Tag Archives: curses

You Shouldn’t Have to Ask

In life, there are no certainties, as each day on earth involves a plethora of possibilities.  Whether good, bad or indifferent, blessings and curses usually come and go like an endless cycle.  Nonetheless, when faith is the issue, you shouldn’t have to ask someone where they stand; this should be obvious.

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The example Jesus uses can be found in his Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5:13-16.  Faith is compared with salt, adding flavor to one’s life by preserving the soul through mediating, reading and reflecting on the Bible, Joshua 1:8.  Subsequently, faith should ignite hearts toward action, illuminating the love of God through deeds, a Christ like example and encouraging words.

According to the apostle Paul, gifts, personalities and talents vary, Romans 12:6-8.  Thus, being outspoken and vocal is not essential.  Rather, faith should compel individuals to demonstrate their commitment for Jesus on a regular basis, 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12.  By displaying faith, co-workers, family members and neighbors should be drawn to you, pondering, “something is different about him or her?”  You shouldn’t have to ask me, you should see this little light of mine shine daily.

by Jay Mankus

Grace With Obedience

The apostle Paul introduced the doctrine “by grace through faith” in Ephesians 2:8-10.  The context of Paul’s message refers back to his words to the church in Rome.  In human terms, it’s impossible for man to keep the Jewish law, Romans 3:9-12, as sin past down through the curse on placed upon Adam in Genesis 3 prevents anyone for deserving or earning eternal life on their own merits, Romans 6:23.  Only when an individual places their trust in an unseen Messiah, is heaven a reality, by grace through faith in Christ Jesus.

On the other side of the spectrum, we find James, the earthly brother of Jesus.  Based upon his actions mentioned in the 4 gospels and his only book, one of the catholic letters, readers will hear what they think is a contrary teaching.  Possibly reflecting of his own lack of faith, not believing his brother was the son of God, the Lord’s brother places an emphasis on actions inspired by faith, James 2:14-26.  Prior to Jesus’ resurrection, James was void of any belief.  However, James points out that true faith, breeds action.  Each go hand in hand, as once an individual claims to have faith but does not convey or display it, they are merely living a lie as James himself did until his big brother rose from the grave.

Finally, Moses relays words directly from God in Exodus 23:24-26 to the Israelites on their way to receive the promised land.  God’s initial expectations are to follow the first few commandments, mainly to avoid creating or worshiping other gods or things on earth.  In return for obedience, God will bless food, water and the health of his people.  One might suggest this is the origin and inspiration behind saying grace before you eat today, seeking blessing from the Lord of all.  Beyond this, the Lord promises to protect babies in their mother’s womb and supply long life as long as faith and obedience are woven together.  Regardless of where your allegiance lies, may the Holy Spirit guide you with a spirit of obedience accompanied by grace.

by Jay Mankus

Receiving Your Father’s Blessing

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In the past week, I have had several requests to write more about yearning for the favor of God.  I’ve had a few ideas, yet each stalled quickly, causing me to go back to the drawing board.  Then I read Genesis 49 yesterday, inspiring today’s title and prayer, that each of my readers may receive their father’s blessing.

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Not long after moving to Egypt, Jacob, the father of the 12 tribes of Israel, gathered his sons to be in his presence prior to his death.  Beginning in Genesis 49:2, Jacob gives a verbal last will and testament in the form of blessings and curses.  Ending 26 verses later in Genesis 49:27, this is one of the most fascinating passages in the Bible, a foreshadowing of the good, bad and ugly future Israelites will experience.

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After the dust settled, there was probably several heart broken men.  Reuben was cursed, Simeon and Levi criticized for their tempers, Issachar had slavery to look forward to and Benjamin is projected to be a wolf.  Meanwhile, 5 others were given compliments per say as Zebulun’s descendants were promised the seaside, Dan people of justice, Gad a resilient fighter, Asher food fit for a king and Naphalti good looking children.  Judah and Joseph are the only 2 boys who received what I call a full blessing, each detailed in several verses compared to 1 or 2.

