Don’t Be A Leaf, Be A Rock

There are frequent times in our life when we come and go in our decisions, allowing the world to create and form a different perspective of the promise God has for us. We must stand firm in the Word of God!

There are some things that we must safeguard in our life in order to be prepared for the blessings that God has for us. People who do not understand the deep things of God sometimes give us a discouraging word that questions our walk and our behavior. Many times, the path or direction to which it is directed is correct, yet someone comes along raising doubts and dissents.

It is these times that we must stand firm and not allow people to take away our vision. Do not allow people to deviate you from approaching the understanding of the Word of God. Situations in our lives will tend to bother us and distance us from His Word, to the point where anxiety, worry, anger, and irritation consume us as we probably find ourselves arguing and fighting over the silliest things.

In the book of Exodus, Moshe advises Aaron and the people what and what not to do.

Leviticus 24:15 (CJB) “15 Then tell the people of Isra’el, ‘Whoever curses his God will bear the consequences of his sin.’”

We read about a man who got into a fight for some reason. We can assume many things about why he got into a fight, but the these is that he lost his temper. He allowed the other person to control his thoughts and emotions. In his anger, he said some things that he later regretted.

Have you ever been angry or bitter with another person because of what they said or how they behaved? Even if the person was wrong, we as human beings want to defend ourselves and attack with words and many times even physically. We need to control our behavior.

Leviticus 24: 10-14 (CJB) “10 There was a man who was the son of a woman of Isra’el and an Egyptian father. He went out among the people of Isra’el, and this son of a woman of Isra’el had a fight in the camp with a man of Isra’el, 11 in the course of which the son of the woman of Isra’el uttered the Name [Yud-Heh-Vav-Heh] in a curse. So they brought him to Moshe. (His mother’s name was Shlomit the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan.) 12 They put him under guard until ADONAI would tell them what to do. 13 ADONAI said to Moshe, 14 ‘Take the man who cursed outside the camp, have everyone who heard him lay their hands on his head, and have the entire community stone him.’”

We must discern these types of situations in order to make wise decisions. When people approach you and confront you or when something bothers you or someone tells you erroneous information you were not even thinking about, we must act with grace and patience and not allow other sources to change our attitude. If we do not do this, we can fall into the same situation similar to the man.

So, how can we curse the name of God?

1: Do not follow His commandments and give the enemy a footstool.

2 Samuel 12: 13-14 (CJB) “13 David said to Natan, ‘I have sinned against ADONAI.’ Natan said to David, ‘ADONAI also has taken away your sin. You will not die. 14 However, because by this act you have so greatly blasphemed ADONAI, the child born to you must die.’”

2: Disobedience and rebellion:

Psalm 78:10 (CJB) “10 They did not keep the covenant of God and refused to live by his Torah.”

3: Complaining

Psalm 78:11 (CJB) “11 They forgot what he had done, his wonders which he had shown them.”

4: Follow other gods and the ways of other nations

2 Kings 17: 7-12 (CJB) “7 This came about because the people of Isra’el had sinned against ADONAI their God, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt, out from under the domination of Pharaoh king of Egypt. They feared other gods 8 and lived by the customs of the nations that ADONAI had expelled ahead of the people of Isra’el and by those of the kings of Isra’el. 9 The people of Isra’el secretly did things that were not right, according to ADONAI their God. They built high places for themselves wherever they lived, from the watchtower to the fortified city. 10 They set up standing-stones and sacred poles for themselves on any high hill and under any green tree. 11 Then they would make offerings on all the high places, like the nations ADONAI had expelled ahead of them, and would do wicked things to provoke the anger of ADONAI; 12 moreover, they served idols, something ADONAI had expressly told them not to do.”

5: Mocking God and not having confidence or faith

Psalm 78: 19-20 (CJB) “19 Yes, they spoke against God by asking, ‘Can God spread a table in the desert? 20 True, he struck the rock, and water gushed out, until the vadis overflowed; but what about bread? Can he give that? Can he provide meat for his people?’”

6: Not listening to Your warnings

2 Kings 17: 14-17 (CJB) “14 Nevertheless, they refused to listen but made themselves as stubborn as their ancestors, who did not put their trust in ADONAI their God. 15 Thus they rejected his laws; his covenant, which he had made with their ancestors; and the solemn warnings he had given them. Instead they

pursued worthless things and became worthless themselves, imitating the nations around them, whom ADONAI had ordered them not to emulate. 16 They abandoned all the mitzvot of ADONAI their God. They made cast metal images for themselves, two calves. They made an asherah. They worshipped the whole army of heaven. They served Ba’al. 17 They had their sons and daughters pass through fire [as a sacrifice]. They used divination and magic spells. And they gave themselves over to do what was evil from ADONAI’s perspective, thereby provoking him.”

7: Lying and gossiping

Matthew 5:22 (CJB) “22 But I tell you that anyone who nurses anger against his brother will be subject to judgment; that whoever calls his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing!’ will be brought before the Sanhedrin; that whoever says, ‘Fool!’ incurs the penalty of burning in the fire of Gei-Hinnom!”

We cannot allow other people to influence us in a negative way. We cannot allow other people to misinterpret God’s Word to change us. We cannot allow our thoughts to flow from one place to another. We must be strong and be on solid ground! If you are angry, do not let it misguide you. If you are depressed, do not let it move you. If you do not feel good, do not let it control you.

Do not give up. Keep moving forward. God is always there to help you through your situations, and He is there to finish His work He started in and through you. Therefore, let us not be like the man who lost his life over a decision with a moment to spare. Let’s not be like the man who allowed another person to stop him from having life.

Do not let the enemy steal the Word of God from you. Do not be a leaf carefree to whatever direction the wind blows us. He is our rock that sustains us in our path to Him.