No matter how unreal the assumption on which your self-concept is based, it makes real things happen to you. You may say, “I can do this” and “I can’t do that”, simply because of remarks that others have made about you. The chances are that you underestimate your own abilities.

William B. Given, jr., President of the American Brake Shoe Company, once said that “our inherent abilities are much greater than those we actually use. No one ever gave his best.”

Henry Ford once said, “Everyone can do more than he thinks he can”

No matter what your abilities were originally, they can be developed, only if you choose to develop them. According to Prescott Lecky, a human psychologist, “every human being rejects every trait that he thinks contradicts his self-image. Sometimes he rejects traits that would be greatly to his advantage Because in thoughtless moment someone has told him that he is very dull, he is a none-do-well, that he can’t make it, etc. If he accepts this estimate, it becomes part of his mental picture of himself, and from that time he behaves accordingly.

Let’s consider ten steps to developing the angel within you.

Accept Yourself

Don’t continually tear yourself apart because you don’t think you are worthy of God’s love. Just as a good parent loves you, whether or not you deserve it, so God’s love pours down on all of us, worthy or unworthy. Naturally, we should try to please Him, as we would any loved parent.

Believe in Yourself

God has given every man some special talent, or mark of individuality. If you don’t know what yours is, that doesn’t mean you don’t possess one.Keep seeking till you find out what your best talents are.

 Think Of How To Make Others Happy

If you spend too much time wondering whether or not you’re happy, you won’t be.

Keep Your Hands And Mind Occupied Most Of The Time

Be Good To Yourself

Be sure to allow for some recreational activities in your life.

Try To Make Others Feel Comfortable And At Ease

When you meet someone for the first time, concentrate on trying to make him comfortable. That will keep you from feeling self-conscious. It is almost impossible for two thoughts to occupy the mind at the same time. If you concentrate on thinking about the other person, you won’t give those around you the impression that you are self-centered.

Decide Which Of Your Worries Can Be Cured

Then do something about them. If you have some worry you can’t do something about, learn to accept the situation involved without bitterness.

Love Yourself, And Then Learn To Love As Many Persons As You Can Besides Yourself

If there are some you can’t help disliking, try to be fair to them. Look for their good traits. So no room for hate because hate is a negative energy.

Believe In Some Power Higher And Greater Than Yourself

If you don’t want to call that power God, then call the spirit of goodness. Because the universe is held together by this Supreme Power.

 Forget The Past

Yesterday was a dream. Tomorrow may never come. Use this fragment of time, as though it were your last day on earth.

The end-time is very crucial period to the body of Christ as a whole.  Because it is a time of intense warfare and demonic opposition. In this end-time, we need to rise up as God’s victorious army and take our place in the battle field.

 Let’s Quickly Consider The Place Of Strongholds In Delay.

Strongholds are fortresses and stumbling blocks used by the enemy to limit people and cage them into a particular state or position. They are yokes of limitations held together by demons and evil spirits assigned for such purpose. Strongholds are sources of oppression which serve as weights and burdens to people, in order to impede their progress. To possess our possession, we must be willing to fight and pull down every stronghold. Because until we resist the devil he will not flee. Until we evacuate every illegal occupant in our territory, we cannot fully enjoy our inheritance.

II Corinthians 10:3-6

Verse 3: For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:

Verse 4: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds ;)

Verse 5: Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

Verse 6: And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled

Our warfare is not against men but with forces of darkness & our weapons are also spiritual weapons. Before we can fully revenge all disobedience, our obedience must be fulfilled. Many hearts has been made sick because the devil has used his strongholds to hinder their desires & expectations from coming to life.

Proverbs 13:12

Verse 12:  Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.

One thing you should know is that God is a God of principles. And His word has laid for us certain principles that make things work. All of God’s promises are conditional. Except we meet the condition we cannot partake of the blessings & promises. The devil cannot stop God from doing what God wants to do in our lives. Neither can he stop God’s word from being fruitful.

Isaiah 55:11

Verse 11:  So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

Isaiah 14:24-27

Verse 24: The LORD of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand:

25: That I will break the Assyrian in my land, and upon my mountains tread him under foot: then shall his yoke depart from off them, and his burden depart from off their shoulders.

26: This is the purpose that is purposed upon the whole earth: and this is the hand that is stretched out upon all the nations.

27:  For the LORD of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it? and his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?

But the devil can hinder or stop us from meeting the needed conditions that will make us partake of the promises & blessings. This assignment is carried out by the strongholds of the enemy through our imaginations, thoughts, ignorance etc.

Job 36:11

Verse 11: If they obey and serve him, they    shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures.

“If” proves this to be a conditional promise. God expects us to live in abundance because He takes pleasure in our prosperity. But except we fulfill the condition of obedience and service, we cannot partake of this promise. The strongholds work by hindering us from obeying God’s voice and serving Him faithfully. If we do not obey and serve Him we cannot live our days in prosperity and our years in pleasures.

Deut. 28:1-14

Verse 1:  And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:

2:  And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God.

3:   Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field.

4:   Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.

5:   Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store.

6:   Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out.

7:   The LORD shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways.

8:  The LORD shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.

9:  The LORD shall establish thee an holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, and walk in his ways.

10:   And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the LORD; and they shall be afraid of thee.

11:  And the LORD shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers to give thee.

12:  The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow.

