Devil, Let My People Go!!

Exodus 10:3

“So Moses and Aaron came in to Pharaoh and said to him, “Thus says the Lord God of the Hebrews: ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me? Let My people go, that they may serve Me.” 

I wanted to send this valuable information to many of you who may be of Hispanic descent, know Hispanic people, or care about what is happening to many families that have been held captive with their children separated from them. 1 Corinthians 15:46 says that first comes the natural then the spiritual. This is to say that the natural manifestations of the things we see, usually have a spiritual side of what God wants to show and warn us about.

I went to a meeting last Friday for Hispanic people in my community hosted by a group that wants to bring awareness of the resources and programs available to Hispanic people and the chapters in the different cities that make these things available, especially for those who may not have all the legal documentation to be able to go to a regular doctor, or lawyer, or to seek any other type of help for themselves or their families.

In the meeting the speaker who represented the Health Department, gave some statistics about the strength of the Hispanic community in the way we endure long, and live long lives for the most part, how we are swift to help one another and gather our finances and resources to help the ones in need, or how we also celebrate big with our block parties and include everyone.

At that moment the Lord spoke to me and reminded me of the study I did for several years since the year 2001 where He asked me to research the Jewish race and what we are all about and who is He as the God of the Jewish people. I say we because I did not know this growing up, but discovered that I come from a Jewish lineage and even learned of the tribe that I belong to on both sides of my family. So, the Lord reminded of the things not only mentioned in the Bible, but in some history books about the strengths of the Jewish race and what they have gone through for centuries.

If you have read my blog posts, you have seen that I have mentioned that we must pray by revelation. This means that we need to study to show ourselves approved unto God. 2 Timothy 2:15 says, “Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved (tested by trial), a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately dividing [rightly handling and skillfully teaching] the Word of Truth.”

But this is also necessary for our times of prayer. When we know the facts, the root of the issues we’re dealing with and have done our homework to find out why things are the way they are and what they mean in the spirit, to know how the enemy is fighting us, then we can come before the Lord and pray with boldness, knowing what we are asking Him to do for us and to demonstrate to Him that we are mindful of His purpose for our lives and want to partner with Him to establish in the earth what is in His heart for His people.

This is the case with the issue of the Hispanic families who have been put in jail ready to be deported back to their native countries and have their children separated from them. First, let me give you the background on what I discovered in my years of research not only for me, but for many Hispanic people in Latin America. Back during the time when Christopher Columbus came to discover America in his different voyages, sponsored by King Ferdinand of Aragon and Queen Isabella of Castile, these married monarchs were asked almost by force by some clergy to issue the Alhambra Decree, an edict against the Jewish people of the land who were about 200,000.

In this edict, they had demanded that the Jewish people who lived within their jurisdiction would stop practicing their Jewish traditions and rituals to worship God and needed to convert to Christianity. Failure to obey the edict resulted in the people forfeiting their lands, their businesses, even their livelihood and, in many cases, their very lives. There were many ways to force the people to comply with the edict when they were found to not be abiding by it. Among those ways were torture and many of them lost their lives and families members. Also, part of the punishment from the Antichrist spirit operating through these rulers and their advisers, was of exile for many of the Jewish people. This is what was referred to as the results of the Spanish inquisition.

Also, many of them ended up traveling with Columbus to the Americas because they were expelled from the Spanish land and were sent as convicts to discover the new land. So they settled in the different places where they had arrived within America. Then they established villages where they lived and mingled with the natives and other mixtures of the land. This is where many of us have Jewish ancestry and don’t even know it. By the way, the edict made by these two monarchs was revoked by the Second Vatican Council on December 16, 1968.

Why is this important? Because I want to make an appeal to the Hispanic and Latin American people to learn who they are and where many of them come from. This is important also because there are many benefits and rights that God’s people have as His peculiar people and holy nation from our ancestry started by Abraham, who was asked of God to live the land of Ur, a place full of idolatry and go the land that He showed him, which turned out to be the land of Canaan (Please read Genesis 12 and following chapters).  

