1143 - A Life Free from Curses#
1143 - A Life Free from Curses
(JP Text Group - Jiamei Compilation)
Romans 12:9-14:
Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.
Let us begin with a prayer:
Loving Heavenly Father, we thank and praise you for your grace. In this moment, let us gather before your throne of grace, where we listen to your words together. At this time, may you pour out your grace upon us from your throne. May every brother and sister seeking you today surely find you. Lead our time together and guide each person's heart. Thank you, Lord, and we pray in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen!
The topic we are sharing today is called A Life Free from Curses.
Starting today, we will talk about many aspects of life. Looking at this text, it mentions “loving one another.” We must first love God, for only then can we have the strength to love others. Let love be genuine; when you truly love someone, do not just speak one way while thinking another. Let love be genuine, abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.
This tells us that Christians should do more good deeds. Many Christians think that doing good deeds is enough to enter the kingdom of heaven, which is incorrect. It is after you are saved that Christians should do good deeds, and God will reward you for such actions! Love one another with brotherly affection; within the church, we must first love one another.
Outdo one another in showing honor. When others speak well of you, do not just say, “I know,” but rather show honor.
Do not be slothful in zeal. This explains another issue; many people say that after believing in Christ, they do not need to do anything, just ask God for food and money, and do nothing else. This is a wrong mindset.
The Bible tells us to not be slothful in zeal. It is our duty to do what we should do. Just like a farmer who prays, “Lord, bless me and let my harvest be better this year.” If he does not plant seeds, he will still have no harvest when the time comes. Therefore, we should not be lazy; we must be diligent. All of this relates to our own lives. It tells us to be fervent in spirit, serving the Lord constantly.
How do we serve the Lord? Rejoice in hope. The original text refers to hope. This means that when we see certain things, we should see that God can manage these matters, and we should see the ultimate outcome, which is victorious. When we see this hope, we can rejoice. Because our God does not fail.
Be patient in tribulation. Tribulation is temporary; God cannot say that in the end, we will still face tribulation. What He ultimately gives us is joy and blessing. When we see temporary tribulations, we must be patient. How do we endure? Through long-term prayer, which tells us that prayer must be constant.
Verse 13 continues to relate to the Christian life. Contribute to the needs of the saints.
When you see a brother or sister in need, and you have the ability to help them, you should help them. If you see someone whose family is going through a tough time, you can comfort them. If you can help them financially, then do so. If you can help them solve some family issues, then help them. This tells us that among brothers and sisters, we should actively act when we see such situations.
Seek to show hospitality. You understand this well, especially during this time when guests come to your home the most. Regardless of whether your relatives owe you money, when they come to your home, do not show them a cold face; seek to show hospitality. The Bible tells us that if you do this, God will bless you.
Verse 14 tells us, Bless those who persecute you.
The Bible specifically mentions, bless and do not curse. Perhaps you see those who persecute you and find it unbearable. It may seem impossible to bless them, but God tells us: bless and do not curse. What is cursing? Is it merely insulting someone? For example, when others attack you, slander you, or even envy you, saying negative words, or even lying about you, causing misunderstandings, this is all considered cursing.
You must first determine that their curses cannot succeed. People have the freedom to speak, but these curses cannot take effect on you. You need to be sure of this, so you will not be concerned with what they say. If you are concerned, you are afraid that their words will take effect on you.
First, you must determine that this cannot take effect on you. Is there a biblical basis for this? How do you know that their curses cannot take effect on you? We believe in Jesus; what is the reason? When you praise God, you need a reason. Since you say that others' negative words will not take effect, you should have a biblical basis for it.
Colossians 2:13: And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.
It later says that He personally bore our curses on the cross, redeeming us from all the curses of the law. When others curse you, it is a curse under the law. Because what comes from God is love, and love does not curse others. What comes from the law has curses. You must know that Jesus Christ has redeemed us, so their curses are ineffective. God does not curse; human curses have no effect. You must know that we have been freed from curses, so human curses have no effect on you. Hallelujah!