13:   And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them:

14  And thou shalt not go aside from any of the words which I command thee this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.

The blessings outlined in this passage are conditional ones based on the fulfillment of verse 1. Many people claim to be the head and not the tail but still find themselves under. Because God did not say we are the head and not the tail. He said He will MAKE us the head and not the tail IF we walk in OBEDIENCE to His revealed will.

Psalm 1:1-3

Verse 1: Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

2:  But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

3:  And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

There are many things which the devil puts in our way to make us have delay and these are called STRONGHOLDS OF DELAY.  God does not want to delay you from having a child, a good family, a good job, a business breakthrough. But you must pull down all the strongholds of the devil. Consider Daniel, he was hindered by strongholds of delay for 21 days. Have you prayed and trusted God for a change in your business and there is still no change? Break the strongholds of delay.

 Have you done all you know to do in God’s word in order to get the right partner to marry, and still remain single?  Break the strongholds of delay. Is your marriage in trouble, and your family out of order despite series of intercessions? Break the strongholds of delay.

 Have you trusted God for admission, promotion or employment and you still don’t have it, even when you stand on God’s word and refuse to compromise? Break the strongholds of delay.

 Is your finances out of place and your debts increasing regardless of your sowing and sacrifices to the kingdom?  Break the strongholds of delay.

Are you facing devourers in your health, your business or your family even after being faithful in tithing and giving?  Break the strongholds of delay.

 Have you sown and sacrificed and done all kinds of kingdom investments without seeing any harvest? Break the strongholds of delay.

 Have you been promised something only to be turned back anytime you appear for it? Break the strongholds of delay.

WHAT IS DESTINY

This is God’s purpose for your life; it is your appointed or ordained future. It is what God has pre-determined you to be. It is the reason you were born.  If there is a power that does not wish you to fulfill the purpose for which you were born, then it must be dealt with. It is what God has written down for you in His book of life. Every power re-writing your destiny must be paralysed.

WHAT IS HOUSEHOLD

This is the domestic unit containing members of your family living together. It means those who dwell under the same roof.

WHAT IS WITCHCRAFT

This is the legal arm of Satan, his arm of destruction, his power to do and undo. No wonder the scripture says that, Jesus came to undo the works of the enemy. Household wickedness remains one issue that is not clear to many people. Household witchcraft acts as monitoring and reporting agents. In almost every family, there is at least, one agent of destruction. There is a monitoring and reporting agent in all families. Unless the family member does not have potentials. Every family member has a case file in the spirit world. Some people’s files have been passed to many agents of darkness. When household witches are at the point of death, they will transfer the case file to another agent. But our prayers can make those files to become untransferable.

Psalm 41:9

Verse 9:  Yea, mine own familiar friend, in    whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me.

There is a Chinese proverb which says:

“O Lord, deal with my friends. I shall take care of my enemies”

 The implication of this is that an enemy has at least declared himself as an enemy and has been identified as such. But a friend whom you don’t know can be terrible. It is very difficult for you to dodge a stone thrown at you from behind. The satanic agenda for many of us started right from the womb. And many people suffer from that womb to the grave and are never able to fulfil their destinies. We are going to quickly look at the Bible stand of Household Witchcraft.

BIBLICAL CASE STUDIES OF HOUSEHOLD WICKEDNESS

CAIN AND ABEL:

Genesis 4:8

Verse 8: And Cain talked with   Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.

This is the first scriptural account of household wickedness. This is the case of two brothers that came from the same womb.

JOSEPH AND HIS BROTHERS:

Genesis 37:23-24

Verse 23:  And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stript Joseph out of his coat, his coat of many colours that was on him;

24:  And they took him, and  cast him into a pit: and the pit was empty, there was no water in it.

Who were the people who did this to Joseph?

 His own brothers

 Genesis 37:25-28

Verse 25:  And they sat down to eat bread: and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a company of Ishmeelites came from Gilead with their camels bearing spicery and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt.

26:  And Judah said unto his  brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood?

27:  Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmeelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother and our flesh. And his brethren were content.

28:  Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt.

Ignorance is a terrible thing; it is the mother of personal destruction. A little ignorance can destroy many things forever. There is a spirit behind household wickedness – Witchcraft spirit.

From the story of Joseph, you can see that God has a special purpose for his life. The reason you are still alive today is not that there are no powers that would have wanted you gone, but because God has a purpose for your life.

MOSES, AARON AND MIRIAM:

Numbers 12:1-3

Verse 1:  And Miriam and Aaron  spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman.

2:  And they said, Hath the LORD indeed spoken only by Moses? hath he not spoken also by us? And the LORD heard it.

3:  (Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.)

We can also see household wickedness in operation here.

Who was Miriam?

She was the woman who took Moses out of the water.

Who was Moses?

Aaron was Moses elder brother.

These two persons joined hands to speak against Moses.

SAMSON:

Judges 15: 9-12

Verse 9:  Then the Philistines went up, and pitched in Judah, and spread themselves in Lehi.

10:  And the men of Judah said, Why are ye come up against us? And they answered, To bind Samson are we come up, to do to him as he hath done to us.

11:  Then three thousand men of Judah went to the top of the rock Etam, and said to Samson, Knowest thou not that the Philistines are rulers over us? what is this that thou hast done unto us? And he said unto them, As they did unto me, so have I done unto them.

