Dear friends,
“Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like: He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock.” (Luke6:47,48).
Foundation is the most important part of anything – building, education, life, marriage, business, government, health – be it anything. We all know that, but sadly, most people still place their foundation on sand or clay.
When people come to me for counseling for their problems I feel sad, often angry, at the way they have knowingly laid a mud-based or clay-based foundation. Let me tell you a few true stories to enlighten what I am trying to say –
(1) A girl believer got interested in a non-believer boy and exchanged letters. Later he went away to work in another city and gradually lost touch. But, now, several years later he is blackmailing her with photocopies of her letters.
(2) A boy who cheated in the exams and now is employed suffers from a guilty conscience. Moreover, he is facing problems upon problems in the job.
(3) A man who delayed accepted Christ and because he was afraid of rejection from his family and his society backslided and went back to his old belief system. But today he is a miserable man; his wife died young, his daughters have gone astray, and his son is a hopeless alcoholic.
(4) A brother, filled with anger, who dragged his older brother to the court attempting to ruin him came crying to me not long ago. Today both are miserable. They have money, but no peace.
(5) A man who did not take care of his father when he was old is now himself on his own death bed is now crying not only because of a guilty conscience, but also because he now has the same sickness his father contracted before his death.
(6) By bribing an official, a father obtained a wrong-date birth certificate for his son. The son never knew peace; his wife left him, his children walked out when they were young .. The father died as a broken-hearted man.
(7) A man knowing that a certain pastor had saved up Rs. 1200, in the bank, went and deceived him with a made-up story of a ‘pressing need’. The pastor loaned him the Rs. 1200, to be repaid when he received his next paycheck. But, the man never went back. After six months the pastor got a letter from this man, who had duped him – ‘I lied to you knowing that you have the money in the bank. I took that money home. In a few weeks’ time my wife died. After a month my first daughter became sick, and in another month’s time, died of the same disease my wife had. Now my second daughter is also having the same sickness and has become a skeleton. Please pray that God may forgive me. I will return the money.’
(8) One junior leader of a mission split away with a group of men and took off to start his own work. His new work was started progressing; more and more people were joining the mission and church. But soon it was found that there was deceit and guile in this same group of men. That mission suffered splits again and again with court cases and physical violence.
I can continue telling story after story from my past 29 years of ministerial experience. And I can also say the reason – the foundational law of God has been broken somewhere and now it is having its consequences. Tragically, the Church has no teaching on this subject – other than saying that the foundation is Jesus. We have to find the root cause of troubles in the Christian homes. Why are believer’s children going the wrong direction? Why are pastors having trouble in their ministry, church, and family? Are we not supposed to be blessed above every other people on earth? Why is it not happening? Why do the heathen and non-Christians rule over us? Let’s take stock to find out where we have erred? Let’s find out where we have broken the foundation that has brought on the curse of God, or there is a door opened for the devil to attack us? There is no meaning for prescribing ‘aspirin’ after breaking the leg. The Bible calls it ‘healing slightly’ (Jer. 8:11). There is no peace until the root cause is found and the proper treatment is done to bring whole healing. Applying skin ointment is not enough for a brain tumour. Proper diagnosing and proper treatment is needed for a complete cure.
Recently, I was talking to my office people about the after-effects of some sins that will attract a curse lasting for two, three, or more generations. I stated that we have to be very careful that we form foundations properly so that there won’t be any breach or curse. In the same evening my wife told me that she was disturbed by the fact that when we constructed a living facility for the office staff, we buried the septic tank for the toilets on government land just outside, just as everyone else was doing. She said ‘Everyone can do it but we cannot.’ This is not only true but very true. We must not lay a foundation on sand; stolen money, stolen conscience, stolen property, or any ‘sand’ that can attract a curse for our children and us.
Now the question comes – what should we do if we find that our forefathers or we have done something by which there is a curse in the family or in our lives? My advice – (a) Find the facts. (b) Call all the family members together and explain the whole matter. (c) Ask forgiveness to God. (d) Ask forgiveness from those we have sinned against.
I know that this is difficult. The devil will intimidate you by listing the consequences of revealing the sins. Let me tell you that the devil is a liar and he will try to keep you in bondage to fear and the curse. He will try to keep you from getting deliverance by loosening the knot our forefathers or we have done.
I know a man very well who has stolen money from the government office. But later, when he saw the curses falling on his family: his wife becoming terminally ill, his son becoming paralysed, his daughter being divorced soon after marriage, his second daughter running away with a man of another religion; he confessed it to his whole family and distributed double of that money to various Christian ministries. I know another man who went to his childhood teacher after 38 years and confessed to him that he wrote the teacher’s name with the name of one of the schoolgirls on the school wall, ruining both the teacher and the girl. I know another who went to the house of his father’s servant and his wife to ask forgiveness for cruelly beating their son (now deceased) only because he was an untouchable and his servant. I know a lady who went to her neighbour to ask forgiveness for taking mud from their property without asking them.
In the seven stories I said above, all those who were guilty rectified their sins by confessing it to God and asking forgiveness to those they had sinned against, and immediately or gradually came out from the curse.
What do you do if there is a breach in your foundation? You get a good builder and reinforce that breach. That is exactly what you and I also should do. When we see that the Lord is showing us a breach, take time to reinforce. Clean up that breach and build it on the rock. You will save your life, your family, your marriage, your business, your ministry and so on. Do not think that time will bring healing. No it will only make it more complicated. What do you do if a snake bites a person in your family? Wait until the weather clears up in the morning? No, you take him fast to the hospital. There is danger in delay. Do not delay if there is poison, a curse or an un-addressed sin in our life.
I have been looking for a man for several years. I stayed with him in Bombay when I came to that big city searching for a job. He was kind to me; he sheltered me and gave me food for over 20 days. I then got recruited into the Army, so I gave him some money for the expenses. He demanded more but I very cleverly presented my account in such a way to convince him that I couldn’t pay more. I knew that I owed more money but I did not want to pay it. Some years back I remembered the foundation I laid on sand. I am looking for this man, Mr D Koshy of Channappeta, Kerala, who gave me shelter and food. I’m looking for him that I may ask his forgiveness and repay the money I owe him with interest, because I want to make sure that my whole life is well laid on the rock and without breach.
Let me tell you what I did a few years back when my whole family was together…
We had a special family prayer, and then I explained about generation curses and said that I would like to pray a special prayer for each child. I, being the priest of the family and also a servant of God, together with Lilly, laid my hands on each child and confessed all the sins I knew my forefathers had done and broke the curse. Yes, by words of faith and prayer we repented and broke all generational curses; those brought on before by Lilly, myself, and all of our forefathers – known and unknown. Then we blessed each one of them as Jacob blessed his children one by one. Thereafter we had Holy Communion.
I will be doing this again before you receive this magazine when we will all be together. I will do it again when ever it is possible. It is not that I have to break the curse again and again but I want to bless them again and again.
My friend, will you take time this month to search for any flaws, sins, curses in you, your family, or the past generations of your family? If you find any, deal with it. Deal with it the same way you would deal with a snake found in your bedroom. Get rid off it forever! Blessing or Curse – it is a choice. Choose life and enjoy it.
Yours to see that you are blessed from the foundation,
Courtesy : P G Vargis