Regardless of whether those attacking you are relatives or friends, what God gives you is blessing. God wants to exert influence in your work; if God does not work, our efforts are in vain. If God gives you strength, in front of your friends and relatives, even if you say one word, they will remember it deeply; this is God's power!
So you should seek this anointing and power in your life. The focus is not on how many words you say; the key is whether those words carry weight. When Jesus was on earth, He hardly spoke any idle words; His words were very brief yet powerful. Thank God!
The first point of sharing: How to live a life free from curses?
Speak words of blessing. Where do people's problems lie? The problem is that they do not know how to describe blessings. In the New Testament, in Greek, the meaning of blessing is to speak positive words. You may not use the word “blessing,” but when you speak positive words to others, you are already blessing them. When you speak good words to your body, you are blessing your body.
Once, David prayed: “My soul, and all that is within me, bless the Lord.”
He said to his inner self, “Listen, you must bless the Lord.” Thank God! Have you ever prayed like this? Don’t just focus on sin. You should say what is within you, and let your mouth also bless our God. When you speak like this to your body, you are blessing your body! Some people say, “My illness always flares up in winter.” You are cursing your body! You are expecting to have the same problem next year. Do not speak negative words to your body. Thank the Lord!
Once, when Jesus was hungry, He came to a fig tree, hoping to find fruit. But the tree was full of leaves. A fig tree is special; if it has leaves, it must have fruit. However, this tree had leaves but no fruit. Did Jesus curse that tree? But Jesus did not use the word curse. In Greek, cursing means to speak negative words.
Jesus said to that tree: “From now on, no one will ever eat fruit from you again.” Do you see? Jesus made a declaration to that tree: “From now on, no one will eat fruit from you again.” This is essentially a curse. The next day, Peter said to the Lord: “Lord, the fig tree you cursed has withered away.” This negative word also produced power.
Jesus’ words are like this; He has given such authority to every child of God. Do not use your mouth to make declarations of curses; instead, often speak words of blessing.
Jesus not only spoke to trees but also spoke to storms, as if the storm were a person, saying, “Be still! Be quiet!” The storm immediately obeyed; this is the power of the words that came from Jesus Christ.
What He said were all positive words. We must learn from Jesus’ method. If you have a headache, speak to your head: “In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, go away headache!” Jesus spoke to the storm: “Be still!” Did the disciples see this? So you can speak to your heart, and you can speak to the problems in your home. But you must speak positive words. Because when you speak positive words, you are blessing them.
A few days ago, I saw someone post on WeChat about how beautiful their flowers were. Have you ever blessed your flowers at home? When Jesus spoke words of cursing to that fig tree, it withered. If you speak words of blessing to your flowers at home, they will thrive; I have tested this. You can try it at home.
Jesus spoke to the storm, and the storm calmed down. Jesus spoke to the dead, and the dead came back to life. Jesus spoke to demons, and they fled. There was a man possessed by thousands of demons; Jesus said: “Come out, and do not enter again.” The demons said: “Where should I go? There is a herd of pigs; let me go into the pigs.” Jesus said: “Go.”
Wherever they go, they must go with Jesus’ permission. So you should do such positive blessings at home. Do you know what Jesus’ intention was when He cursed the fig tree? Was it to have you practice cursing trees as you leave the church? That is not the point. The intention behind Jesus cursing the fig tree is deeper.
Mark 11:24: Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
Jesus was teaching His disciples to pray to the Father in this way. Even in the process of prayer, do not speak words of cursing; speak positive words. When you see the power of Jesus’ words, you should believe that when you pray to the Lord Jesus, He will accomplish it for you. Have faith in God; do not misunderstand and go out to curse plants and trees. This will indeed lead to curses; do not test this, as it truly has an effect.