12:  And they said unto him, We are come down to bind thee, that we may deliver thee into the hand of the Philistines. And Samson said unto them, Swear unto me, that ye will not fall upon me yourselves.

The brethren of Samson came to bind him for his enemies. This is another case of household wickedness.

Judges 16:6

Verse 6:  And Delilah said to Samson, Tell me, I pray thee, wherein thy great strength lieth, and wherewith thou mightest be bound to afflict thee

Even the wife of Samson.

DAVID AND ABSALOM:

II Samuel 15:13

Verse 13:  And there came a messenger to David, saying, The hearts of the men of Israel are after Absalom.

 This is another case of household wickedness. David was running away from his own son.

Micah 7:6

Verse 6:  For the son dishonoureth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter in law against her mother in law; a man’s enemies are the men of his own house.

There is a proverb that says, if the household death does not kill one, the outside one will have problems doing so.

Matthew 10:36

Verse 36:  And a man’s foes  shall be they of his own household.

The spirit behind household wickedness is household witchcrafts. They are the one that are responsible for the substitution of virtues. They give the servant the horse and make the owner of the virtue to trek in life. They are the ones responsible for the forces of resistance that keep pushing a person away from where he should prosper. They are the ones responsible for evil transfer of one person’s virtue to another. They are the one responsible for the blockages and hindrance to people’s progress. They are the ones who eliminate people at their prime.

 THE WAY OUT

 Do you like to fulfil your destiny? Do you have conviction in your heart that you are not where you are supposed to be? After today’s prayers don’t be surprised when you hear that some people in your village have started confessing witchcraft. The only thing that can hinder your prayers is lack of repentance. Because you can’t fight darkness while darkness is in you. Ask the Lord for His forgiveness by confessing your sins. Surrender your life fully to Jesus.

PRAYER POINTS

1. Every mother of witchcraft in my family,   what are you waiting for? Die in Jesus name.
2. Every spirit of “I have to do it”, in my    family die, in Jesus name.
3. Any power eating my food and drinking my water but planning for my destruction, loose your power in Jesus name.
4. Every padlock of witchcraft in my family, burn up, in Jesus name.
5. Every witchcraft hand that carried me as a baby, break, in Jesus name.
6. You mountain of darkness that is hindering my progress, die, in Jesus name.
7. Every plantation of witchcraft on my father’s side, what are you waiting for? Die, in Jesus name.
8. Every seed of witchcraft on my mother’s side, what are you waiting for? Die, in Jesus name.
9. Every witchcraft embargo on my finances, die, in the name of Jesus.

This is an uncommon topic because bastards carry severe curses upon their heads. The first question that comes to mind is: “who is a bastard?”

 A bastard is an illegitimate child, that is, a person whose parents are not married to each other or a person born out of wedlock. In Africa, a lot of problems are attached to marriage. Apart from the problem of polygamy, there are millions of illegitimate children.

Many people are yet to discover that children that are born out of wedlock are cursed. Although the curse of bastard is shrouded in secrecy, illegitimate children suffer problems in the open.

Let’s see what the Bible has to say about the curse of bastards:

Deuteronomy 23:2

Verse 2: A bastard shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to his tenth generation shall he not enter into the congregation of the LORD.

You may wonder why God regards bastards as His enemies. It is simply because marriage is a divine institution. Any violation of the order established by God attracts curses and divine displeasure. In the divine economy a man is supposed to get married to a woman legitimately.

When a young man and a young woman that are not legally married go into sin and there is an accidental or unplanned pregnancy the fruit of their sinful conduct is an illegitimate child. The two of them will end up producing a bastard. Unfortunately, many who are illegitimate children know little or nothing about their origin.

Such people discover that they have problems upon problems without knowing that the curse of illegitimacy is trailing their steps.

Are you a bastard or an illegitimate child?

Did your parents give birth to you out of wedlock?

Are you a product of accidental pregnancy?

Then, a curse is on you.

Zechariah 9:6

Verse 6: And a bastard shall dwell in Ashdod, and I will cut off the pride of the Philistines.

Every bastard is cursed. They are all enemies of God. An invisible curse looms above the head of every illegitimate child. Those who live wayward lives will do well to realize the fact that every ungodly behaviour has a reward.

The Bible tells us that a bastard shall dwell in Ashdod. Then, let’s examine what the scripture says about the city called Ashdod.

Joshua 11:22

Verse 22: There was none of the Anakims left in the land of the children of Israel: only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod, there remained.

I Samuel 5:1

Verse 1: And the Philistines took the ark of God, and brought it from Ebenezer unto Ashdod.

I Samuel 6:17

Verse 17: And these are the golden emerods which the Philistines returned for a trespass offering unto the LORD; for Ashdod one, for Gaza one, for Askelon one, for Gath one, for Ekron one;

Ashdod was a city of the Philistines; it was a cursed city. Therefore, to say that a bastard shall dwell in Ashdod implies that there is a curse of the womb on every bastard. Another side to this truth is that there are both physical and spiritual bastards. A spiritual bastard has a mark of illegitimacy as far as belonging to the commonwealth of the redeemed is concerned.

Anybody that refuses to believe and worship God but clings to idols is, indeed, a bastard. Another definition of a bastard is a spiritual dog. A woman approached Jesus, desiring to receive the benefit reserved for God’s children, but she was told in plain terms that dogs were unqualified to eat the children’s bread.