Then once the Jewish nation and the 12 tribes were established, they experienced different times as exiles in other lands because of their idolatry, which violated their covenant with God to make Him their only God. In other words, this was like a marriage covenant between God and the Jewish people for Him to be their God and always be with them, and for them to be His peculiar people and holy nation (separated unto Him to serve, worship and partner with Him only and no other god).  Exodus 19:5-8 says,

⁵ “Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. ⁶ And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.”

⁷ So Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before them all these words which the Lord commanded him. ⁸ Then all the people answered together and said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do.” So Moses brought back the words of the people to the Lord.”

Therefore during the times of the Scribe Ezra, the people were once again returning from captivity to Jerusalem and Judah, so everyone returned to their own city. Ezra 2:1 says,

¹ “Now these are the people of the province who came back from the captivity, of those who had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away to Babylon, and who returned to Jerusalem and Judah, everyone to his own city.”

This is because there was a work of restoration that King Cyrus had allowed to begin for the Jewish people, and also for the construction of the temple. For that, it was necessary that the people returned to the land of their ancestry for the recovery of their inheritance because those were times of recompense as they are now for the Hispanic people.

So, I have given all this background to show what is happening in the spirit and how we should best posture ourselves to pray for these Hispanic families, according to God’s will, and not by our own ideas or agendas out of lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6). It is also important that we do not use our mouths to dishonor or to express our repulsion of what is happening in a way that does not glorify God. Unfortunately, I have come across some comments and arguments that demonstrate that people, although rejecting the way things have been done, still do not know enough to argue with knowledge and understanding of the times we are in and of the ways of God.

So I want to ask my people, the Hispanic and Latin American people to learn who they are, to choose to know the God who formed them in their mother’s wombs and gave them a purpose on this earth (Psalms 71:6; 139:13), and who also loves them (John 3:16) and has great plans for them for a future and not to harm them and to give them an expected end that He planned from the foundations of the world for them (Jeremiah 29:11).

It is important that we live according to the purpose for which we were created because then we will live with the Grace of God to fulfill what we were put on this earth for, and His favor is upon us, He fights our battles and gives us great victories when we partner with Him to establish His Kingdom in the earth. For this, He also supplies all of our needs and helps us walk in dominion in the earth. All of this happens when we say yes to Him by asking His Son, Jesus who died on the Cross for our sins and to reconcile us to our Father, so through our intimacy with Him, we can walk out His destiny for us.

But one thing is for us to accept what Jesus did for us, and say yes to Him to be our Lord and Savior King. And another thing is to want to have all the things accessible to us by His Kingdom and enter in to possess them through our relationship with God where we are made one with Him like the covenant the Hebrews made with God through Moses on Mount Sinai. For that, we need to seek first His Kingdom and all His righteousness (Matthew 6:33) and no other things we may think we need to do that are not His will for us.

In addition, there is an also very important principle to take heed of as we know now the ancestry of many in the Hispanic Community. Romans 2:8-11 says,

 “but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness—indignation and wrath, ⁹ tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek; ¹⁰ but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. ¹¹ For there is no partiality with God.”

This means that our idolatry and rejection of the God of the Jewish people for He created us to worship and serve Him only (Matthew 4:10) will result in not been able to enjoy the things He has made available to us as we partner with Him. Instead, those who give themselves to idolatry, preferring to go see what the brujo or santero or the idols made with their hands have to say to them about their future and their lives or their times of trouble more than the One who created them, see how they walked away from His protecting hands and encountered great troubles when they chose those idols.

Many do it only because they follow the traditions of their cultures and of their family members without full knowledge of why they do what they do. But they do not know that every time they choose to follow after a different god they are walking away from the life of blessing and protection God has for them when they chose to walk with Him and partner with Him to establish His Kingdom in their lives and their spheres of influence. They also forfeit their authority in Him and in His name. What is more, God is also a Jealous God who will not share His glory with idols. Exodus 34:12-14 says,

¹² “Take heed to yourself, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land where you are going, lest it be a snare in your midst. ¹³ But you shall destroy their altars, break their sacred pillars, and cut down their wooden images ¹⁴ (for you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God),”

So, now I want to ask that you, who are reading this post, help in the fight for the deliverance and restoration of the people who have been held captive. I will not blame the President of the United States because, instead, I choose to pray for him and ask you to join me in this prayer:

Heavenly and Righteous God, we come to you humbly to repent for the sins of our people and our leaders. We ask that you help us come to understand your ways so that we may live a peaceable life in all godliness and reverence in our land and that our President may come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:1-4). We do not want to use this opportunity to dishonor the man placed in his position by you (Romans 13:1), so we ask that his walk be a walk filled with wisdom, knowledge, and understanding of your ways and of your will for the Hispanic people. Also, that he walks knowing how to discern good and evil in order to judge God’s people with justice like King Solomon (1 Kings 3:6-9).