Unfortunately, the negativity of this current generation can be attributed somewhat due to a lack of father figures and or not hearing compliments from their father.  Anger, frustration and a spirit of perfectionism often keeps me and many other dads from taking time to praise their children.  Yes, kids do let parent’s down, but young people do need to be lifted up to restore what little confidence they possess.  As the apostle Paul urges believers in Galatians 6:9-10, share a word of encouragement while there is still time.  By doing this, may you receive your heavenly Father’s blessings.

by Jay Mankus

The Gospel According to Forrest

Forrest Gump once said, “stupid is as stupid does.”  Although Tom Hanks played this fictional character, there is a lot of truth to this statement.  Recently, Riley Cooper, a wide receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles went to a Kenny Chesney concert, had a few drinks, got into a heated argument with a black security guard and blabbered out a racial slur directed toward him.  When you do or say something stupid, it doesn’t mean you have to apologize day after day to make the media feel better.  Living about 30 minutes outside of Philadelphia, Riley Cooper is being crucified on the airways every hour, as callers are picking up the first stone like the account in John 8:1-11.  According to the Gospel of Forrest Gump, “stupid is as stupid does.”

From a spiritual perspective, there is a good reason why people say stupid things.  Since the birth of Cain, every child born on earth has been implanted with a virus.  The Bible refers to this birth defect as the sinful nature or carnality in the original King James version, Romans 7:14-18.  As a result of this disease, individuals and their children have never been the same.  Thus, politicians, professional athletes and average citizens daily fulfill the words of Forrest Gump.

Take for example the daughters of Lot, trying to cope with the loss of their mother, death of their future husbands and a father stricken with depression, Genesis 19:30.  Emulating the practices of their uncle Abraham, Lot’s daughters felt more comfortable trusting in their own wisdom rather than wait on God to provide.  Therefore, they each partake in Indecent Proposal IV & V.  Once their dad is drunk as a skunk, with his beer goggles on, Lot thinks the woman in his tent is a mistress or perhaps a dream that he is sleeping with his wife once again.  Instead, Lot’s daughters take the gutter to a new low, sharing their father on consecutive one night stands, Genesis 19:32-35.  “Stupid is as stupid does!”

Similar to the descendants of Ham, these woman gave birth to the Moabites and Ammonites.  Like Abraham and Lot’s daughters, the Moabites trusted in Egypt when times got tough.  In addition, the Moabites called on Balaam to curse Israel, setting in motion their exclusion from the nation of Israel.  Meanwhile, the Ammonites worshiped the idol Milcom, which also led Solomon astray.  By breaking the first and second commandments, Exodus 20:3-4, a generational curse is poured out upon this nation, Exodus 20:5.  This is why Jesus adds Matthew 18:5-7 to the Bible.  He knew how precious and innocent children are.  Therefore, if you still have time to act, live out Matthew 18:8-9, purging sin from your life so that your children and children’s children don’t inherit the sins of their parents.  Check out Restoring The Foundations ministry online if you want to know more about how sin impacts children.

by Jay Mankus

The Original Indecent Proposal

Still of Demi Moore and Woody Harrelson in Indecent ProposalIn 1993, Hollywood pushed the envelope further than most screen writers had gone before in the film Indecent Proposal.  As Woody Harrelson and Demi Moore lose their life savings gambling in Las Vegas, they encounter a billionaire who offers a selfish plan to solve their financial woes.  Robert Redford offers one million dollars to the couple if Woody allows him to spend one night with his wife.  Controversial at the time, this concept is an idea taken right out of the Bible.

Still of Robert Redford in Indecent ProposalFour hundred years following the flood, God called Abram to leave Haran and the comfort of his family, Genesis 12:1.  Traveling toward Canaan, Abram makes 2 altars to the Lord, dedicating his life to the Lord in the hills between Bethel and Ai.  However, like the 1993 movie, during the first sign of turbulence, a famine, Abram relies on himself, not the Lord.  Since it was common for kings to steal beautiful wives, killing their husbands, Abram came up with the original indecent proposal.