I remember sharing with brothers and sisters about an incident around the year 2000. There was an elderly woman in a rural area who had believed for a long time. While reading the Bible, she came across this passage. Usually, the elderly woman had no one at home, just a flock of chickens and ducks. One day, they were making a lot of noise, and she got annoyed and said, “It would be better if you all died.” After she said this, all the chickens fell dead. From that day on, she would cover her mouth when she saw people and stopped speaking carelessly.
Brothers and sisters, you have the same authority as Jesus. As long as you speak words of blessing, you will live a life free from curses.
In our lives, how do we face such situations? I hope brothers and sisters can have a fresh start, beginning with our mouths. Perhaps in the past, when your child brought home their report card at the end of last year and it was not good, how did you speak to your child? You might say, “Child, it’s okay; next year you will definitely be first place, and it will be better.”
To be honest, saying, “You always fail your exams; last year you were last place, and this year you are last place again. I guess you will be last place again next year,” do you know what you are doing? You are prophesying that he will have the same result next year. Do not say such words anymore.
Some people say their husbands always pressure them and do not let them believe in Jesus. Every time they go to church, they are criticized. When they come to church, we tell them to have faith in their husbands and declare in the name of Jesus that he will surely be saved. This person says, “You don’t know; my husband is very hard-hearted and will never believe.” Do you know? You are prophesying over him. Originally, he was not hard-hearted, but now he has become hard-hearted. He might believe, but because of your declaration, he might not believe anymore.
Some people tell us, “This life is really unbearable.” You are cursing your family. We must first start with our mouths to live a life free from curses. Some people pray, “Lord, are you not listening to my prayers? Where have you gone?” Do you know what you are doing? You are cursing yourself, making your prayers ineffective. When your prayers are about to rise, you say, “Lord, you will not listen to my prayers.” You are cursing yourself. Therefore, you must live a life free from curses and speak words of blessing.
Brothers and sisters, do you remember what I just said? What are words of blessing? They are positive words. When you speak positive words, you are speaking words of blessing. Amen! Moreover, the word blessing itself does not represent anything; you need to describe the words of blessing in detail.
Let me give you another example. If your child comes home with the first place in school, you should praise them. Would you say to your child, “Child, I praise you, I praise you…”? We would not say that. We often say this to God: “Lord, I praise you, I praise you…” but we may never have mentioned the specific content. The Israelites never used such words; they said, “Lord, I praise you, for your love endures forever.” Praise always has a reason behind it. If you always say, “I praise you, I praise you…” it sounds awkward.
Look at the sister in the front row; she is quite beautiful, and a boy admires her greatly. He says, “You are really beautiful!” Brothers and sisters, when such a boy speaks these words to her, he is blessing her. Similarly, if I say, “I praise you, I praise you…” how would you feel? I sincerely praise you; do you realize I am praising you?
Brothers and sisters, we need to change the way we speak. You should turn blessings into real language. So when it says let love be genuine, it should not become false. When others see you, they will wonder what you are doing. Instead of saying that, it is better to say, “Wow! You look really beautiful today.” Even if you do not use the word blessing, you are still blessing her; even if you do not use the word praise, you are still praising her.
If you truly want to thank God, use heartfelt words. You say, “Lord, so many people have caught colds, but you have kept me healthy; thank you and praise you!” This is practical. We need to change our mouths to speak positive words; you are blessing yourself and others. Remember what I just told you. Bring reasons to describe specifically; change begins with our words. We are all created in the image and likeness of God.
A leper came to Jesus and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” Jesus touched the leper. Remember! When reading the Bible, be careful. Jesus reached out and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean!” After that, the leper was cleansed. Under what circumstances was the leper healed? It was when Jesus spoke positive words that the power came upon him. Thank God! Where did the healing power come from? It is the power of words.
For example, when we take communion, when you take the bread, you should make a declaration, saying, “Lord, this is your body given for me; because of the stripes you bore, a certain illness in my body is healed.” You are making such a declaration, a positive word; you are blessing yourself. This is using God’s power to bless you.