Lord God, we choose to also forgive those leaders in times past that made decrees against our ancestors and our Jewish race which caused devastation to our families and provoked separation and exile for many of them, as well as loss of their livelihood. We repent for them and plea the Blood of Jesus over those sins committed against us as your Jewish race. We also apply the dunamus resurrection power of your Son Jesus Christ to those wounds so we may be healed and so that the enemy releases us and stops his oppression on us and our families and our possessions because he has lost his legal right to do so.

Father we pray that the captives be set free, and that the families may be reunited. We need to also remember that you are a God that works in patterns, and if the case is that you are provoking a move of your Spirit to help these families even in their lack of knowledge come to the land of their ancestry to receive the inheritance you have for them, then we ask you to give them the wisdom necessary to follow your guidance by your Spirit and that you will place people in their lives to help them in their transition. And for those who are to remain in this country, that the doors be open for them to do so.

We also acknowledge that there is a move of your Spirit that will bring the young people, even the millennials to run to you and serve you in a radical way, like the woman at the well in john chapter 4 for this are the times of a great manifestations of the harvest you are in your sovereignty bringing in the earth and that will manifest greatly through the millennials. As we remember that you work in patterns, we also acknowledge that you move first on behalf of the Jews, including the Hispanic Jews, and then with the Gentiles. So we ask that those who have provoked correction and wrath in their lives through their idolatry, that they repent and seek to have a wholesome relationship with you as their only God.

We also want to pray for contributions to be made to help them (Romans 15:25-27) either for their transition out of the country and into their country of origin and that their children and families be restored so they can obey the mandate to be set free so they can serve you and worship you only. For this, we pray that they learn to renew the spirit of their mind and walk out of idolatry and ungodly traditions.

We pray this because as it says in Esther 8:11, a decree had been made for them to be allowed to fight for their families and their possessions and to plunder their enemies. This can only happen as they received knowledge and understanding of who you are as their God and the authority you have given them to fight for what your Kingdom is giving to them as their inheritance. We pray that they learn to fight the real enemy, the devil in unity so they can all see a mighty victory on their behalf.

Father, I hear you give one last warning to that demonic Pharaoh to let your people go so we can worship and serve you only with our families. We refuse to leave our children in the hands of the enemy to use them to serve him instead of you. So we take authority over the assignment of the enemy and declare the works of Satan against us destroyed, and every demonic decree be vetoed by the superior and vetoing power of the Blood of Jesus Christ. We also declare that every demonic waters used to nurture the work of the devil against God’s people be dried up, and that the prison doors be open suddenly for us and our families, so our lives can be restored in every area and we may fulfill your purpose for our lives on this earth together.

Thank you, God Almighty that you rise up from your holy dwelling to make your enemies be scattered and stop the ungodly cycle of persecution and oppression of the enemy in our lives. We pray this in the mighty name of Jesus.

To God alone be all the glory. ■

Images by Google Images

Scriptures taken from the New King James Version.

Some links for reference:

Jewish Virtual Library

In the New World: Columbus Sets Sail

This Day in Jewish History: 1968: Spain Revokes the Expulsion of the Jews

Sin – You are What You Eat 2

2 Timothy 3:1-5

¹ But understand this, that in the last days dangerous times [of great stress and trouble] will come [difficult days that will be hard to bear]. ² For people will be lovers of self [narcissistic, self-focused], lovers of money [impelled by greed], boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy and profane, ³ [and they will be] unloving [devoid of natural human affection, calloused and inhumane], irreconcilable, malicious gossips, devoid of self-control [intemperate, immoral], brutal, haters of good, ⁴ traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of [sensual] pleasure rather than lovers of God, ⁵ holding to a form of [outward] godliness (religion), although they have denied its power [for their conduct nullifies their claim of faith]. Avoid such people and keep far away from them.

