Day 10 – God’s curses: Departing from the Lord
“Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD. For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited. Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. or he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.” Jeremiah 17: 5 – 8 (KJV)
I have never realized that this is a curse, but the more I think about it, the more it makes total sense. When I find myself departing from the Lord, not making time for Him, and getting too busy to chase after the wind, the harder my life becomes. The more I trust in my own strength, the less successful I am in anything I try to do. I surely become like a parched place in the desert. I feel like an uninhabited land, dry and useless. When I move back to the Lord, my blessings start to return and I feel like the tree carrying fruit.
The same happens when I trust in people. Trusting in people causes the same feeling, with added disappointment and regret. Trusting in people does not amount to being fruitful, but trusting in God does. Scripture tells us in 2 Chronicles 15:2 that the Lord will depart from us if we depart from Him. Can you imagine a more dire situation? If the Lord should depart from you? In 2 Thessalonians 1:9, it is said that those who turn away from God will “suffer eternal destruction”. Departure from the Lord is indeed a curse.
Prayer: Abba Father, I don’t want to depart from You. I am sorry that I sometimes wander away. Please help me to come back to You and choose to stay with You always. I love You Lord and I want to receive Your blessings. Amen
I would like to credit Derek Prince for the information in his book “Blessing and Curses
We would love to pray with you at prayer@womenoftheword.co.za
