My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge…

—Hosea 4:6

It’s an inaccurate cliché—ignorance is bliss. Hosea specifically states that a lack of knowledge can actually destroy you. Ignorance is a blessing blocker. And even though they are often used interchangeably, ignorance and stupidity are not synonyms. Stupidity means lacking in intelligence, foolish or idiotic. In contrast, ignorance is the state of being uninformed, uneducated or unaware—without knowledge. It’s like the difference between a restroom and a bathroom. They have some similar traits, but they are not the same. A person can actually act in ignorance and stupidity simultaneously. The trust be told, most stupid people aren’t ignorant at all (that’s another article). But what you don’t know can hurt you, leave you in financial ruins and cause you to miss out on God’s best for your life.

If you’ve been walking in a state of ignorance, you are vulnerable. A lack of knowledge causes you to be easily led astray. And, ignorance doesn’t give you a free pass. Let me give you an example. Being ignorant of the law is no excuse for breaking it. If you are pulled over and given a citation for driving 40 mph in a 30 mph zone, you can’t use the excuse that you didn’t know what the speed limit was to evade the ticket. It’s similar to saying, “Lord I didn’t know I was supposed to tithe. Can’t you just bless my finances anyway?” No. Your ignorance had placed you under the curse.

The first place a Christian should go for knowledge is the Word of God. Solomon wrote in Proverbs 1:7, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.” According to this verse, it’s the foolish (or stupid) person who despises wisdom, not the ignorant. Jesus said that the truth would set us free. And, Paul told Timothy, “Study to show thyself approved unto God….” Paul also started phrases this way on more than one occasion, “Brothers, I would not have you ignorant….” Our greatest weapon against the enemy is the Word of God in our mouths. We can not be ignorant where it is concerned. Jesus overcame the enemy with the Word (Matthew 4:3-12) and we overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony (Revelation 12:11). But how can we, if we are ignorant of it?

Examples from the Word

I want to share some occasions in the Bible where people were ignorant of the Word. They were being blocked from receiving the blessings of God. Notice how they reacted, how they corrected it and the results of their actions.

Josiah was just a young boy when he became king (2 Kings 22). He had begun to make some repairs on the temple when the Book of the Law was found and read to him. When he became aware of all the ways they were not obeying God, he was immediately distraught.

When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his robes. He gave these orders to Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Acbor son of Micaiah, Shaphan the secretary and Asaiah the king’s attendant: “Go and inquire of the LORD for me and for the people and for all Judah about what is written in this book that has been found. Great is the LORD’s anger that burns against us because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written there concerning us.”

—2 Kings 22:11-13

The previous generation had been led astray, and now the people were walking in ignorance. Yes they were also being disobedient, but remember the traffic ticket example. Once Josiah inquired of the Lord, the report came to him that his life would be spared, and he would be buried in peace.

Nehemiah had a similar experience after rebuilding the wall in Jerusalem (Nehemiah 8). When the people heard the words from the Book of the Law, they wept. Their hearts and minds were being enlightened by the Word of God. They had been operating in ignorance, and it grieved them.

Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to them all, “This day is sacred to the LORD your God. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law. Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” The Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Be still, for this is a sacred day. Do not grieve.”

—Nehemiah 8:9-11

After the celebration, the people repented and rededicated themselves to the Lord. Study the final chapters of Nehemiah. It is a great example of what should be done when someone comes out of ignorance into knowledge.

And finally, the prison guard in Acts 16. I love this story! Paul and Silas were in chains in prison praying and praising God! They weren’t in the today’s version of the United States Federal Penetintury either. This was a scene I’m sure none of us would want to find ourselves in—and they were praising God! As a result (and because of the Blessing of the Lord on their lives), the entire prison was shaken and everyone’s shackles were loosed! Hallelujah!

And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled. But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here. Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, and brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?