These are times in which the fire of God is sent to expose the dirt and the dross that is keeping His people from walking in the center of His will for them. When this fire burns, the object of it is to not run from it but to allow it to consume those things that make us look like the world that does not know Him and gold (the essence of who we are in Him and our reflection of Christ) will be revealed in us afterwards.

The sad thing about this passage is that it was not meant only for the world outside, it was meant about some people that called themselves followers of Christ but they wanted to continue being their own gods and rulers of their world. They wanted to be in control of their own destinies and still be able to claim God’s blessings and promises to them. There were things happening already among them, a quarrel here, and pride there. Profanity here and strife there. Greed here and reckless and sensual pleasures there. They were given to these things easily and without shame. Correction was not heeded and then they would complain of the struggles they were going through.

But they failed to realize that their mindset which led to their abominable behavior (Proverbs 6:16-19) kept them from entering the Kingdom as God wanted to lead them. Like the children of Israel, their mouth was the first thing that kept them from entering in. They were given to complaining constantly and never being satisfied of the things God made accessible to them in the wilderness of testing where His fire was intended to remove the things that kept them from reaching their Promised Land. They complained about the manna God used to feed them for the way He chose to give it to them. Numbers 11:1-6 tells us,

¹ “Now the people became like those who complain and whine about their hardships, and the Lord heard it; and when the Lord heard it, His anger was kindled, and the fire of the Lord burned among them and devoured those in the outlying parts of the camp. ² So the people cried out to Moses, and when Moses prayed to the Lord, the fire died out. ³ He named that place Taberah (the place of burning), because the fire of the Lord burned among them.

⁴ The rabble among them [who followed Israel from Egypt] had greedy desires [for familiar and delicious food], and the Israelites wept again and said, “Who will give us meat to eat? ⁵ We remember the fish we ate freely and without cost in Egypt, the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic. ⁶ But now our appetite is gone; there is nothing at all [in the way of food] to be seen but this manna.’”

They were so focused on wanting the pleasures they had left in Egypt that they missed the lessons God wanted them to learn from eating the manna. Deuteronomy 8:3, 16 helps us see what that essential and key lessons were for them and continues to be for us not only when we are in times of testing but in our everyday life in order to remove every trace of contamination from the world. It says,

³ “He humbled you and allowed you to be hungry and fed you with manna, [a substance] which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, so that He might make you understand [by personal experience] that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord.”

¹⁶ “He fed you manna in the wilderness, [a substance] which your fathers did not know, so that He might humble you [by dependence on Him] and that He might test you, to do good [things] for you at the end.”

What God expected of them was to speak back to Him the promises He had spoken to them and keep reminding Him of them until they possessed them, instead of complaining about every little thing they encountered that did not suit their selfish ambitions, so the words of their mouths kept them out the land God had promised them. The Bible says, and as mentioned several times in different posts of this blog page, we are called to be holy for He is Holy. Leviticus 11:44-45 says,

⁴⁴ “For I am the Lord your God; so consecrate yourselves and be holy, for I am holy. You shall not make yourselves unclean with any of the swarming things that swarm or crawls on the ground.

⁴⁵ “For I am the Lord who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God; therefore you shall be holy, for I am holy.’’” 

This is important to highlight because we were created to be consecrated unto Him so that as we show our dependence of Him, we will be able to fulfill our destinies. And for that we need every word that comes out of His mouth to guide us and help us go through the valleys and also when we reach the mountains of our destined calls. We had mentioned before that the Bible says that apart from Him, or cut off from our union with Him we can do nothing (John 15:5).

God sees us through the purpose for which He called us and placed us on this earth, so when we chose to live our life separated from Him and not fulfilling or at least preparing to fulfill our calling, we encounter problems, disappointments, and limitations in our lives that we were not intended to meet. We have said that there are two reasons why we encounter problems and persecution from the enemy: one is because we are in the center of God’s will and that raises opposition from the enemy of our calling. But the other reason is because of the opposite—when we are not dependent of God, and mindful to follow the principles of His Kingdom, and instead live like the world and no one can tell the difference between the lost and us, then we are met with the consequences of our choices apart from God’s will.

