OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL MONDAY 12TH AUGUST 2024 THEME: BLESSED BEYOND CURSES MEMORISE: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: EPHESIANS 1:3 READ: NUMBERS 23:5-8: 5 And the Lord put a word in Balaam’s mouth, and said, Return unto Balak, and thus thou shalt speak. 6 And he returned unto him, and, lo, he stood by his burnt sacrifice, he, and all the princes of Moab. 7 And he took up his parable, and said, Balak the king of Moab hath brought me from Aram, out of the mountains of the east, saying, Come, curse me Jacob, and come, defy Israel. 8 How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? or how shall I defy, whom the Lord hath not defied? MESSAGE: "How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? or how shall I defy, whom the LORD hath not defied?" Numbers 23:8 The Scripture above tells us that it is impossible to curse people that have been blessed by God. Such persons can never be affected by curses that are pronounced on them. No matter how hard he tries, there is absolutely nothing the devil can do to curse the fellow that God has blessed. Romans 8:31 says: "What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?" God is Almighty; if He is on your side, there is no force on the earth, underneath the earth, or in any other place that can work against you. The Bible says that you have been bought with a price 1 Corinthians 6:20 and that price is the blood of Jesus. This means that no one can touch you because you are God’s possession. Through the sacrifice of the blood of Jesus flowing inside you, you are irreversibly blessed. God has blessed you with all heavenly blessings, and there is no man that can curse you! Numbers 23:23 says: "Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob, neither is there any divination against Israel: according to this time it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel, What hath God wrought!" In Proverbs 26:2, you are reassured that: "As the bird by wandering, as the swallow by flying, so the curse causeless shall not come." If someone decides to curse you without a genuine cause, do not be moved and do not be afraid. Goliath cursed David and, in a few minutes, his head was in David’s hands. In fact, any fellow who tries to curse you needs your prayers because God’s word says in Genesis 12:3: "And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: …" What is that genuine cause that can make a curse active even on a believer? It is sin. After Balaam could not curse the people of Israel because they were blessed, they were tricked into sleeping with strange women, and before they knew it, they were cursed with diseases. If you want to be blessed beyond curses, after surrendering your life to Jesus, you must ensure that you live holy. A life without Jesus does not have protection against any curse. As long as you remain a child of God, you are untouchable to curses. KEY POINT: Surrender your life to Jesus and live holy to ensure that you are blessed beyond curses. BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: JEREMIAH 31-32 HYMN 19: ROCK OF AGES CLEFT FOR ME 1 Rock of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee! Let the water and the blood, From Thy riven side which flowed, Be of sin the double cure; Cleanse me from its guilt and power. 2 Not the labours of my hands, Can fulfill thy law's demands Could my zeal no respite know, Could my tears forever flow, All for sin could not atone, Thou must save and thou alone. 3 Nothing in my hand I bring, Simply to thy cross I cling Naked, come to thee for dress, Helpless, look to thee for grace Foul, I to the fountain fly Wash me saviour or I die. 4 While I draw this fleeting breath, When my eyelids close in death, When I soar to worlds unknown, See thee on thy judgment throne, Rock of ages cleft for me, Let me hide myself in thee.