—Acts 16:27-30

This ignorant prison guard came into the knowledge of the Living God. What did he do next? Read the rest of the account. He gathered his entire household to be saved and baptized. He cleaned the wombs of Paul and Silas, fed them and rejoiced in God! If the man was stupid, after being freed from ignorance he would have completed his suicide or attempted to recapture the prisoners. There’s the difference.

Notice in each example the reactions of the people when they realized they were ignorant. They wept and repented. They chose God’s way and simultaneously chose His Blessing. You will never rise above the level of your knowledge. What you don’t know can block the Blessing of God from your life and destroy you. Don’t be ignorant and don’t be destroyed—get in the Word and get some knowledge today!

Be blessed friends, and have the perfect day everyday!

—Shontta

Psalm 138:8

Strife is defined as a bitter and sometimes violent conflict or dissension; it is an act of contention: fight or struggle. A synonym of strife is discord. Often, people make the mistake of diagnosing strife as anger. Anger can lead to strife and strife can lead to anger; however, they are not the same. Proverbs 29:22 says that an angry man stirs up strife. The Bible clearly makes a distinction between the two. So, the angry man has an Antagonistic Negative Guilt-laying Emotional Reaction (ANGER) to something thereby injecting a Stifling Tangible Recurring Influence that Frustrates Emotions (STRIFE).

A wrathful man stirreth up strife: but he that is slow to anger appeaseth strife.—Proverbs 15:18

Strife is stifling because it creates an immediate barrier between the parties involved; nothing positive is flowing through and neither side is able to hear the other. Obviously it is tangible because it can be felt and recurring because it keeps on coming. Strife negatively influences your decision making and frustrates your emotions. Recall a situation in which you are currently dealing or have dealt with strife and you will find that the acronym is an accurate portrayal.

If you have been married for any length of time, honeymooners included, you have had opportunities to get into strife. I used marriage, but this applies to all interpersonal relationships. The Blessing of the Lord (Genesis 12:2-3; Deuteronomy 28:1-14) requires us to live strife-free lives. Strife can limit or even bring to a standstill the flow of the Blessing.

And there was a strife between the herdmen of Abram’s cattle and the herdmen of Lot’s cattle….—Genesis 13:7

Here we see an example of strife infiltrating what had been a prosperous business venture for Lot. Originally Abram wasn’t supposed to bring any family members along with him (Genesis 12:2). But since Lot was with his uncle Abram, he prospered. If you study this passage in Genesis 13, you will notice that it is a turning point for both Abram and Lot. Abram took the high road and allowed Lot to choose which way he wanted to go.

And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren. Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left. —Genesis 13:8-9

Abram employed a key principle here to avoid and eradicate strife. He immediately found the source and severed the relationship. Thus, he continued to walk in the Blessing and Lot didn’t. When we find ourselves in this situation, we should go out of our way to avoid strife. I understand that there may be longtime friendships, business relationships or even relatives involved.  Apply Romans 8:28 to the situation, and make the tough call required to walk in the Blessing.

“But Shontta, I’m in strife with my spouse and children,” you might say. “Am I to sever those relationships?”  If there are no threats to your life or physical safety, you should seek out the source strife, expose it and work through it. Otherwise, seek professional help immediately. Once again, I’d like to show you how these blessing blockers affect your physical body.

Marital conflict can boost proinflammatory cytokines in the bloodstream and slow wound healing. These results add to the growing evidence that marital strife can impair both mental and physical health. While many studies have demonstrated the benefits of marriage in terms of promoting physical and mental health, what happens to couples who engage in verbal spats and power plays for years, maybe decades? One study, for example, found that unhappily married subjects were 25 times more likely to experience a major depressive disorder than were happily married ones. Another found that among women with coronary heart disease, marital stress worsened their prognosis threefold. And now a new study, published in the December 2005 Archives of General Psychiatry, has found that marital bickering can raise, in the bloodstream, levels of proinflammatory cytokines—that is, the kind of cytokines that sabotages healing instead of promoting it. *

STRIFE is tangible and it is obvious here that it penetrates and negatively works against your mind and your physical body. Don’t lose your life (John 10:10). Confront STRIFE with the Word and, if necessary, professional help. Keep the Blessing flowing. I am totally out of space. I trust you were enlightened and are now hungry to learn more on this topic.

