Amos 4.12

“Therefore, I will bring upon you all the disasters I have announced. Prepare to meet your God in judgment, you people of Israel!” [Amos 4.12]

Let me sum up Amos 4.

Israel was given clear curses as defined in Deuteronomy 28 to implicate them in their sin but still they would not return to God.

How many curses of Deuteronomy 28 does the church today have to experience before turning back to God?

Here's the real problem: the church today no longer calls curses "curses." The church today has erroneously believed that Jesus' work on the Cross exempted it from curses altogether. So, furthermore, instead of calling curses "curses," the church today, by and large, calls curses "blessings" from God! It is a twisted perversion of God's Holy Word so that it caters to man's sin instead of calling it out.

Cancer is no blessing from God. Neither is diabetes, arthritis, heart disease, or any other sickness known to man a blessing from God!

If Christ redeemed us from the curse (Galatians 3.13), then no curse (described in detail in Deuteronomy 28) should ever touch one "redeemed" by Christ!

But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.” [Galatians 3.13]

Let me ask this question: did curses miraculously become blessings when Jesus died on the cross? Of course not, that is a ludicrous idea!

Christians today have become "dull." This is the nicest word I can come up with to describe anyone who would see a "bridge out" sign, keep driving full speed, crash into the river, and then say that it was God Who did it because "He works in mysterious ways, you know..."

God was very clear in His Word that about what curses are and what they indicate - just like a clearly posted "bridge out" sign. Christians, thinking Jesus exempted them from sin, continue in sin, speed into the consequences of a horrific crash, and then say "it is God's way of showing me His love..." while nary a mention is made of repentance for the sin that obviously caused the crash!

"But I haven't sinned..." Really? How can anyone say, "I have no sin"? They cannot!

Just because we do not "think" we have sinned does not exempt us from the curses upon our sin if we do not repent and trust Jesus for our deliverance from the curses upon that sin!

There is no curse upon man that is without sin causing it!

Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow, an undeserved curse will not land on its intended victim. [Proverbs 26.2]

I am not making this stuff up! There are those who will argue to the death that their cancer is not a curse upon sin! And they certainly will not concede to the obvious need to repent! And there will be no lack of 'faithful' supporters surrounding them agreeing with their erroneous thinking.

Yes, Jesus paid it all. Indeed He did. But if that is the case, then we should see a whole lot less curses in our lives and whole lot more blessings on our lives, shouldn't we? Of course we should! But if we don't then we should consider why! How do we get the blessings of Jesus? By faith! So is faith the problem? Well, let's back up... Faith in Christ is of no use unless it follows genuine repentance. Jesus began His earthly ministry with these words: "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand." (Matthew 4.17)

I don't care how much "faith" a person touts to have. If he is unrepentant, his claims to faith are a farce.

Let's also put another false notion to rest. Many believe that Paul's letter to the church in Galatia is evidence that we are "no longer under the law." So, does that mean you can murder someone and it is alright? Of course not! Read the book of Galatians! Paul is speaking of the "law" in the "ceremony" attached to it! Sacrifices, festivals, circumcision - these are what Christ redeemed us from! How could we ever think Jesus died on the cross so we could murder at will????

The bottom line is: people still sin and people still need to repent for sin! Period! The blood of Jesus covers the legal ceremonial requirements of the law, but Jesus Himself said, "REPENT!"

Curses indicate sin. Repentance is the remedy for sin because it makes a way for faith in Christ to work. Without repentance, faith is powerless.

I may not be altogether accurate here - every person needs to read and understand the Bible. But I know this: repentance is necessary.

Father, help me to learn more accurately Your ways. Forgive me for mindless religion and powerless devotion. Forgive me for general un-repentance in my life.