Why do we encourage you to speak during communion? It is for this reason. We want you to learn to speak words of blessing.
Let me give you another example, even if something has already happened, we should still speak according to God’s words in the Bible, because this is the beginning of turning the situation around. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. At that time, was it all dark? When you wake up and find everything dark, what is your first reaction? Wow… it’s so dark! You wouldn’t say, “Let there be light,” would you?
Isn’t your first reaction to say, “Why is it so dark?” You are describing your current situation. When the heavens and the earth were in darkness, God did not say, “Wow… why is it so dark?” God spoke what He wanted to see as the result. In fact, the original text has only one word: Light. And then light came forth; it was that simple.
Brothers and sisters, at that time, God was also in darkness; He just spoke what He wanted to see, and the matter was accomplished. When the earth had nothing, it looked bare and ugly; God did not look at this. God said that the earth should bring forth all kinds of flowers, grass, and trees. Before making these declarations, He had already seen these things. God would not say, “Wow, how beautiful! I never thought of that!” Because God had already seen it, He declared it with His mouth, and the matter was accomplished. Apply this to your life. This is God’s principle of seeing things. He does not speak of the current situation but speaks of the desired outcome.
Many people are entangled in trivial matters and cannot find solutions. Most of the time, their reaction is, “This is driving me crazy.” Such declarations will not have any positive effect. So do not say such words anymore. Do not say, “I’m so exhausted; what should I do?” Never say, “This life is simply unbearable; I really cannot go on.” Because when you say such words, the Bible tells us that Jesus changes the situation with words.
When Abraham was 75 years old and had no children, God said to him, “Abram, you need to change your name to Abraham.” Abraham’s name means the father of many nations. Just think, when Abraham went out and said, “My new name is the father of many nations,” would everyone laugh at him? “Old man, are you crazy? You don’t even have one child, and at your age, you say you are the father of many nations!”
Abraham did not declare his current situation. Do not declare according to the past. In the past, Abraham said, “Lord, I have no children; what can you give me?” Do not speak like that. You need to change your name to Abraham, to become the father of many nations, and often declare it. Let him hear who the father of many nations is; it is his wife. If you want your husband to change, your mouth must change first.
Sarah desperately wanted a child, so she began to declare to her husband, “Father of many nations, father of many nations! Come eat!” Father of many nations, it’s time to rest. Every time she made such a declaration, even though she did not see it, she believed that this day would surely come to pass. This is called faith. Hallelujah!
As Christians, when the environment is terrible, Sarah was already past childbearing age, but even so, God still gave her this promise.
You should declare to your husband like this; even though your husband has not yet believed in Jesus, you must first declare that he is a believer. You must declare the outcome you want to see, not the current situation.
God has called him the father of many nations and called his wife the mother of many nations. God was teaching Abraham that you must speak in faith about the outcome you want to see. This is the first thing you need to do in your life. Abraham had a child when he was one hundred years old. Perhaps people have heard Abraham’s name for so many years, and in the end, they say that believing in the Lord is indeed different; he really declared it.
Do you have faith to declare like this throughout the year until you see it? God will bless you in this way. Abraham did not say on the first day, “I am the father of many nations,” and then ask the doctor the next day if he was pregnant. If he found out he wasn’t, he would stop declaring, thinking it was useless. Remember not to give up. You must declare until you see the result. When I see you, I often say, “You are blessed by God; everything you do will be blessed by God.” You must first believe this. How do you believe? You must declare in faith that everything you do this week will be blessed by our God.
Joshua 1:8 says: Your way will be prosperous.
What does prosperous mean? Very smooth. You should first tell yourself, “My business will get better and better.” Although it looks terrible now, you must first speak the outcome you want to see. Perhaps in the past, you worried, “This year I lost money again; this year I haven’t even made enough for rent; what should I do?” Don’t say such negative declarations anymore, because you are cursing yourself. First, bless yourself, speak positive words, and declare with God’s words. So I hope you will use words of faith every day to make correct declarations about yourself and your family. Hallelujah!