Located in Genesis 12:10-13, Abram encourages Sarai his wife to tell a little white lie to Pharaoh.  Compromise is so subtle, logically excusing ourselves from sin due to circumstance.  As this plan is carried out to completion, Abram becomes a hero, honored with sheep, cattle, donkeys, camels and servants.  In the process, Sarai is taken as Pharaoh’s wife, but curses follow his family immediately.  Like the sailor’s in the days of Jonah 1:8, Pharaoh quickly recognizes Abram as the source of his troubles.

Being duped by Abram, Pharaoh confronts him in Genesis 12:17-20, kicking this couple out of Egypt, left to fend for themselves during the rest of the famine.  While on  the outside, Abram might have felt like he got away with his plan, consequences follow.  Sarai becomes barren, she talks Abram into having a son with another woman, Genesis 16:1-2 and trials become a way of life for this couple.  If your life is a mess like this family or you are feeling burdened by the stress of life, call on the name of the Lord, Proverbs 3:5-6.  If you do this, the Holy Spirit will keep you from going through with any indecent proposals that pop into your mind, 2 Corinthians 10:3-5.

by Jay Mankus

Bad Breaks or a Curse?

When lightning strikes or breaks don’t seem to go your way, how do you make sense of these events.  Chicago Cubs fans believe in the curse of the Billy Goat placed on the team by Billy Sianis after being ejected from a game in 1945.  Meanwhile, Philadelphia sports fans claim the curse of William Penn has affected the success of their teams once the city of Philadelphia allowed One Liberty Place 1n 1987 to tower above the statue of William Penn, the former highest structure in town.

From a worldy perspective, there are 2 types of evil, natural and moral.  Natural evil occurs when the natural forces in the universe cause havoc on earth in the form of earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes and tsunamis.  Moral evil occurs when human beings exercise their free will to drink and drive, commit a crime or hold a grudge against someone.  When bad breaks, unusual events or strange things occur, nature or human beings are to blame.

However. I have discovered there is another force at work, one that is supernatural.  Sometimes God has allowed me to fail to humble me, teach me a lesson or steer me in a different direction like Acts 16:6.  On the other hand, when a series of bad thing happen to you, it could also be a word curse like James 3:9-10, a hex placed on you by an enemy or in extreme cases you could be cursed by a witch or someone practicing voodoo.  So the next time you have one of those Murphy Law kind of days, think about these 3 types of evil, ask God for discernment and pray that the Lord raises you up on eagle’s wings, Isaiah 40:30-31.

by Jay Mankus

Blessings and a Curse

Since being left go on January 2nd, I have received many blessings.  The out pouring of support, constant messages of people praying for me on Facebook and getting to know my children has been special.  For the past 10 years, my wife has been a widow during the golf season while I worked 12-16 hours and day for 3 months, often getting home after everyone is asleep or at least in bed.  Now, I spend 30 minutes to an hour playing golf with Daniel and Lydia on my golf green in our backyard after school.  My children also have helped me with my recent you tube videos as well.

Another thing God has revealed to me is the blessing of time.  Time to read books and the Bible every day.  Time to write Express Yourself, send out my daily blog and correspond with people on Facebook that I haven’t seen in almost 20 years.  Time to coach Daniel’s baseball team and time to help lead a Thursday night Bible Study.  While I was teaching, I always felt rushed, never taking or feeling like I could spend time with my co-workers.  Now, I have had the opportunity to spend time once a week with Spencer Saints, a dear friend and co-worker who is in the same position I am, unemployed.

This leads me to my curse, unable to currently provide for my family.  In the back of my mind, I always thought I would be at Red Lion until Lydia graduated, but this was not God’s plan.  I know some time, hopefully sooner than later, God will open a door so that I can walk through it by faith.  However, for know I feel like an explorer, either about to fall off the flat earth or discover a new land, filled with milk and honey.  I feel compelled to complain like David, asking God for justice, as the wicked prosper, I am struggling to keep my head above the flood waters of debt.  In the end, I know God has a plan, I’m just waiting in the dark, pleading for a prompt answer.  In life there are many blessings, but the greatest curse is forgetting just how blessed we really are to live in the greatest country in the world.  May God bless the U.S. of A.

by Jay Mankus