The mindset of the Israelites of the first generation of those who left Egypt also kept them from reaching their promised destiny because they thought more about what they did not have, instead of seeking to renew their minds and take every opportunity to learn what would help them to be prepared for when that place and time. These people wanted the promises without the preparation. They wanted the blessings without the work. They just wanted to receive but not have God as their Lord. In other words, things needed to be done on their terms, not on God’s terms, but we know that never works.

They were too weak in the things of the spirit to concentrate their efforts in fighting the good fight of faith and also help each other reach their destiny. They had left Egypt, but Egypt was still in them. They could not see themselves apart from the ways of Egypt, and therefore, could not see that in order to reach their promises they needed to be mindful of following God’s lead by the leaders that were appointed to them. They thought they were equals to their leaders and did not need any leading to reach the land of Canaan because it was not so much about leaving Egypt, as it was about the way they needed to leave Egypt. So the third thing that kept them from reaching their promises was that they fought God and their leaders, instead of their real enemy.

Exodus 16:1-7 reveals,

¹ “They set out from Elim, and all the congregation of Israel came to the Wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they left the land of Egypt. ² The whole congregation of the Israelites [grew discontented and] murmured and rebelled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, ³ and the Israelites said to them, “Would that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and ate bread until we were full; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this entire assembly with hunger.”

⁴ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I will cause bread to rain from heaven for you; the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, so that I may test them [to determine] whether or not they will walk [obediently] in My instruction (law). ⁵ And it shall be that on the sixth day, they shall prepare to bring in twice as much as they gather daily [so that they will not need to gather on the seventh day].” ⁶ So Moses and Aaron said to all Israel, “At evening you shall know that the Lord has brought you out of the land of Egypt, ⁷ and in the morning you will see the glory of the Lord, for He hears your murmurings against the Lord. What are we, that you murmur and rebel against us?’”

Their constant dissatisfaction turned them into angry, murmurers, bitter, and resentful of what they did not have, and how hard they thought it was to leave Egypt following God’s ways. They were too focused on pointing fingers and not on learning the right way to leave Egypt not only physically, but also the mindset they acquired in Egypt that was not going to be useful to them in their new land. For what they needed to do was to learn to cling to God and to every word that came out of His mouth that would give them the strategies necessary to reach their destiny. In addition, they needed to become determined at their dependence of Him, and reverently respect His authority over them and the people He had placed as their leaders for they could hear how to lead the people.

That is why God is calling us to avoid the same mistakes made by the Israelites that did not reach their promise land. For this reason we need to heed His Word and pursue hearing every word that will help us know and implement the strategies necessary for us to reach our land of destiny in a way that make us free from the mindset of the world, and by speaking the Word of God and reminding Him of His promises to us and not by murmuring and complaining or showing to Him that we are not satisfied with the things He does for us and in us as we grow in our walk with Him and in our journey to our destiny.

Lack of submission to Him and the authority figures He has placed in our lives also, as mentioned in some of the posts, keep us from entering in because God is a God of honor and those who honor Him and the authority figures He has placed in our lives to help us reach our land promised by Him get to see how their honor is rewarded. 1 Samuel 2:30 tells us once again,

 ³⁰ “Therefore the Lord God of Israel declares, ‘I did indeed say that your house and that of [Aaron] your father would walk [in priestly service] before Me forever.’ But now the Lord declares, ‘Far be it from Me—for those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me will be insignificant and contemptible.” 

Likewise, Romans 13:1-6 speaks about the importance of respecting and submitting to not only the civil authorities in our communities, but all authority figures placed by God to help us in our times of training and to lead us to the promises God has given to us. It says,

¹ “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God [granted by His permission and sanction], and those which exist have been put in place by God. ² Therefore whoever resists [governmental] authority resists the ordinance of God. And those who have resisted it will bring judgment (civil penalty) on themselves. ³ For [civil] authorities are not a source of fear for [people of] good behavior, but for [those who do] evil. Do you want to be unafraid of authority? Do what is good and you will receive approval and commendation. ⁴ For he is God’s servant to you for good. But if you do wrong, [you should] be afraid; for he does not carry the [executioner’s] sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an avenger who brings punishment on the wrongdoer. ⁵ Therefore one must be subject [to civil authorities], not only to escape the punishment [that comes with wrongdoing], but also as a matter of principle [knowing what is right before God].”

