Life or Death; Blessings or Curses 1-19-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are the Alpha and the Omega. You are the Soon and Coming King. Come in to Your kingdom in my heart today. ... "For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, so that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope" (Romans 15:4). Hope is the purpose of the Scriptures -- even those that speak of the judgment and curses of God upon rebellion and disobedience. Because even Your judgments are for the purpose of turning our hearts back to You in repentance and faith to receive Your mercy once again. It seems You have led me to read again Your words of blessings and curses which set in place the spiritual principles that would govern the lives of Your people in the land of Your promises (Deuteronomy 27-30). Regardless of how literally we may believe they apply to us -- personally, as a people, as a nation -- there is at the very least the spiritual principle that obedience subjects us to blessing of Your protection and provision and disobedience subjects us to the lack of it, if they are to mean anything to us at all. How can we read these passages, even in the light of the Word of God revealed and fulfilled in the love of Christ, without a measure of the fear of God coming upon our hearts? Your judgments are severe, but so is Your mercy -- all dependent upon our heart of submission or surrender toward You. "See, I have set before you life and prosperity, death and adversity. If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I am commanding you today, by loving the Lord your God, walking in His ways, and observing His commandments, decrees, and ordinances, then you shall live and become numerous, and the Lord you God will bless you in the land that you are entering to possess. But if your heart turns away and you do not enter, but are led astray to bow down to other gods and serve them, I declare today that you shall perish; you shall not live long in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying Him and holding fast to Him; for that means life to you and length of days, so that you may live in the land the Lord your God swore to give to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob" (Deuteronomy 30:15-20). "The Scripture says, 'No one who believes in Him will be put to shame.' For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on Him. For, 'Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.' " (Romans 10:11-13). "Note then the kindness and the severity of God" (Romans 11:22). By Your grace, I receive the blessing of the fear of God. By Your grace, I turn my heart to You in repentance of the sin of not fully loving You, not fully obeying You, and not fully holding fast to You. And by Your grace, I receive Your mercy and ask You to restore Your protection and Your provision. I pray this for myself, for my family, for my community, for my people, and for my nation -- as far as Your grace will go. Whether it offends us or not, Your spiritual principles apply to our lives. Our choices determine mercy or judgment, life or death, blessings or curses. As for me and my house, I choose the Lord. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I feel strongly led to ask you to join with me in these personal and corporate prayers of confession, repentance, and mercy today for our own nation and for the nations of one another. Let us then agree with the promise of God's mercy that comes by the power of the blood of Jesus, Who is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us of all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). God bless you with His protection and provision! Friends, if you are in the Lexington area, please Come to The Fountain this Saturday night for our monthly, citywide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship -- 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary, 2800 Tates Creek Rd. People come from all traditions and denominations for a time of intimate worship in the presence of the Lord as the Holy Spirit leads. Our prayer ministry team will be available throughout the evening for prayer ministry. Come and bring a friend. All are welcome! To subscribe/unsubscribe, or to order my teaching dvd's on healing and wholeness, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord." www.messiah-ministries.org Our address is 2800 Tates Creek Rd.; Lexington, Kentucky 40502. Daily archives: www.morningbymorning.injesus.com