Destroying The Enemies Within

...continue from last month’s edition... 

What then are the accursed things? The accursed things are the things that God has designated or chosen for Himself. Those things He has appointed for His personal use. The devil knowing that he cannot defeat God's people except they take of the accursed thing, tempted Achan to trespass against God by breaking His commandment, which led to the defeat of Israel by Ai. Though in the case of Joshua and Israel it was silver, gold and iron but it is actually more than that. The accursed thing are the things that belong to God, don't accept it or take them, it will lead to your defeat in the battle of life. Therefore, what are they? Jesus said to His disciples in Matthew 15:11 thus, “Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.” For something to come out of your mouth, that thing has to be in you first. Which means our fight should not be majored on what is outside of us but what is within. Because it is what is in us that destroys us and not what is outside of us. Hence Proverbs 4:23 said, “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it [are] the issues of life.” Don't allow any accursed thing around you to gain entrance into your heart. What are some of the accursed things? 

Romans 12:19, “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but [rather] give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance [is] mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.” What is vengeance? Vengeance means to pay somebody back with evil for ill treating you, it means to revenge. But the Lord, according to the scripture above says that vengeance is an accursed thing, it belongs to him. It is not your position as a believer to revenge for the evil done to you because that is God's exclusive preserve. When you revenge you are likely going to go down with your anger because anytime you decide to pay back evil with evil you take the accursed thing and terminate your progress like Achan. 

In Genesis 34, the Bible says that a man called Shechem raped Jacob's daughter called Dinah. Though the young man pleaded to have her for a wife but her brothers Simeon and Levi decided to take matters into their hands, they chose the way of vengeance which later brought a curse upon them in Genesis 49:5-7, “Simeon and Levi are brethren instruments of cruelty are in their habitations. O my soul, come not, thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united; for in their anger they slew a man, and in their self will they digged down a wall. Cursed be their wrath, for it was cruel; I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel.” Simeon and Levi lost the blessing because of offences which led to anger and eventually to vengeance. Instead of blessing they received a curse because anger rests in the bosom of fools - Eccl 7:9. 

According to Romans 12:19, it is wrath, great and uncontrolled anger that lead to vengeance. When you allow anger to stay in you for a long time as a result of unsolved offences, it leads to vengeance which eventually leads to destruction. This is the reason scriptures say that a man that allow anger to reside or rest in him is a fool. Moses for example was chosen by God to lead the children of Israel out of bondage. He was meek and heavily anointed but anger truncated his ministry. Apart from anger, there was no other weakness Moses had. But that single weakness which he did not deal with cut short his life and ministry. 

Though the Lord instructed Moses to speak to the rock in Numbers 20:8, but Moses as result of offences caused by the children of Israel stuck the rock twice. Numbers 20:12, “And the LORD speaks unto Moses and Aaron. Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.” You see, anger caused Moses his ministry and his life. Moses would have lived beyond one hundred and twenty years of age if had not succumb to anger. 

David almost made a mistake that would have cost his life and ministry but God prevented him. He almost took vengeance of Nabel. Nabel was a very rich man having huge number of flocks. David as a result of his love for Nabel always instructs his men to protect Nabel's flocks and herdsmen from robbers and wicked men. When David heard that Nabel was sharing his sheep, he sent some of his men to ask him for some victual because they were hungry and lacked what to eat (that is when David was in the wilderness escaping from King Saul). When David's men told Nabel the message he replied by pouring abuses and insults on David. When David heard his reply, he decided to revenge and take Nabel's life. But on his way he met Abigail, Nabel's wife, who stopped David and gave him some victual's she brought along with her while she was on her way to stop

Therefore David's anger was appeased and he withdrew from taking Nabel's life. But the next morning after Nabel's life. But the next morning after Nabel was sober (because he was drunk the night before), Abigail told him what David would have done to him had she not stopped him. When he heard that something happened. 1st Samuel 25:37-38, “But it came to pass in the morning when the wine was gone out of Nabel, and his wife had told him these things, that his heart did within him, and he became as a stone: And it came to pass about ten days after, that the LORD smote Nabel, that he died.” Because David did not pay Nabel for his evil did against him, God has to do the payment. If David had paid back Nabel for the evil he did against him, he would have taken the accursed thing upon himself and would have led to his destruction or set back. 

Beloved, don’t take vengeance, scripture says that we should follow those who through faith and patience inherit the promise – Hebrews 6:12. Vengeance and anger are both accursed things; don’t allow them to dominate you. Always be quick to forgive and don’t let the sun set while you are still angry. May the Lord bless you. See you next month.