Mark 7:27

Verse 27: But Jesus said unto her, Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it unto the dogs.

Every sinner is a bastard. We are specifically warned to steer clear of the ungodly.

Philippians 3:2

Verse 2: Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision.

Although God is a God of love, He is going to shut the door against every spiritual bastard or dog.

Revelation 22:15

Verse 15: For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.

The company of bastards or dogs is largely detestable and all of them will remain outside the glorious city. No curse is as great as that.

If we cast our minds back to the story of the woman whom Jesus referred to as dog, by implication, we will discover that every bastard shares in common the evil luck of remaining in Ashdod (the cursed city).

To understand this point let us read

Mark 7:25-26

Verse 25: For a certain woman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his feet:

Verse 26: The woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation; and she besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter.

There are many points in this passage that are worthy of consideration. Being a Greek, the woman who approached Jesus for help was a dog. According to the word of God, herself and ten generations of her offspring were not permitted to enter into the congregation of the Lord.

The woman and her demonized daughter did not qualify for the precious bread meant for God’s children. Does not surprise you that Jesus refused bluntly to offer any help to her? If not for the mercy of God at that point, as well as an unusual faith expressed by the woman, she and ten generations behind her would have carried their problems without solution.

Therefore, God seriously detests bastards, spiritual or physical. They cannot approach the court of the Almighty since they lack sonship. Perhaps you have discovered that you are a spiritual bastard because you have are yet to give your life to Christ, you must take urgent step to pray yourself to sonship position. Just in case you are yet to discover whether there is a curse of the bastard upon your life, you need to do a thorough self-examination and see if any of these following factors is peculiar to you:

Have you been praying and your prayers seem to be bouncing back? Or it seems as if the Almighty God is not hearing your prayers? Probably God considers you as a dog.

Have been misusing the temple of God by putting incisions and tattoos in your body, engaging in masturbation, drunkenness, hard drug? You are a dog.

Unnatural sexual relationship with a member of the same sex, and sex with animals qualifies you as a dog.

Foundational problems: Most people have not prayed serious prayer to know the root of their problem.

If your mother mischievously sold your pregnancy to another man whose name you now bear, there is a curse of the bastard upon you.

 PRAYER POINTS

1.       Lord, show me the secret of my life, in the name of Jesus.

2.     Oh Lord, open my eyes to see the hidden secrets concerning my life, in the name of Jesus.

3.     Let every curse of the bastard upon my life be broken, in the name of Jesus.

4.  God my Father, you are the One that removed the curse upon Jabez, remove the curse upon my life today, in the name of Jesus.

5.     Every good thing that I have lost as a result of inherited curses, O Lord; restore it back to me by fire, in the name of Jesus.

6. (Hold your head) You my head refuse to co-operate with all unconscious curses, in the name of Jesus.

7.   Let every curse working against me as a result of my background receive the judgment of fire, in the name of Jesus.

To every covenant there is a proving time. After God made the covenant with Abraham he fulfilled his part of the covenant by giving Abraham he fulfilled His part of the covenant by giving Abraham a son, upon which he tested (Abraham) allegiance to their covenant relationship.

If there is anything that is dear to Abraham, it is Isaac, the child of his old age, the child of promise according to Genesis 17: 15-17:

 15.   And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be.

 16.     And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her.

 17.      Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? And shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?

After Isaac was given birth to and he has grown to be a Youngman, God then decided to visit His covenant brother to prove his obedience if he really loves Him and whether the covenant has really affected his mind. This is because the purpose of the covenant was to actually affect the soul of Abraham which rightly comprises the mind, will and emotions, the battle ground of man.

The covenant itself could not make God’s word more truthful because God cannot lie but the covenant was made to affect Abraham’s mind. According to Hebrews chapter 6 verse 19, the covenant is the anchor of our soul. God expected Abraham’s best and that was Isaac! The demand was straight forward according to Genesis 22: 2, “And God said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thy lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of”. God was quite specific about what He wanted from Abraham.

One glaring thing about Abraham is that he was a man that understands what Blood Covenant relationship was all about and so he didn’t hesitate. He said, “God if you want Isaac, he’s yours. I promised you the day we did cut the covenant that everything that belongs to me is yours for the asking”. God began to rejoice over the life of Abraham because He had finally found a man that would keep the covenant.

God then said, “By Myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the seashore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies”.

From this deal, we can see that the covenant actually affected the minds of Abraham. The covenant actually is the means to the real thing, because the real thing was that God was burning up with love and the desire to bless man. He needed a man He could bless, but Abraham would not believe His word; He then decided to mark his mind by the blood covenant relationship, because in Genesis Chapter 15 verse 8, Abraham was still arguing the truthfulness of God’s promise, but after the covenant there was a better picture of Abraham. You will discover in Romans chapter 4 verses 17 and 21, that he was fully persuaded that, what He had promised, He was able also to perform.

So beloved, if you understand the blood covenant relationship, you will be able to comprehend the love of God and His desire in every area of your life. The enemy wants to take from you but God wants to give to you. Finally, I want you to realize that the cutting of the covenant is between a strong party and a weak party. God is strong while we are weak. He cut the covenant with us, so that we can use His strength to empower our weakness. So you have to realize that God is under legal obligation to protect you, prosper you and bless you. He is under legal obligations to hear and answer our prayers, because we are in a blood covenant with Him since Jesus our Substitute and Representative cut the covenant on the cross of Calvary.

