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This Month's Newsletter
Secret Place Part 2: Revealing spirits that can hinder the flow of life " The Spirit of Cain"
Pastor Don Nicely's Newsletter for February 2008
Genesis 4:1-11 (NKJV)1Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, “I have acquired a man from the LORD.” 2Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. 3And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the LORD. 4Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the LORD respected Abel and his offering, 5but He did not respect and his offering. And Cain was very angry and his countenance fell. 6So the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? 7If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.” 8Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel and his brother and killed him. 9Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” 10And He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground. 11So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.
Today the murderous spirit of Cain is very much alive in the church. Look at what James said in his letter to the early church;
James 3:11 (NKJV)11Does a spring send for the fresh water and bitter from the same opening?
He was referring to the words that come out of our mouth. According to Romans 8:2 our words will either come from the spirit of life or the spirit of murder.
Romans 8:2 (NKJV)2For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.
Yes we don’t have to take a knife and actually commit murder to do this great offence against God and our fellow man. But instead we only have to let a stream of character destroying, slanderous words flow from our lips and we are guilty as charged. Sometimes without even thinking we spew out hatred, slander, gossip, and backbiting from our mouths without even the intention of tearing them apart. We are then guilty of entertaining the spirit of Cain which is in the spirit of murder.
1 John 3:15 (NKJV)15Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
Friends this behavior among Christians must stop, we must get the spirit of murder out of our churches. And we do that first by getting it out of our families and homes. If you want to begin today to drive this spirit from your home you must do so with your mouth. By speaking the truth in love we can perpetuate the flow of God. Words of encouragement can bring peace to even the most hostile environments.
In this lesson today we are going to examine how this hostile, destructive spirit infiltrates into our lives to tear us apart and destroy our families. Cain didn’t suddenly decide to kill his brother. His jealousy and rage took his brothers life. He had a deep rooted spiritual problem that convinced him that murdering his brother was his only way out.
Why was Cain angry in the first place? Because his wanted to worship God his own way and wouldn’t accept it. God has a prescribed plan of worship and when we try to do our own thing he doesn’t accept it. God demanded a blood sacrifice for a sin offering, and not only that but the firstborn of the flock represents the tithe of the herd. Abel’s lamb was symbolic of the tithe of the herd and Cain was trying to get by just bringing an offering of his hard labor. When God had no respect he allowed a negative to enter in, even though God did give him a chance to repent and do what is right and required by God. Look at James 1;
James 1:14-15 (NKJV)14But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.
This is how the spirit of murder is conceived. And I might add that throughout the church world today it is running rampant. Sometimes even Christians forget that in God’s eyes we are all brothers and sisters in his family.
And notice who Cain murdered. He murdered his own brother. His own flesh and blood. When we speak harmful words against someone in the church we are attempting to murder a member of God’s own family. Even Paul had to warn the Galatia Church to not bite and devour one another.
Galatians 5:15 (NKJV)15But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another!
Many times someone in the body of Christ slips up and sins, but instead of finding love and compassion for that person they are ripped up and devoured by a spiritual cannibal. Now Abel wasn’t killed for committing a heinous sin, but instead over his worship style. Even today many battles are fought in the church over styles of music & things like this building is too hot, or it’s too cold, or the music is too loud, or I can’t hear the singers or I don’t like singing off the wall, or all we ever sing is the old stuff I wish we would get into the twenty-first century. The war list goes on and on over worship.
So you may be wondering just how do we resist the spirit of murder. First you must learn to bridle your tongue.
James 1:26 (NKJV)26If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless.
It doesn’t matter how much bible we can quote from memory or how many times we go to church if we don’t learn to bridle out tongue we are deceived. If we expect good things to come into our lives we must plant good seeds with our tongues.
Proverbs 18:21 (NKJV)21Death and life are in the power of the tongue. And those who love it will eat its fruit.
The bible even says that if we say we love God and hate our neighbor we are a liar.
1 John 4:20 (NKJV)20If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?
If the true love of God dwells in our heart we will not seek to tear down His image that is formed in our fellow man. We must understand that if we have a mouth problem it’s because we have a heart problem.
Matthew 12:34 (NKJV)34Blood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
Please realize that we are judged by our words.
Matthew 12:36-37 (NKJV)36But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. 37For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
Our words do not die after we speak them, but are recorded in heavens archives to be brought out at the judgment seat of Christ. We are not justified by how many addictions we overcome or how many bible verses that we have committed to memory, but instead by our words. Some behavior scientists say that it takes seven positive words to neutralize one negative word spoke against you. That’s the power of negative words.
If you really want to resist the spirit of murder then you must ask God for help. James tells us that our tongue cannot be controlled without God’s help.
James 3:5 (NKJV)5Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles!
Only by allowing the Holy Spirit to be a bit in you mouth can we control our tongue. We need to be as Isaiah who allowed the angel to take a coal from the altar and touch his lips with it. Afterwards that angel said now your speech has been purged.
And he touched my mouth with it and said; Behold this has touched your lips; your iniquity is taken away and your sin purged.”
We must release the spirit of life by repenting of our sin of wrong speech. Friend’s seek God and draw near to Him. When we see Him as he really is then we will see ourselves as we really are. Let God renew your mind through His word by not only reading the word but by applying the word to your everyday life. And flow in the spirit of life by actually thinking about what you are going to say to someone before you say it. Think about how the words that you are releasing from your lips and going to affect them. This is my word for you; “consider yourself warned.”
Continued Next Month
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