Be blessed friends, and have the perfect day everyday!

—Shontta

*Marital Strife May Keep Wounds from Healing by Joan Arehart-Treichel http://pn.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/full/41/3/22

Before you dismiss this article by observing the title, allow me an introductory paragraph to persuade you to continue reading. Is blood thicker than water? What exactly in the world does that mean anyway?! I know that I’ve been cleansed by The Blood of Jesus of my sins and through Christ I have been given access to the well of living water that leads to abundant and eternal life. It is an absolute fact that no relative of mine has done for me what Christ did. I realize the sensitivity of this topic; however, I promise you that if you will give me your attention for the remainder of this article, I will show you several places in God’s word where individuals were either blessed or cursed because of associations with relatives. My friends this walk is an individual decision, and your associations—blood relatives or friends, can seriously affect the outcome of your results.

Abraham Commanded to Leave Relatives

Abraham is called the father of our faith. And what was the first decision he had to make? What was the initial test of his faith or belief in God as the true and living God? Read it for yourself.

“Now [in Haran] the Lord said to Abram, Go for yourself [for your own advantage] away from your country, from your relatives and your father’s house, to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you [with abundant increase of favors] and make your name famous and distinguished, and you will be a blessing [dispensing good to others].

—Genesis 12:1-2 AMP

It says for your own advantage. What I am trying to get you to do here is to think. Think about God who is intentional about everything He does. If Abram had been hung up on the whole blood is thicker than water philosophy, he would not be the father of our faith. Abram’s relatives were pagan polytheistic people. They believed in multiple gods—that was the life he was accustomed to. Would you do what he did? Leave your family and everything you’ve ever known to follow a God you’ve never known? Let’s fast forward and see what Jesus said about such a situation.

Peter said to him, “We have left everything to follow you!” “I tell you the truth,” Jesus replied, “No one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

—John 10:28-31NIV

So we see here that it is neither unbiblical nor uncommon for those of us who choose to walk with Christ to literally be forced to choose between our relatives and God. But, God is so wonderful. He’s never trying to take something from us; He’s always trying to get The Blessing to us! If you focus on the latter half of both passages, you find the promise attached to the act of obedience—Blessing. Please don’t misunderstand me. I’m not saying all family relationships are toxic or ones we need to limit our exposure to. It’s the ones that pose a threat to our full participation in our walk with Christ. God is a jealous God—He wants all of you. Then He blesses you and gives you all of Himself (see Luke 12:32).

You see God chose Abram because He knew him. God knew that Abram would command his children after him and teach them to serve the Lord (Genesis 18:19). This is ultimately what the Lord wants. He is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He wants the generations. And most of us know from experience that in most cases, we have to start where Abraham started—it’s not easy! Especially when you come from one of two extremes—either no church at all or you grew up in church.

On the one hand, turning from a pagan or heathen background to Christ brings instant ridicule and, in some cases, the person is ostracized. Or, a case such as mine own. I grew up around the things of God, but there wasn’t a true example of Deuteronomy 28:1-14 set before me. No one was fully obeying, so the results were tainted. As I came into more knowledge and choose to walk in it, however, the negative treatment by unenlightened relatives was similar to a person who’d come from a non-Christian background. It’s quite painful. It is a blessing blocker.

Have you been struggling with some decisions concerning this issue? If not, perhaps you know someone who is. I want to conclude with some references to assure you that you that you are in good company. If you make the right decisions, you will walk straight into The Blessing of the Lord. And the wonderful part about it is that your relatives can make the same choice you did! You want them to. Just don’t let their hesitation stifle you. I don’t have space to expand on every reference, but as I stated at the start of this series, I want you to dig into the Word for yourself. Let the Holy Spirit speak to you about your individual situation and stop these blessing blockers in their tracks!