There is a state of complacency in the Church of today. There is so much self-satisfaction undermining God’s standards, and that’s the true marks of the Laodecian Church age which coincidentally is the last Church age. A state of false contentment, happiness and having arrived. What I will prefer calling a plateau state experience. Lets consider the following verse in the book of Revelation.

Rev. 6:14-18

14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;

15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.

16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: [King James Version]

 Rev 3:14-17

14 And to the angel (messenger) of the assembly (church) in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the trusty and faithful and true Witness, the Origin and Beginning and Author of God's creation: [Isa 55:4; Prov 8:22.]

15 I know your [record of] works and what you are doing; you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were cold or hot!

16 So, because you are lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of My mouth!

17 For you say, I am rich; I have prospered and grown wealthy, and I am in need of nothing; and you do not realize and understand that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. [Hos 12:8.]  [The Amplified Version]

The above verses vividly points out the state of the Church. We are going to quickly consider our main text that helps to explain how complacent the Church is now.

Amos 6: 1-14

1 Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and trust in the mountain of Samaria, which are named chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel came!

2 Pass ye unto Calneh, and see; and from thence go ye to Hamath the great: then go down to Gath of the Philistines: be they better than these kingdoms? or their border greater than your border?

3 Ye that put far away the evil day, and cause the seat of violence to come near;

4 That lie upon beds of ivory, and stretch themselves upon their couches, and eat the lambs out of the flock, and the calves out of the midst of the stall;

5 That chant to the sound of the viol, and invent to themselves instruments of musick, like David;

6 That drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the chief ointments: but they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph.

7 Therefore now shall they go captive with the first that go captive, and the banquet of them that stretched themselves shall be removed.

8 The Lord God hath sworn by himself, saith the Lord the God of hosts, I abhor the excellency of Jacob, and hate his palaces: therefore will I deliver up the city with all that is therein.

9 And it shall come to pass, if there remain ten men in one house, that they shall die.

10 And a man's uncle shall take him up, and he that burneth him, to bring out the bones out of the house, and shall say unto him that is by the sides of the house, Is there yet any with thee? and he shall say, No. Then shall he say, Hold thy tongue: for we may not make mention of the name of the Lord.

11 For, behold, the Lord commandeth, and he will smite the great house with breaches, and the little house with clefts.

12 Shall horses run upon the rock? will one plow there with oxen? for ye have turned judgment into gall, and the fruit of righteousness into hemlock:

13 Ye which rejoice in a thing of nought, which say, Have we not taken to us horns by our own strength?

14 But, behold, I will raise up against you a nation, O house of Israel, saith the Lord the God of hosts; and they shall afflict you from the entering in of Hamath unto the river of the wilderness.  [King James Version]

The passage above starts with a great cry, “Woe”. The word “woe” is translated from the Hebrew word, “Howy” meaning –ah, alas, woe. The prophet was actually lamenting over the lifestyles of God’s people in Zion. Then the second key word is “At Ease” which implies that they were complacent, having self-satisfaction and false security. The day of Amos was a picture of our present times. The people of God dwelling in Zion had a state of false fulfillment just like the present Church were people don’t seems to remember that there is a place called heaven and hell. Some are even taught that heaven and hell is on the earth.

No wonder the Lord spoke to me to go forth. Quoting the exact words of the Lord to me in 2005, “…There is much evil on the earth that is why I am sending you to declare My word to the world…Tell them to repent of their evil…Because My time is drawing nigh…No evil can stop My commission…The CHURCH is sick so Am sending you forth to heal the CHURCH…”

Just as the people of Jerusalem felt secured because they felt they have built a fortress in Samaria they began to do what their carnal desires crave for, stealing, committing murder including abortions, committing adultery, and so forth. In the same vein,  today’s Church are trying to make the gospel more appealing to the New Age movement forgetting that it was the gospel preached by the son of the carpenter. Today there is so much lawlessness in the churches, familiar spirits has taken over. Fetish priests are priding themselves as the source of many church growth…oh what an age!

It has gone so bad that people are more concerned about money, material possessions, and pursuit of pleasures than Christ and His Church. In short the church has become more of an entertainment centers and a place of merchandising. We build hospitals and schools but the question is how many members of such churches can afford to send their children to such schools. The missionaries gave us schools that we can afford but now are a different ballgame.

 How Complacent is the Church

Let go back to our background scripture,

Amos 6:4-6

4 That lie upon beds of ivory, and stretch themselves upon their couches, and eat the lambs out of the flock, and the calves out of the midst of the stall;

5 That chant to the sound of the viol, and invent to themselves instruments of musick, like David;

6 That drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the chief ointments: but they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph. [King James Version]

The above scripture paints a graphic picture of the extent of the complacency that was going on in Israel. They crave for the best homes, furnishings, cloths and ate the best of foods as much as they desired. Their stock in trade was entertainment and pleasures and going after alcoholism. Just like in the present Church age always craving for the best homes, furniture and clothes, eat the best of foods, much drunkenness and lots of pleasures and entertainment. But there are so much sufferings and poverty around but we seem to close our eyes to them because of our greed, avarice and desire to amass wealth. What a complacent Church! These are what we condemned with the orthodox churches in the ‘70s but now the Pentecostals and the charismatics are the worst culprits. The spirit of Babylon is gradually taking over the churches!

