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Christianity Lite – Handout
Malachi 2:2 (KJV) If ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart, to give glory unto my name, saith the LORD of hosts, I will even send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings: yea, I have cursed them already, because ye do not lay it to heart.
Malachi 2:2 (NLT) Listen to me and take it to heart. Honor my name,” says the Lord Almighty, “or I will bring a terrible curse against you. I will curse even the blessings you receive. Indeed, I have already cursed them, because you have not taken my warning seriously.
THREE HEBREW WORDS:
1. ALAH – “_______________________________________________”
2. ARAR – “_______________________________________________”
3. QALAL – “______________________________________________”
A cursed person, because of the actions they take and the choices they make, is doomed to a life that is LESS than the state of blessing God yearns for them to enjoy.
HOW TO AVOID GOD’S CURSE ON YOUR LIFE:
1. OBEY GOD’S __________________________________
Deut. 28:1-2, 6-7 (NLT) If you fully obey the Lord your God by keeping all the commands I am giving you today, the Lord your God will exalt you above all the nations of the world. 2 You will experience all these blessings if you obey the Lord your God … 6 You will be blessed wherever you go, both in coming and in going. 7 “The Lord will conquer your enemies when they attack you. They will attack you from one direction, but they will scatter from you in seven!
Deut. 28:15, 19-20 (NLT) 15 But if you refuse to listen to the Lord your God and do not obey all the commands and laws I am giving you today, all these curses will come and overwhelm you … 19 You will be cursed wherever you go, both in coming and in going. 20 The Lord himself will send against you curses, confusion, and disillusionment in everything you do, until at last you are completely destroyed for doing evil and forsaking me …
2. DON’T ROB GOD IN YOUR __________________________________
Malachi 3:8-10 (NLT) 8 Should people cheat God? Yet you have cheated me! But you ask, ‘What do you mean? When did we ever cheat you?’ You have cheated me of the tithes and offerings due to me. 9 You are under a curse, for your whole nation has been cheating me. 10 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do, says the Lord Almighty, I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Let me prove it to you!
3. DON’T RELY ON HUMAN __________________________________
Jeremiah 17:5-8 (NLT) 5 This is what the Lord says: “Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans and turn their hearts away from the Lord. 6 They are like stunted shrubs in the desert, with no hope for the future. They will live in the barren wilderness, on the salty flats where no one lives. 7 “But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. 8 They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they go right on producing delicious fruit.
4. BE __________________________________ IN SERVING GOD
Jeremiah 48:10 Cursed be he that doeth the work of the LORD deceitfully (NEGLIGENTLY), and cursed be he that keepeth back his sword from blood (REFUSES TO FIGHT).
JESUS TOOK OUR CURSE – WHY TAKE IT BACK?
Galatians 3:13 (NLT) But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”
Deuteronomy 30:19-20a (NLT) 19 Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, that you and your descendants might live! 20 Choose to love the Lord your God and to obey him and commit yourself to him, for he is your life.