I am very pleased that Sister Fan makes such positive declarations on WeChat every day, and this year she has undergone significant changes. When you declare like this, God will accomplish it for you. I hope you will declare like this, and a year later, you will find that you are completely different. You may not see the effect in a short time, but over time, you will see that this is how your life changes.
The Christian life must begin with our mouths. You are blessed by God, and everything you do will become prosperous this week. Do not think it is out of reach; this is the word of the Bible. Understand that blessing is not just saying the word “blessing,” but using God’s words to describe that blessing.
How does God describe you? If you do not know, read the Old Testament Song of Songs. He says, “Your eyes are like the eyes of doves; your hair is like a flock of goats; your neck is like the tower built by David.” Your husband has never praised you like this, and your children have never praised you like this, but your God praises you like this. You have not seen it; what a pity! So when you have time, read the Song of Songs more to understand how much God loves you. You are like the apple of His eye. When you realize how much God loves you and repeat this, you will understand God’s love.
When you accept God’s love, you will have the strength to love others. If you do not know how much God loves you, how can you possibly love those around you with God’s love? We must know how much God loves you, learn to bless yourself, and then bless others to live a life free from curses. Learn to speak positive words to your children; this is to bless them, not to curse them.
Never say they do not understand anything or cannot do anything. Do not speak like that. Let them learn to do things; children may be clumsy and slow when they start doing things and may waste their time. You should guide them to learn to do some things. If you do not let them do it, when you leave the house, they will mess around. It is better to guide them first because this world is filled with too many negative things. If you do not teach them to know God’s words, they will learn only worldly things.
Last time I went to a friend’s house, I saw their child playing with sci-fi monster toys with particularly long names, and the child could remember all these names. Children have amazing memories. Why not tell them God’s words and let them remember God’s words? This will have a tremendous impact on their lives. What use is it for them to memorize the names of monster toys when they can remember negative words? They will dream about monsters at night.
Our child is now two years old, and every morning at breakfast, he says four words: “Jesus loves me.” Brothers and sisters, if your child often says, “Jesus loves me, Jesus loves me, Jesus loves me…” you do not need to worry about their journey; Jesus will surely keep them safe. Even if you do not verbally say, “Bless you, bless you, bless you…” you have taught them the source of blessing. When they speak like this, remember, Jesus is especially willing to listen.
So we must know that what you teach them is the right thing; they will learn positive things. If you teach them negative things, they will learn negative things. You will find that they learn negative words quickly without being taught. They will learn to curse without being taught. Do you know why? Because they hear their parents speaking like this, so they learn. If you often speak positive words at home, they will learn to use positive words to bless themselves. This world has too many negative things and negative words; therefore, we need to use God’s words to bless us.
The second point of sharing: God does not curse, and we should not curse either.
What Jesus gives us is not curses but grace and truth. In Numbers 23:8, it says: At that time, Balaam wanted to curse the Israelites, but when he opened his mouth, God changed his words, and he said, “How can I curse whom God has not cursed?”
God spoke a prophecy through his mouth, “He has not seen in Jacob any iniquity, nor has he seen any wickedness in Israel. The Lord his God is with him, and the shout of a king is among them.”
Brothers and sisters, does this mean there were no sinners among Jacob? Were there no wicked things among the Israelites? There were many. The complaints of the Israelites in the wilderness were no less than ours, and sometimes they were quite malicious; this is what God said. “He has not seen in Jacob any iniquity.” Why did God say they had no iniquity? But the fact is that they often complained about life. God said, “He has not seen any wickedness among them.” Is God lying? No. God firmly stated these words and also said, “The Lord their God is with them.” Thank God, this is a certainty.
Where did their sins go? At that time, the Israelites were still offering sacrifices in the wilderness because their sins were laid upon the sacrificial animals they offered. God said they had no iniquity; their sins were placed upon those animals, and in God’s eyes, they had no iniquity. So God is willing to be with you.