The Reason for the Complacency in the Church

Concerning the children of Israel in the book of Amos there where reasons why they were complacent. Because of the fact that they enjoyed great prosperity they became swollen headed and were carried away with pride and boastfulness. They went into extravagant living forgetting that it was God that gave them power to create the wealth they were enjoying. It might even be possible that they were thinking that they made it through their might. They trusted in their military strength, that is, the fortress they built in Samaria. And the pursuit of wealth and material possessions became their ultimate. They were not even concerned about the poor moral state of the nation. It was as bad as that, which was why prophet Amos screamed Woe!

Comparing that to the Church of today, the fact about our relationship with God that is in jeopardy is no more of concern to many. They are even equating prosperity as a mark of God’s presence. What a shame! Many are chasing after riches and material possession with much vigor like they will be eternal. Our trust is now in the man made empires we call churches. Churches are now been operated as man made companies, human institution. They forget to know that church is not an organization but a living organism. When the charismatics began to be organized carnality began to creep in. No wonder God said in Jeremiah 2:13 that instead of them to go after the fountain they went after broken cisterns. And in a broken cistern there is the gathering of tadpoles, lizards, frogs and what have you. Oh God have mercy!

We preach more of the New Age gospel now instead of the Pure Word of God. Watch it! We are heading towards a great danger. How long are we going to pretend that all is well when there is much rottenness in our churches. The church is 'worldlier' now and the world is becoming 'churchier'. Our media are polluted with all kind of gospel and the devil is having his field day. Oh Church of God arise! Oh sleeping giant arise!

The Aftermath of the Complacency in the Church

Verse 7 shows us the bitter result of complacency, “Therefore you will be the first to be taken as slaves; suddenly your revelry will end”. [The Living Bible] No wonder there is so much satanic bondages among God’s people. Verses 8-14 can be compared to what God said in Revelation 3: 14-17

Amos 6:8-14

8 Jehovah the Almighty Lord has sworn by his own name, "I despise the pride and false glory of Israel and hate their beautiful homes. I will turn over this city and everything in it to her enemies."

9 If there are as few as ten of them left and only one house, they too will perish.

10 A man's uncle will be the only one left to bury him, and when he goes in to carry his body from the house, he will ask the only one still alive inside, "Are any others left?" And the answer will be, "No," and he will add, "Shhh . . . don't mention the name of the Lord-he might hear you."

11 For the Lord commanded this: That homes both great and small should be smashed to pieces.

12 Can horses run on rocks? Can oxen plow the sea? Stupid even to ask-but no more stupid than what you do when you make a mockery of justice and corrupt and sour all that should be good and right.

13 And just as stupid is your rejoicing in how great you are when you are less than nothing-and priding yourselves on your own tiny power!

14 "O Israel, I will bring against you a nation that will bitterly oppress you from your northern boundary to your southern tip, all the way from Hamath to the brook of Arabah," says the Lord, the Lord Almighty. [The Living Bible]

 Rev 3:14-17

14 And to the angel (messenger) of the assembly (church) in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the trusty and faithful and true Witness, the Origin and Beginning and Author of God's creation: [Isa 55:4; Prov 8:22.]

15 I know your [record of] works and what you are doing; you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were cold or hot!

16 So, because you are lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of My mouth!

17 For you say, I am rich; I have prospered and grown wealthy, and I am in need of nothing; and you do not realize and understand that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. [Hos 12:8.] [The Amplified Version]

Because of complacency and spiritual lethargy many churches are literally dead without fresh fire from God’s holy altar. Complacency robs the church and God’s people of many energetic and consecrated servants. Many has been slaughtered in satanic altars and great destinies lost. Ichabod is boldly written on the door post of many churches. Instead of clear visions from the Lord, familiar spirits has taken over many altars. And we are paying dearly for it because all forms of calamities, premature deaths, death through childbirths, pastors dying untimely now abounds in charismatic circles. Is time to see an inward vision before an outward vision. Complacency is taking joy from a lot of Christian churches and heaven is not in view for many. The passion for souls is lost in many circles and all we are doing is organizing our petty empires, clamoring for more money, more cars, and more luxuries and to crown it up there is so much competitive jealousy among the laity and the clergy alike.

The Answer to Complacency in the Church

The answer to complacency in the church is summarised in three words: Understand…Contemplate…Obey. We need to understand God’s mercy, we must contemplate the beauty of eternity with Christ and crisis of eternity without Christ. Then in conclusion obey His voice. Consider His words in Rev 3:18-22

18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.

22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. [King James Version]

Another witchcraft manipulative strategies is to make you lose your goods & properties one after the other.

Somebody can buy things in his house at a time when every thing was fine. Behold, hard times begin to set in, no job, no money is coming from anywhere, you will begin to see yourself selling your properties to feed and care for your children. The only thing you may not sell is your furniture’s. But even if you are not selling it, it may by depreciating every day, it will eventually come to a time it will become the house of rats and cockroaches, that will be their bedroom and living room.

Gradually everything is going, nothing new is coming in, instead what you own already, is now going out. Before you realize, you are hitting zero level and before you could realize you are planning to relocate to your hometown and that is the beginning of sorrow. Because that is the expectation of your household witches. So when this witchcraft manipulative strategy of gradual loss begins to operate almost everything you are holding to is gradually disappearing mysteriously without explanation.