Moreover, another way of referring to us as being holy people (set apart people who focus on learning the ways of the Kingdom and its principles through constant communion with God and obedience to Him) is that we are called God’s peculiar or special people. 1 Peter 2:9 explains,

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a consecrated nation, a [special] people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies [the wonderful deeds and virtues and perfections] of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”

There is only one way to live as God’s special people in this world and be separated unto Him and that is by renewing our mind from the polluted things of this world so that we can tell the godly from the ungodly and the holy from the unholy. Romans 12:1-2 says,

¹ “Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies [dedicating all of yourselves, set apart] as a living sacrifice, holy and well-pleasing to God, which is your rational (logical, intelligent) act of worship. ² And do not be conformed to this world [any longer with its superficial values and customs], but be transformed and progressively changed [as you mature spiritually] by the renewing of your mind [focusing on godly values and ethical attitudes], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His plan and purpose for you].”

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 also tells us, ²³ “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you through and through [that is, separate you from profane and vulgar things, make you pure and whole and undamaged—consecrated to Him—set apart for His purpose]; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept complete and [be found] blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁴ Faithful and absolutely trustworthy is He who is calling you [to Himself for your salvation], and He will do it [He will fulfill His call by making you holy, guarding you, watching over you, and protecting you as His own].”

So let’s be mindful of what pleases our Lord and God and not conform to the pattern of this world that keeps us from reaching our destiny in Him. To Him alone be all the glory. ■

Images by Google Images

Bible verses taken from the Amplified Version. AMP.

Sin – You Are What You Eat 1

^{Genesis 4:7
7} “Don’t you know that as long as you do what is right, then I accept you? But if you do not do what is right, watch out, because sin is crouching at the door, ready to pounce on you! You must master it before it masters you.” The Voice

The path of righteousness that leads to holiness is one that takes work, determination and a vision to pursue and as we journey through it, it gets narrower and steep. Not very many remain in it for we have to endure long to be able to stay the course, but in the end, it brings great rewards. Matthew 7:13-14 says,

¹³ “There are two paths before you; you may take only one path. One doorway is narrow. And one door is wide. Go through the narrow door. For the wide door leads to a wide path, and the wide path is broad; the wide, broad path is easy, and the wide, broad, easy path has many, many people on it; but the wide, broad, easy, crowded path leads to death. ¹⁴ Now then that narrow door leads to a narrow road that in turn leads to life. It is hard to find that road. Not many people manage it.” The Voice

In this path there is a constant choice between following God’s ways and forsaking the things of this world that are under the rulership of the prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2). That is why many are called but few are chosen to continue in it (Matthew 20:16; 22:14). It takes sacrifice and a price to pay to stay on this road that many are not willing to pay, so they remain in sin. Many actually love the Lord and want to follow His ways, however, the things they consume in their daily lives causes them to err and be derailed away from the path of righteousness and holiness. I’m not just talking about food here.

We see in the initial passage that sin was calling Cain until it was able to crouch at the door and enter in. As the Scripture says we must learn to master it before it masters us. How do we do that? By feeding ourselves with the things that expose us to righteousness and holiness (that sets us apart from the ways of the world). The sin that mastered Cain became a thought that he began to entertain, then it became a vision that wanted to be fulfilled, it tainted his heart with anger, jealousy, and envy until it became hatred for his brother. He saw the things his brother did as better and greater than what he was able to accomplish because he was contaminated with an Antichrist spirit that fed on his insecurity and inferiority complex. His murderous thought became a plot until he found the opportunity to manifest what was consuming him.

