Bad things can come upon any person as the result of three areas of sin

John 16:33 Trouble on the earth Exodus 34:6 generational inheritance from your family Galatians 5:7 our own sin

Every body can have the same overcoming power over bad things like in Habakkuk....

BUT....not everybody WILL enjoy this power... WHY?

The Relationship with God is based upon a Blood Covenant

That has awesome advantages and awesome responsibilities. What are they ?

What is a blood covenant ? It is where everything that one party has is transferred to the other party by a life and death agreement. That includes their inheritance, their weakness, their money, their power, etc. their very life.

In a blood covenant they exchanged names [ like in a marriage], they traded weapons, they promised to take care of each other, with a curse if they broke the covenant; they promised to ever protect, they promised to provide if they needed food or money, they promised to take care of children and protect them, they promised to take care if the other party got sick. A complete sacrifice of everything in my life for everything in your life. The stronger one usually got the bad deal; the weaker one the better deal. But it caused a relationship which could lead to a relationship.

A blood covenant is the only way to change ones race; to change your blessings and curses. Livingston in Africa : Primitive tribe touching fingers: Indians and Missionary Adam broke the covenant in the Garden which was to be kept by words, the Tree of Life Jesus became our curse in the Garden of Gethsemene, He drank the cup and took on our race of being a sinner; there and on the Cross and in Hell He suffered the penalty for all sin.

We can only receive the covenant through The Word, there is no other way! Only a complete and absolute submission to The Word (which is another name for Jesus ), obeying and living in obedience to it (Him). Romans 10:9 says if you call Him Lord and believe that God raised Him from the dead you will be saved. Romans 10:17 says that faith comes by hearing God speak through His Word.

Our only chance is to be In Christ and like Him: After a blood covenant there is a stamp of the covenant on the flesh. In a spiritual covenant, the heart is circumcised, or the flesh is cut away. What does that mean ? It means that your personality changes, your very inner self changes. You are no longer selfish, jealous, covetous, etc. The mark of the beast is the image of Satan's personality on a human. The mark of the covenant on ones forehead is the personality of God in a human. The only way to get in and stay in Christ is through His Word. John 15:5 If you abide in me and my words abide in you, you shall ask what you will and it shall be done...verse 10 if you keep my commandments you shall abide in my love.....

You will eventually go all the way in some direction: Satan's lie is that you an ride the fence James 4:4 If you are a friend of the world, you are an enemy of God

A BIG MISTAKE some make is they think we can still live our own selfish life and still have covenant benefits: After a blood covenant takes place, we are in a marriage type of relationship, a commitment, totally committed to the other one. Spiritual adultery is when we do not keep that commitment. Our responsibility is to press into The Word, prayer, honesty and handle our affairs with integrity.

• This is Total: At the Cross there was a complete exchange of races between Jesus and us; nothing was left out. God is absolute. He can be trusted. He is constant. His anger does not rage like a human's, His love does not grow hot and cold like ours, He is the same yesterday, today and forever. No matter how bad our sin is, He is there to accept it. No matter how little our sin is, we will burn with it if we do not trust Him.

Is there anything CERTAIN ?

What is Certain ? 2 Cor. 4:18b ; for the things that are visible are temporal(brief and fleeting), but the things that are invisible are deathless and everlasting. Hebrews 1:3b

....and He is the perfect imprint and very image of God's nature, upholding and maintaining and guiding and propelling the universe by His mighty word of power.

Hebrews 4:3 [paraphrased by Larry] "For we who believed and trusted in Him enter into the rest and peace of God, but those people who do not cannot enter into His peace and rest, even though God has already finished all of His work for them, even before the earth was formed."

Hebrews 6:18 b [paraphrased by Larry] ... it is impossible for God to (lie) ever to prove false or deceive us, so that we who have fled to Him for refuge (help) might have mighty strength inside of us, and strong encouragement to hang on to God's word of promise and hope.

The Bad News

John 16:33 (Sin in the World) I have told you these things, so that in Me (Jesus) you may have perfect peace and confidence. In the world you will have tribulation, trials and distress and frustration (pressure, affliction, burdens, persecution, trouble, to crowd in a narrow place, to suffer, to make a rut by wearing out) , but be of good cheer , take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted! ( merry, happy, good spirits, bold and comforted) For I have overcome the world [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you].

Exodus 34:6,7 ( Sin from our family inheritance) ....The Lord, the Lord! a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness and truth, keeping mercy and loving kindness for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but Who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and children's children, to the third and fourth generation.

Galatians 6:7 ( Our own sin) God is not mocked, whatsoever a man sows that will he reap.

The Good News:

Galatians 3:13 Christ purchased our freedom, redeeming us from the curse, doom, of the Law and its condemnation, by Himself becoming a curse for us, for it is written in the Scriptures, Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree (is crucified).

2 Corinthians 5:21 God made Christ (who knew no sin) to be sin on our behalf, so that we could be made righteous. Christ exchanged His life of perfection, for our life of sin inheritance. He offered to receive our curse from our forefathers, back to Adam. We got His inheritance, which comes right from God.

Hebrews 2:14b....He (Jesus Christ) Himself in a similar manner partook of the same (human) nature, that by going through death He might bring to nought (nothing) and make of no effect him (the devil) who had the power of death, that is, the devil.

Take a Lesson from Habakkuk He complained to God about the evil and bad that was coming into his life..then he shut his mouth and listened to what God said. God said that the only reason that the enemy could attack him, was so that the enemy could be destroyed. Habakkuk went wild with praise! Habakkuk's emotions were not real good, he suffered. Habakkuk confessed his faith in God anyway. God came through!

The Cross Brings Certainty What happened at the Cross is history, we don't have to wonder if God will come through, He already did! The Cross changes every bad situation into a blessing (if we hang in there). It is absolute , and will not let you down.

[several scriptures paraphrased by Larry]