Biblical Relative Examples

Abraham chose to take Lot with him and this caused him grief on more than one occasion (Genesis 13, 14). I know Jacob sowed some bad seed, but his own uncle attempted to stamp out God’s blessing that was obviously on him (Genesis 29-31). Ruth ended up in the bloodline of Christ because she left her family (Ruth). Eli failed to properly handle his two sons who were abusing the priesthood and died in sorrow (1 Samuel 2, 4). Jonathan chose to side with his father, whom the spirit of God had departed from, instead of his spiritual brother David—he paid with his life (1 Samuel 18-23; 2 Samuel 1). Esther obeyed her uncle and not only became a queen, but saved her people (Esther). Also the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and so on were all considered brothers of Israel, yet they were chosen by God to prophesy the truth even though most of it was against their own brothers. These are all Old Testament examples, but Paul taught a great deal on handling these types of relationships as well.

As always Christ is our ultimate example. His relatives thought he had gone out of His mind and went to collect Him (Mark 3:21). I love how Jesus responded in Matthew 12:48-50. “But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? And who are my brethren? And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.” He answered just like an insane person would. Who is my mother and bothers?! Then He came with absolute sane revelation! I’m His brother because I do the will of the Father even at the risk of looking like I’ve lost my mind and I’m being alienated by relatives.

So speak the truth in love and be respectful to your elders. But DO NOT allow relatives to block the Blessing of God in your life. The Holy Spirit will give you the answer to each situation. Study these examples and stand on the promises of God’s Word concerning salvation for the lost. He wants them to be saved, but they have to receive salvation—you can’t save them only God can. I can testify to the truth of Mark 10:29 in my own life. I have been blessed with everything I lacked in my natural family in the family of God. With His help I have been able to create a blessed home and family so that my seed can see accurate results of fully obeying the commands of God. When a relative comes to God we rejoice, but we’ve chosen not to allow the ones who operate in disobedience to block the Blessing in our lives.

My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.—James 1:19-21

While discussing these Blessing blockers, I am attempting to give a thorough but brief synopsis of basic material. It is my hope these articles will evoke a desire in you to learn more about each one. Anger is another Blessing blocker and the Word gives clear practical instructions for handling it.

My personal acronym for anger is this—an Antagonistic Negative Guilt-laying Emotional Reaction (ANGER). Antagonism is actively expressed opposition or hostility. Negative means lacking positive quality or disagreeable.Guilt is a feeling of culpability for offenses. Emotional is the state of being dominated by or prone to emotion. And, finally, a reaction is a response to some treatment, situation or stimulus. The emotion of anger embodies all of these traits; and, in order to fulfill the Blessing in our lives, it is imperative that we conquer it. We are, after all, more than conquerors (Romans 8:37). The Bible says in several places that God is slow to anger and rich in love (Exodus 34:6; Nehemiah 9:17 and Psalm 145:8 are a few). Knowing this, I am reminded of Paul telling us to be imitators of God as dearly beloved children (Ephesians 5:1). We cannot be easily angered nor be associated with those who are. Let’s examine some verses.

He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city. —Proverbs 16:32

The discretion of a man deferreth his anger; and it is his glory to pass over a transgression. —Proverbs 19:11

An angry man stirreth up strife, and a furious man aboundeth in transgression.—Proverbs 29:22 

Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools. —Ecclesiastes 7:9

Make no friendship with an angry man; and with a furious man thou shalt not go: —Proverbs 22:24

Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: —Ephesians 4:31

These are some powerful verses and we can do all things through Christ. You can choose to remove all ANGER from your life. When you do so, you are choosing to live the life of health and abundance promised in Deuteronomy 28:1-14.