This is how sin becomes action in our lives. It enters through the gates of our eyes by the things we watch on TV, at the Movie Theater, or magazines. Also by the things we hear on the radio or by the mouths of others around us, the music we choose to hear with the words and attitudes we allow to enter in our ear gate. Or by the people we allow in our lives, the bad company that lure us to see, hear, or go to places to do what perverts and pierces our hearts until we become hard and numb to what is right. The more we do this, the more we walk through the wide, broad, and easy path that leads to death and calls evil good and good evil (Isaiah 5:22).

Every time we compromise our moral values and hear coarse language that demeans and shames and brings terror and anger, it cuts us on the inside of us until it transforms us into the image and likeness of that which we allow to continually enter in. Some compromise out of loneliness and allow the wrong people that may sound and seem to have good intentions but that are far from the will of God for us. Others do it for fear of not being liked by their peers, they fear ridicule and exposure as someone not good enough to be counted as a friend or comrade, others do it to cover up what is hurting them and pretend they have what it takes to excel even with the wrong methods and in the wrong place for them, the wrong people, and the wrong circumstances that could reel them into nothing but destruction.

They may have started wanting to do the right thing, loving God and desiring to follow His ways until they esteemed the price to be too high. Therefore, they became reluctant to sacrifice more than they bargained for to go after the pearl of great price which is the Kingdom and His righteousness. Matthew 13:45-46 shows how sold out we must become to the things of the Kingdom of God in order to stay on the narrow path that leads to life,

⁴⁵ “Or the kingdom of heaven is like a jeweler on the lookout for the finest pearls. ⁴⁶ When he found a pearl more beautiful and valuable than any jewel he had ever seen, the jeweler sold all he had and bought that pearl, his pearl of great price.” The Voice

So in order for us to be counted among the righteous, humble, repentant, faithful, and with a heart after God’s own heart, we need to do the opposite of what the world does. As mentioned above, holiness requires that we walk as set part from the things of this world. Yes, we are in it but we are not of it. John 15:16 shares,

“If you belonged to the world, the world would treat you with affection and would love you as its own. But because you are not of the world [no longer one with it], but I have chosen (selected) you out of the world, the world hates (detests) you.” AMPC

We come from another Kingdom, a Kingdom whose foundation are righteousness and justice, truth, loving-kindness and mercy (Psalm 89:14; 97:2). This means that our lives must be consumed with the ways of this Kingdom and for that we must become familiar with its Ruler and King. His name is Jesus, the One who makes our yoke easy and our burden light (Matthew 11:30) since He takes every load that we are not able to carry for ourselves because we must choose to cast it out or roll it away from us and unto Him in order to be able to walk on this narrow path. Psalm 37:5 says,

^“Commit your way to the Lord [roll and repose each care of your load on Him]; trust (lean on, rely on, and be confident) also in Him and He will bring it to pass.” AMPC

We stay in the path of righteousness and holiness by allowing His word to be deep rooted in us. This takes time because we must become good soil for His word which shows us the ways of the Kingdom to germinate and produce good fruit in us that comes out of us through the things we think which produce the words we say and the things we do Proverbs 23:7a says, ^“For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” 

Luke 6:45 also says, “The upright (honorable, intrinsically good) man out of the good treasure [stored] in his heart produces what is upright (honorable and intrinsically good), and the evil man out of the evil storehouse brings forth that which is depraved (wicked and intrinsically evil); for out of the abundance (overflow) of the heart his mouth speaks.” AMPC

The Bible says that we are known to be children of God by our fruit. This is the fruit of righteousness and holiness that does not compromise with the ways of this world. Matthew 12:33 tells us,

“Either make the tree sound (healthy and good), and its fruit sound (healthy and good), or make the tree rotten (diseased and bad), and its fruit rotten (diseased and bad); for the tree is known and recognized and judged by its fruit.” AMPC

For this, we have the necessity of spending time with our Creator and Lord for He is Righteous and Holy, and if we want to walk as people who are in the image and likeness of our Father, through His Son by His Holy Spirit (Genesis 1:27), intimacy with Him with prayer, reading His word, praising and worshiping Him, meditating on His Word, fasting, and seeking to hear the Words that come out of His mouth for us as we learn to hear His voice and differentiate it from the voice of the enemy accuser as our main form of communication with Him, must become our lifestyle for apart from Him we can do nothing. John 15:5 says,

