GOD DESIRES TO BLESS US

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“For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!”

Romans 5:17

Everything suddenly changed. The harmony that existed between God and the first couple was broken in a single moment. It was all perfect until something evil infiltrated and corrupted a beautiful relationship. The enemy of God, who had lost everything in rebellion, refused his destiny of eternal condemnation. Instead, he chose to appear as a serpent in order to cause the first couple to fall into a trap and rebel against God. For this reason, God cursed the serpent and the land, and warned the first couple of what they would have to face because of their disobedience. But at the same time, He had mercy on both of them. “The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them” (Genesis 3:21). This was the first sacrifice that was carried out on the earth, and was a prototype of what Jesus would one day do for humanity. Even though the enemy thought that God’s dream for humanity had failed. He did not realize that one day, God’s only Son would confront him, not as God, but as a man. Jesus would defeat him and take away all of his power. Also, Jesus would rescue the human race enslaved by the evil one.

From the beginning, the Adversary knew that the Savior of humanity would be born of a woman, and would come to recover the crown that, through cunning deceit, had been taken from Adam. When Jesus was born, all of hell trembled and the Evil One used Herod to kill every child under the age of two years old. Then later, when Jesus set Himself apart, to fast before He began His ministry, the Adversary saw his opportunity, and tried to use his cunning to make him fall into the trap. Satan was trying to neutralize Jesus’ purpose of redeeming humanity. Jesus maintained Himself by answering Satan’s tricks with the Word that was given by God. As the writer of Hebrews expressed it, “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword…” (Hebrews 4:12a). Each word that Jesus said in response to the temptation of the Adversary began with, “It is written.” It was like an accurate thrust that hurt Satan so much that he left Jesus alone for a long time. Then the Adversary used Judas’ life to betray Jesus. From one moment to the next, Jesus found Himself being tried for crimes that He had not committed and was eventually sentenced to death as a dangerous criminal. The Adversary was laughing, thinking that he had been able to take Jesus, who had become his worst nightmare, out of his way. As Satan put the crown of thorns over Jesus’ head, His blood began to roll down his cheeks and fall to the ground. In this moment, the miracle occurred. The curse over the ground was reversed. It was as if the Father said to Jesus, “Because You poured out Your pure, holy and unpolluted blood, I will bless the ground for Your sake.” Through the sin of one man the curse entered the Earth. Therefore, in the same way, by the righteousness of one man named, Jesus blessing entered the Earth. The Blood that Jesus poured out reversed the curse, and a new path was opened for those who surrender their lives to God through faith in Jesus Christ. Later, with His death and His resurrection, Jesus removed all of the authority that the Adversary had and restored the dream of God for humanity.

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
Two years after starting the church, Mission Charismatic International, when we had grown to about seven hundred people, God gave us a tremendous prophetic word that described step by step how our ministry would develop. With time, we have seen how everything is being fulfilled. Allow me to share with you some of the paragraphs of that prophecy that has brought so much blessing to our church. I know that it will bring blessing to your life. It is interesting to note how the prophetic word starts, “This church has found grace in My eyes…” Grace is the unmerited favor of God for us, by which we receive His benefits without having worked to obtain them. It is like when Queen Esther presented herself before the king without being called. When the king saw her, she found grace in his eyes and he extended his golden scepter and told her, “Ask me for whatever you desire, even up to half of the kingdom…”

The rest of the prophecy said this:

“’I have a project, I have a great vision for this church,’ says the Holy Spirit. ‘For this reason, I am revealing My Word. Those who are members of this church, and who start to minister and walk and practice My Word with respect to their finances,’ says the Lord, ‘I will lift up these people as signs of My glory. I will bless them supernaturally. I will bless them economically as a church. Because as a church, you have never come together to make or receive this covenant in My Word.” The purpose of God is to bless each one of His children. When He gives a prophetic word, we must understand it. When Jesus told the Parable of the Sower, He said, “Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: when anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path. The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy. But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown” (Matthew 13:18-23).

One of the most powerful words that God has revealed in my life has been the revelation regarding the blood that Jesus poured out from his head because of the crown of thorns. I had never heard anyone preach about this topic. This revelation is a key that leads us to prosperity. It was what we lived by, as a church. In a very short time, we were able to conquer what we had not been able to in twenty-five years of ministry. I was able to see how the curse that hindered us from conquering the land was broken. I began to see how the church was inspired in faith, showing it in the way they gave their offering. This changed their hearts. They understood that in order for God to bless us, we should first show our commitment through our offerings. Each member felt that God was giving him or her a change of nature; and the church entered another level of faith. It was the Holy Spirit who took us to a new dimension, by the revelation of the power of the Blood of Jesus.

TODAY’S DECLARATION
“God desires for me to enjoy His blessings.”

Today’s post is an excerpt from Pastor Cesar Castellanos’ book, Declarations of Power for 365 Days of the Year: Volume Four.

TODAY’S BIBLE READING

    • Old Testament: Joel 1; Job 29
    • New Testament: John 15:18-27; Revelation 3:14-22

GOD DESIRES TO BLESS US