Be reminded that yielding to and harboring anger also allows the curse to operate in your physical body. Psychology Today published “The Downside of Anger” and it stated, “It (anger) eats away at your cardiovascular system, your gut and hijacks nervous system, often obliterating the capacity for clear thinking. And it may even grow in intensity.”* How can you possibly walk in the Blessing if this emotion is manifesting itself though you? In a 1990 article in The New York Times entitled “If Anger Ruins Your Day, It Can Shrink Your Life.” The following is a quote from that article:  “Researchers have gathered a wealth of data lately suggesting that chronic anger is so damaging to the body that it ranks with, or even exceeds, cigarette smoking, obesity and a high-fat diet as a powerful risk factor for early death. “Our studies indicate that hostile, suspicious anger is right up there with any other health hazard we know about,” said Dr. Redford Williams, a researcher in behavioral medicine at the Duke University Medical Center.”*

Do not let ANGER and a lack of knowledge destroy you. You can change; as a matter of fact, you can’t come in contact with the Living God and not change. A refusal to do so gives place to the enemy in your life. Use this knowledge as a springboard, and rid yourself of the Blessing blocker ANGER. Don’t give any place to the devil. Let the peace of God rule in your heart so the Blessing can flow freely in your life.

Be blessed friends, and have the perfect day everyday!

Psalm 138:8

—Shontta

*http://www.psychologytoday.com/ (The Downside of Anger)

*http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CE7D61731F930A25751C1A966958260&sec=health&spon=&pagewanted=all (New York Times)

The more we learn how to perfect walking in the Blessing of the Lord (Genesis 12:2-3; Deuteronomy 28:1-14), the more natural it becomes. Initially it may seem a daunting and even impossible task. But God is so loving and gracious, that He gives us the ability to do everything, be our best and obtain His best. I want to spotlight some areas that sometimes block or hinder the Blessing in our lives. Their traits are similar; however, each is its own destructive entity—I call them Blessing blockers.

“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.”

—Mahatma Gandhi

We all love the words of Jesus in Mark 11:23-24. We can command mountains to move, believe in our hearts and speak our desires into existence (author’s paraphrase). But, check out verses 25-26. Jesus said, “And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.” This is a classic example of how refusing to forgive can hinder us from walking in the Blessing. In essence, not forgiving nullifies the previous verses. How can we expect to receive anything from God knowing we are in direct violation of His command to forgive? Another classic verse is Luke 6:38—give and it shall be given …. Jesus qualifies that in verse 37 saying, “Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven.” These must be adhered to in order to get the pressed down-shaken-together-running over blessing. Think about this. How many true givers do you know who judge, condemn and hold grudges?

Carrying old hurts and offenses also gives the enemy an opportunity to rob us of the divine health promised in the Blessing. Many studies have linked forgiveness to better overall health. Two cases in point: a 2001 survey of 1,423 adults by the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research found that people who had forgiven someone in their past also reported being in better health than those who had not.* Additionally, the Duke University Medical Center reported in 2003 that among people who have chronic back pain, those who have forgiven others experience lower levels of pain and less associated psychological problems like anger and depression than those who have not forgiven. These findings were presented at the Conference on Forgiveness in Atlanta the same year.*

The Bible tells us that Jesus was tempted in all points as we are, but was without sin (Hebrews 4:15). I am positive that He had more chances to hold grudges than are recorded. He was maliciously railed upon, mentally and physically abused. He forgave them all—He even healed the soldier who came at Him with a sword and forgave the violence against Him as He suffered on the cross. In recounting my own unsavory life experiences, I find that as I verbalize them, I remain free from their attempts to bind me. I don’t share them in an attempt to gain sympathy or to get someone on my side. They are my testimonies of God’s healing power. He healed my mind and physical body as I chose to forgive. Dear friends, don’t waste another day in the past. Forgive and allow the Blessing of the Lord to flow freely in your life!

Be blessed friends, and have the perfect day everyday!

Psalm 138:8

—Shontta 
*http://www.umich.edu/~newsinfo/Releases/2001/Dec01/r121101a.html\l (link to the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research)*http://www.Forgiving.org (link to the source of the findings of the Duke University Medical Center study)