Our sacrificial offering is Jesus Christ, so God also sees you as having no iniquity. This does not mean you will not sin, but God no longer holds your iniquities against you. He lets you know that He is a God who loves you and is merciful to you. Hallelujah! This is one aspect of God. After believing in Jesus, this person may still sin, but sin no longer offends God; you offend people and yourself.
Here, let me explain a verse that many people find confusing: James 5:16: Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.
Many people have read this verse and think it mentions confessing sins, but do you see to whom we should confess? It is to people. The entire book of James talks about the Christian life. Chapter 3 mentions the importance of the tongue and not speaking carelessly; chapter 4 mentions obeying God’s words and not speaking arrogantly to the devil; chapter 5 immediately follows with some matters in the Christian life.
God no longer remembers our sins, but people can see your sins. For example, when you scold your husband, he can see your sins. Did you sin? You sinned, but even though God does not remember your sins, your husband will remember your sins. If you scold your neighbor, God no longer remembers your transgressions, but your neighbor will remember your transgressions.
So this tells us that we should confess our sins to one another and pray for one another to be healed. If two neighbors argue to the end, and both are angry, both families will get sick. How can healing be restored? They must confess to one another. If you have offended a colleague, you should admit your mistake to him.
Do not say, “God does not remember my sins; I do not need to admit my mistakes to him. It’s okay; it’s just like that.” No, you must acknowledge your mistakes to him. Because by doing so, you restore your relationship. You will be released from it, and your relationship will be restored. You yourself have been hurt, and through this acknowledgment, you can find release and comfort. Hallelujah!
Do not apply this verse to God. Many people think that we are still sinners and should be punished at any time. If we offend God, we must first confess to God. You need to confess to the person you have offended. Many people say God is love; if you do not confess to God, He will punish you and bring disasters upon you, as if God is always judging you. This is a wrong belief that leads to wrong words and actions.
James 5:9: Brothers, do not grumble against one another, so that you may not be judged.
James talks about the Christian life. Why does he say you should not grumble against one another? Because they were all complaining against each other. This is not just a problem in James’ church; many churches today have similar issues. It is not that once we believe in Jesus, there will be no complaints; there will definitely be. You may not know it, but one person may not like another.
It is indeed like this; you may have come here. You do not know that among those present, one person may not like another. This is a very normal thing, but do not speak it out; do not complain. If you have such a problem, pray to God. If you speak it out and complain to one another, the church will have problems. Because the Jerusalem church where James was at that time had already encountered problems. They were complaining against each other. So James said, “Brothers, do not grumble against one another, so that you may not be judged.”
I checked the original text, and the meaning of judgment is: so that you may not be condemned. If I have nothing to do and say the most unpleasant words to this brother, if he cannot stand it, he will retaliate against you, and then there will be mutual complaints. In the process of mutual complaints, other brothers and sisters will say, “Look at these two; they are both deacons, and they are starting to bite each other.” Others will start to judge, and this result has no benefit at all.
James saw that the church had such problems and said that you should confess to one another. Why? If you do this, the problem will be resolved. When brothers and sisters see you confessing to one another, they will say, “Look, these believers are different. Although they have conflicts, they acknowledge their mistakes to each other. I should not have acted like this; I was wrong.” They see their own mistakes.
When you acknowledge your mistakes to the other person, the relationship is restored. This is exactly the Christian life. Do not say, “It was clearly his fault; why should I confess to him?” At this moment, it does not matter who confesses to whom. Even if you are right, if you confess to him, God will comfort you. This is the Christian life.
We do not grumble against one another, so that we do not judge one another. It is people who judge you; God does not judge you. The reason is that the judge is standing at the door. Jesus Christ is coming soon; are you still here complaining against one another? What a waste of time! We should love one another because the day of the Lord is near. Do not waste time complaining against one another in the day of the Lord’s coming. It is better to love one another, confess to one another, and restore our relationships. Thank God!