When there is this gradual loss of your properties, your job, is like you are losing touch of everything, that shows that there is a gang up in the spirit again your life.

Marks of Hatred – Strategy Number Four
There are those who go through life not been accepted. They are been hated for no reason. And when this strategy is at work in the life of a Single lady, maintaining a stable relationship becomes a problem. And if they are married, their husband will always form the habit of flirting.

There will be a strange voice that keep telling the man, “hi guy, this woman is useless, good for nothing…what business do you have with her, she is too boring …”. In a nutshell, she will appear smelling like a rotten egg to the husband. Gradually the man begins to keep distance with her even though they are in the same house.

I had a privilege of ministering to a young married woman in Takoradi, Ghana called Ama, she had problem with her husband to the point that both of them were living in the house as two tenants living in one room. At the time she came e she has lost all hope of restoration. But after I took her through a deliverance session… they were restored… today their romance look fresh.

When the mark of hatred strategy is at work in you, helpers are cut off from you. Most of the time when the enemy places a mark of hatred on someone, it is normally in their faces. That is why during a deliverance session when we command the demons to remove every mark of hatred you will see the victim using their hands to clean their faces.
Sometimes some single ladies who find it difficult to get a soul mate always ask themselves whether they are ugly. By every standard they are beautiful, but because of witchcraft manipulations every potential suitor won’t see that beauty. Some ladies will even go to the mirror to cross check their facial appearance wondering why men are scared of them.

There was this lady, any man she dates, everything will be fine during the courtship but immediately the man decides to legalise things and takes a step to see her parents for the first time to do formal introduction, automatically after that step, the beautiful face of this lady will automatically change to the face of an old woman, more of a grandmother in the village. What will be the end of the relationship? Because no man wants to marry his grandmother, they will eventually go. That was her trail of woes until it was discovered that in her family, they believed in reincarnation, and they believed that one of the late grandmother reincarnated her. The woman vowed when she was alive, that when she come back to life again she would not marry, all because of the experiences she had with men. So when this situation is in manifestation the face of the young lady will revert to that of the old lady. That is mark of hatred at work. But you can be free in Jesus Name.

Proverbs 13:22.

I.      INHERITANCE BELONGS TO THE FAMILY

•  Whatever is inherited from parent ought to be used and passed on to the next generation.

       I Kings 21: 1-3

• Naboth inherited the land because his ancestors had passed it unto his father, his own father passed it unto him, and he wanted to pass it to his own children after him.
• Biblically, inheritance is both for the male and female.

       Num. 27:4-7

II.     DEATH ENDS INHERITANCE

• Inheritance could be taken from the original owner-family by death.

       I Kings. 21:15-16; Matt. 21:38-39.

• When somebody is dead he or she cannot lay hold on any inheritance any more.
• That is why wise parents prepare their will early enough to ensure that there is no dispute over the property when they are dead.

III.   EVIL INHERITANCE

• Just as people  inherit

               -    money
               -    houses
               -    shoes
               -    clothes
               -    cars
              -    shares & other blessings

• Many also inherit

            -    evil covenants
            -    curses
            -    barrenness
            -    poverty
            -    broken home
            -    delayed marriage
            -    evil names
            -    family demons
            -    ill health
            -    sufferings
            -    premature  deaths from the parent or ancestors

• Abraham suffered from this kind of evil inheritance

       Gen. 11:20, 22, 24

• His fore fathers had children early, things were well with them.
• The problem started with his own father, Terah

      Gen.11:26, 28, 30

• The curse affected Abraham also

      Gen.15:2-3
      Gen.21:5-6

IV.     ABRAHAM INHERITED BARRENNESS.

• Vertical family curses do not respect anybody who has not broken their effects from his family.
• Whether such a person is a clergy or layman educated or not, rich or poor, male or female, young or old.
• It is a terrible thing that a friend of God also suffered the exact evil his unbelieving father suffered. The truth is that anointing does not cancel-laws &order

       Job 5:6

• It any man of God out of pride, ignore biblical truth laid down by God, on how to end curses,
• He will notice break through and open doors in other’s lives that he has prayed for but for himself there will be nothing to show for all his anointing.
• Ministry could be frustrating embarrassing & reproachful when laboring under a family curse.

V.     ABRAHAM’S SON INHERITED BARRENESS

        Gen. 25:20 -21, 26

•  For 20 years, Isaac suffered childlessness.
• Perhaps it was when he remembered that his grand father Terah was 70 years before having a child that he decided he would cry to God.
• When he prayed, probably did family deliverance to himself and to his wife, God answered & bless with twins (Esau & Jacob)

       Jer. 32:27
       Psalm 50:15

VI.     ABRAHAM’S GRANDSON INHERITED BARRENNESS
           Gen. 30 : 1

•  Jacob was the great grandson of  Terah
• He was the one who inherited the promise of Abraham. Yet he experienced vertical family curse that his ancestor all suffered from the third generation.
• Looking at the life of Jacob, Rachael was his real wife.
• So the barrenness  affected her.

PRAYER POINTS
1. I release myself from any inherited bondage, in Jesus name.
2. Let the blood of Jesus flush out from my system every inherited satanic deposit.
3. I release myself from the grip of any problem transferred into my life from the word. (11)
4. I break & loose myself from every inherited evil curse in the name of Jesus.
5. I break & loose myself from every inherited evil covenant in the name of Jesus.

