OBEDIENCE BRINGS AND MAINTAINS THE BLESSING
Thursday – March 26, 2026
Video link: https://youtu.be/XHpu9P-8sq0
Greetings to all who have come to this teaching from the Bible Book of James. I will be continuing in the fifth chapter. As I have mentioned many times this is an instructional, corrective to the point Book. So, let’s go to our primary Bible text for today.
James 5:13-15 (NIV)
13 Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise.
14 Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.
15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.
I suspect that much of this passage is familiar to many of you participating in this study of the Book of James. It appears that this person is afflicted, and they do not know why. This word afflicted means to be suffering hardship which could be in the body (an illness), financial, or some other arena of life. This is not a threatened hardship but one we find ourselves in the midst of. The curse and death entered the earth by way of man’s sin. Sin gives the thieves (demon spirits) entrance into our lives. The thieves (demon spirits) come only to steal, kill, and destroy and Jesus comes only to give life abundant. The sin curse connection is established in Genesis chapter two and we reviewed that yesterday. Down through all 66 Books of Scripture, we find the solid link between sin and the curse, obedience to God and the blessing. Let’s look at a few passages.
Deuteronomy 28:1-2 (KJV)
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.
Is this true or not? As one reads down through verse fourteen not one curse mentioned. What’s the qualifiers? Having ears to hear, understand and do. We are to do ALL His commandments, remember this is not a buffet. Yes, we can do ALL His commandments, we have the Holy Spirit within helping us, teaching us, and we are diligently studying, and filtering everything through Scripture. If you don’t want to do that then the following is what you will have in your life.
Deuteronomy 28:15 (KJV)
15 But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:
If you continue to read this chapter, there is an enumeration of many curses down through verse sixty-six. Believe me, I don’t think you really want any of them. Yet, the Church abounds with the curse, no different than the world. What does that tell us about the teachings of the Church and the obedience of people to the Word of God? Jesus said you shall know them by their fruit. Let’s look at another passage that tells how to be free of the curse.
Psalm 91:1-4 (KJV)
1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
Do you believe any of this? Have you examined the qualifiers, how one comes to dwell in the secret place, stay in the shadow of the Almighty? You have to say it! In that secret place He, God the Holy Spirit, will show you the traps the enemy has set for you. You will quit saying you get the flu every year and say I don’t get the flu in the secret place. The flu can’t get to God; it can’t get to me. John 14:10 says that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, I say the words of the Father, and the Father does the works. Worked for Christ Jesus and we are coheirs seated in the same seat of authority, so it works for us. Finally one more passage to establish the sin – affliction connection.
Luke 13:1-5 (KJV)
1 There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.
2 And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things?
3 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
4 Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem?
5 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
This is immediately followed by an account of how important intercession one for another is in the Kingdom. Be sure you have people praying, interceding for you, they can keep the axe from the tree for a season while you/me come into obedience.
TAKE HOME:
- Are you diligently seeking the Word of God to understand and to do? Then are you doing the Word of God not going to the left or the right?
- Confess that God is your secret place, your refuge, your absolute protection. Remember confessing it alone does not get the job done, obedience to the Word coupled with doing (love) gets it done.
- Sin opens the door to calamity, repentance, obedience closes and keeps the door closed.
Lord willing, I will resume right here tomorrow. Remember, we love you, the Lord loves you, and there is nothing you can do about either one.
By: Dr. David R. Wood, Bible Teacher, and Prophetic Voice
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