Please look at your brothers and sisters the way God sees you. You must know that the person next to you, in God’s eyes, has eyes like doves and is also beautiful. If God sees them as beautiful, why do you see them as ugly? Therefore, you should look at your brothers and sisters with God’s eyes. This is how God sees people; do not look at your brother’s flaws or shortcomings because no one is perfect. Thank the Lord.
If someone says, “I want to leave this church; I find many problems here.” Congratulations, you have finally realized that if you leave this church, you will find that there may not be the same problems in another church, but other problems will arise because we are all imperfect people.
How can we gather here without any problems? But when we, these imperfect people, focus our attention on Jesus Christ, our problems will be solved. Because we look up to Him, He is perfect, and He is complete. Although our lives are not perfect now, we look up to the One who is holy. Hallelujah!
When all our churches focus on Jesus Christ, disputes will decrease. Thank the Lord. This is one point James hopes we understand, so we will not complain about our brothers. Because you know that he is indeed like me, an imperfect person. If there is a problem with him, you should acknowledge your mistakes to him and resolve the issue.
Because he is not God; he cannot unconditionally forgive you countless times. You must know he is a person, and you should confess your transgressions to him. This way, the relationship will be restored. You must know that he is beloved by God and is also blessed by God. Hallelujah! God delights in us not because of our good behavior but because we are God’s children.
Matthew 3:16-17:
When Jesus was baptized, he immediately went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
This is the Father’s affirmation of Jesus’ life. At that time, Jesus had not performed any miracles, had not healed any sick people, and had not done any ministry yet, but the Father said, “You are my beloved Son; I am well pleased with you.” Similarly, the Father delights in you not because of what you have done but because you are the Father’s beloved. You should live with this affirmation. Jesus lived with the Father’s affirmation of Him, and when He entered the wilderness, He overcame all the temptations of the devil with this affirmation. Hallelujah.
Let me talk a bit about the relationship of educating children. Many of you are parents, and you should also do this with your children because your children are also eager to receive affirmation from you. They may suffer grievances outside or at school. Perhaps teachers often criticize them, and their classmates may often laugh at them. But when they come home, you should say to them, “In my eyes, you are always the best. No matter what others say, I will always love you. You are my joy; seeing you makes me happy.”
If your child can understand these words, no matter how much they suffer outside, they will know that they have someone who always supports them. If they come home and hear the same words as the teacher, they will not know what to do. They will wonder why the world treats them this way. They may eventually give up.
So we must speak positive words to ourselves and to our children. Praise your children often, but it must be realistic. Let love be genuine. Do not say to your child, “I praise you, I praise you, I praise you…” They will not understand. You must genuinely praise them so they know there is always someone who affirms them.
Before Jesus went to the cross, He had a prayer.
John 16:32 Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me.
In that difficult moment, facing betrayal, anyone would feel hurt. Jesus said, “You will leave me alone.” He immediately thought, “I am not alone because the Father is always with me.” So support your children at home and give them affirmation. In the future, when they face grievances outside, it will be okay. Even if everyone does not recognize me, my family still recognizes me. This strength will encourage them to keep moving forward.
Know that the Father has affirmed you just as He affirmed Jesus, so you are beloved by the Father. Use the love you receive from the Father to love yourself, bless yourself, and bless those around you with positive words. Hallelujah!
Let us pray together:
Loving Heavenly Father, thank you and praise you for your grace, granting me the wisdom I need at this moment to change my life. In my life, may I often be a channel of blessing. Continuously bless others and also bless myself. We do not wish to live in curses. In Christ, we have complete joy.
I am willing to receive your love, your forgiveness, and your mercy. Treat those around me with such love. In the new week, grant me such strength to live a different life. Renew my thoughts, so I can see the abundant blessings you have prepared for me every day.
I believe that everything I do this week will be prosperous because God will be with me, and you will bless everything I do. Thank you and praise the Lord, and I pray in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen!