recognized that fact.  Even when David had ample reasons and opportunities to avenge the wrongdoing Saul had perpetrated against him, David acknowledged that his was not the hand to come against God’s anointed.  Even though the Lord Himself had sent curses against Saul, those curses still did not outweigh His blessing on Saul’s life.

Another example is the Hebrew boys, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.  Those boys were blessed and anointed to carry out God’s plan.  They recognized this, and even came against the highest authority in the land, King Nebuchadnezzar, in recognition of this fact.  They let the king know that they served the God of Heaven, and would by no means serve or bow down to any other god, and whatever curse or punishment was meted out, that would neither change their stance nor their minds.  They even went to so far as to tell the king, “Even if He doesn’t save us from the fiery furnace, we will still never bow to your image.”  Well, we all know what happened after that!  Those boys were so anointed that not only did they survive the furnace, burning up their enemies in the process, but the very Son of God stopped by to be with them in their time of need.  Now THAT’s blessed beyond the curse!

I’ll give one more example, the apostle Paul.  Even though this man, as Saul, committed some of the most heinous hate crimes against the Christians of his day, his life was still anointed to become one of the most prolific writers of the Bible.  His works and words today influence so much of what we do and say as the “new” church of Jesus Christ.  His physical life as Saul you could say was cursed by misunderstandings, hatred, prejudice, small-mindedness, etc., yet the blessing of the destiny God had already preordained for him out-weighed all that to bring his life and life’s work, to its rightful conclusion.

Are you living under the shadow of a curse right now?  Has your life taken such a wrong turn that you cannot see your way clear?  Have things gotten so dark and gloomy that you can’t even see the tunnel, much less the light at the end of it?  My friend, don’t despair.  You are a Word of God, spoken into existence to fulfill your purpose, and you know that God’s word does not return to Him empty, not accomplishing what it was sent to accomplish!  Keep reading His Word.  Keep speaking words of encouragement to yourself.  Keep putting one foot in front of the other.  Keep forgiving.  Keep loving.  Keep smiling.  Keep being the vessel of God He has called you to be.  When it’s all said and done, your blessing beyond the momentary “curse” will shine through.  I know it seems unbearable at the moment, that the burden seems too heavy and you have no more tears, but thanks be to God who not only gives us the victory, but always causes us to triumph.  He reminds us that with every temptation, He has given us a way out, so that we will bear the temporary afflictions that come our way.    Keep your head up, and your face to the Holy Spirit.  Seek Him while He may be found, call on Him while He is near.  And when He is silent, don’t believe that enemy’s lies that He has forsaken you (He will NEVER, EVER do that!), but stay the course and pass the test, knowing that He is still by your side, watching your every move, prepared to jump in if you go too far afield.

Always remember that you are blessed beyond the curse, that your life is not for naught, you were created for a purpose, and God’s got your back!