^“I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever lives in Me and I in him bears much (abundant) fruit. However, apart from Me [cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing.” AMPC

This also helps the soil of our heart be free from polluted things of this world, from every form of lie of the enemy, every hurt and wound in our souls that produces dark and legalistic ideas and concepts in the filter of our minds through strongholds and mindsets that oppose Him and His word, as well as every deceiving doctrine and abominable thing that produces wickedness that leads to evil behavior in the sight of God. To explain more, these abominable ways are found in Proverbs 6:16-19 which says,

¹⁶ “These six things the Lord hates, indeed, seven are an abomination to Him:

¹⁷ A proud look [the spirit that makes one overestimate himself and underestimate others], a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,

¹⁸ A heart that manufactures wicked thoughts and plans, feet that are swift in running to evil,

¹⁹ A false witness who breathes out lies [even under oath], and he who sows discord among his brethren.” AMPC

Many of these things come because we preoccupy ourselves with wanting to control and manipulate our ways in life, seeking some form of godliness with some Scriptures that agree with our thinking, but when we encounter a word from the Lord that does not agree with us and our mindset, then we forsake it and prefer the ways of the world that choke the word of God out of our hearts, and instead, bring us to the wide and broad path that in the end leads to death. Luke 8:12-15 explains the difference between a good and a bad soil by saying,

¹² Those along the traveled road are the people who have heard; then the devil comes and carries away the message out of their hearts, that they may not believe (acknowledge Me as their Savior and devote themselves to Me) and be saved [here and hereafter].

¹³ And those upon the rock [are the people] who, when they hear [the Word], receive and welcome it with joy; but these have no root. They believe for a while, and in time of trial and temptation fall away (withdraw and stand aloof).

¹⁴ And as for what fell among the thorns, these are [the people] who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked and suffocated with the anxieties and cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not ripen (come to maturity and perfection).

¹⁵ But as for that [seed] in the good soil, these are [the people] who, hearing the Word, hold it fast in a just (noble, virtuous) and worthy heart, and steadily bring forth fruit with patience. AMPC

What’s more, in order for us to become good soil, we need to allow the right food to be what we consume. The right food for our kind of soil (as God's children and citizens of heaven). This means that just as not every plant can grow in the same type of soil and climate, part of the country or environment, we need to become the right type of soil that will produce a good crop that is healthy and multiplies to feed many. That is why getting the fertilizer and compost of the word of God, prayer, and as listed above, all these things will help us grow in the knowledge of God and of the ways of His Kingdom.

We also need to gather ourselves with like-minded people. People that are going in the same direction that we are, also with people that have the kinds of testimonies we want for our lives and have the wisdom and understanding of the Word of God to help us reach our destinies and achieve the God kind of success we are after. We also need to slam the door shut to the mundane things of the world that may want to creep in through our eye gate, our ear gate, our mouth gate, our hands gate, our nose gate, and our sexual organs gate.

The programs we watch, the things we read, the things we listen to, the people and the places we must avoid. There are a lot of things of this world that feed fear through their programming even in subtle ways. They also feed darkness and occult ways which is idolatry and every false way of worshipping that turns people away from God. In addition, the things of the world feed selfishness, pride, haughtiness, and hatred and going up by pushing and shoving or sleeping (with laziness or through having sex), or lying and cunning our way through the latter of success. The end of all of this is destruction.

Proverbs 16:16-18 clarifies for us,

¹⁶ “How much better it is to get skillful and godly Wisdom than gold! And to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.

¹⁷ The highway of the upright turns aside from evil; he who guards his way preserves his life.

¹⁸ Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” AMPC

All these things must be purged and pruned out of us if we want everything God has for us. The more we show ourselves faithful to Him the more He can entrust us with. So let’s Believe God’s Word and follow His path of righteousness and holiness that leads to a life of abundance to the full, till it overflows (John 10:10 AMPC) and do what James 1:21 says,

“So get rid of all uncleanness and the rampant outgrowth of wickedness, and in a humble (gentle, modest) spirit receive and welcome the Word which implanted and rooted [in your hearts] contains the power to save your souls.” AMPC

To God alone be all the glory. ■

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