• Deuteronomy 23:2
• Verse 2: A bastard shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to his tenth generation shall he not enter into the congregation of the LORD.

• You may wonder why God regards bastards as His enemies.
• It is simply because marriage is a divine institution.
• Any violation of the order established by God attracts curses and divine displeasure.
• In the divine economy a man is supposed to get married to a woman legitimately.
• When a young man and a young woman that are not legally married go into sin and there is an accidental or unplanned pregnancy the fruit of their sinful conduct is an illegitimate child.
• The two of them will end up producing a bastard.
• Unfortunately, many who are illegitimate children know little or nothing about their origin.
• Such people discover that they have problems upon problems without knowing that the curse of illegitimacy is trailing their steps.
• Are you a bastard or an illegitimate child?
• Did your parents give birth to you out of wedlock?
• Are you a product of accidental pregnancy?
• Then, a curse is on you.

• Zechariah 9:6
• Verse 6: And a bastard shall dwell in Ashdod, and I will cut off the pride of the Philistines.

• Every bastard is cursed. They are all enemies of God.
• An invisible curse looms above the head of every illegitimate child.
• Those who live wayward lives will do well to realize the fact that every ungodly behaviour has a reward.
• The Bible tells us that a bastard shall dwell in Ashdod.
• Then, let's examine what the scripture says about the city called Ashdod.

• Joshua 11:22
• Verse 22: There was none of the Anakims left in the land of the children of Israel: only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod, there remained.

• I Samuel 5:1
• Verse 1: And the Philistines took the ark of God, and brought it from Ebenezer unto Ashdod.

• I Samuel 6:17
• Verse 17: And these are the golden emerods which the Philistines returned for a trespass offering unto the LORD; for Ashdod one, for Gaza one, for Askelon one, for Gath one, for Ekron one;

• Ashdod was a city of the Philistines; it was a cursed city.
• Therefore, to say that a bastard shall dwell in Ashdod implies that there is a curse of the womb on every bastard.
• Another side to this truth is that there are both physical and spiritual bastards.
• A spiritual bastard has a mark of illegitimacy as far as belonging to the commonwealth of the redeemed is concerned.
• Anybody that refuses to believe and worship God but clings to idols is, indeed, a bastard.
• Another definition of a bastard is a spiritual dog.
• A woman approached Jesus, desiring to receive the benefit reserved for God's children, but she was told in plain terms that dogs were unqualified to eat the children's bread.

• Mark 7:27
• Verse 27: But Jesus said unto her, Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it unto the dogs.

• Every sinner is a bastard.
• We are specifically warned to steer clear of the ungodly.

• Philippians 3:2
• Verse 2: Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision.

• Although God is a God of love, He is going to shut the door against every spiritual bastard or dog.

• Revelation 22:15
• Verse 15: For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.

• The company of bastards or dogs is largely detestable and all of them will remain outside the glorious city.
• No curse is as great as that.
• If we cast our minds back to the story of the woman whom Jesus referred to as dog, by implication, we will discover that every bastard shares in common the evil luck of remaining in Ashdod (the cursed city).
• To understand this point let us read

• Mark 7:25-26
• Verse 25: For a certain woman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his feet:
• Verse 26: The woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation; and she besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter.

• There are many points in this passage that are worthy of consideration.
• Being a Greek, the woman who approached Jesus for help was a dog.
• According to the word of God, herself and ten generations of her offspring were not permitted to enter into the congregation of the Lord.
• The woman and her demonized daughter did not qualify for the precious bread meant for God's children.
• Does not surprise you that Jesus refused bluntly to offer any help to her?
• If not for the mercy of God at that point, as well as an unusual faith expressed by the woman, she and ten generations behind her would have carried their problems without solution.
• Therefore, God seriously detests bastards, spiritual or physical.
• They cannot approach the court of the Almighty since they lack sonship.
• Perhaps you have discovered that you are a spiritual bastard because you have are yet to give your life to Christ, you must take urgent step to pray yourself to sonship position.
• Just in case you are yet to discover whether there is a curse of the bastard upon your life, you need to do a thorough self-examination and see if any of these following factors is peculiar to you:

Have you been praying and your prayers seem to be bouncing back? Or it seems as if the Almighty God is not hearing your prayers? Probably God considers you as a dog.
1. Have been misusing the temple of God by putting incisions and tattoos in your body, engaging in masturbation, drunkenness, hard drug? You are a dog.
2. Unnatural sexual relationship with a member of the same sex, and sex with animals qualifies you as a dog.
3. Foundational problems: Most people have not prayed serious prayer to know the root of their problem.
4. If your mother mischievously sold your pregnancy to another man whose name you now bear, there is a curse of the bastard upon you.

PRAYER POINTS

1. O Lord, show me the secret of my life, in the name of Jesus.
2. Oh Lord, open my eyes to see the hidden secrets concerning my life, in the name of Jesus.
3. Let every curse of the bastard upon my life be broken, in the name of Jesus.
4. O God my Father, you are the One that removed the curse upon Jabez, remove the curse upon my life today, in the name of Jesus.
5. Every good thing that I have lost as a result of inherited curses, O Lord; restore it back to me by fire, in the name of Jesus.
6. (Hold your head) You my head refuse to co-operate with all unconscious curses, in the name of Jesus.
7. Let every curse working against me as a result of my background receive the judgment of fire, in the name of Jesus.