Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha
Possible Sources of Pollution
Backbiting and negative utterances about one another
in a family, Church, community and nation can bring about barrenness and death
in a family, Church, community and nation. This is because such actions hinder
the spiritual, physical, numerical and economic growth of the family, Church,
community and nation. The negative utterances about one another poison the
minds of people against those who have been maligned by creating doubts,
suspicion and fear. Please read Romans Chapters 12 verses 9 to 10, 17 to 19, 13
verses 8 to 14.
Covetousness can also create severe challenges in a family, Church, institution or nation. Some Biblical examples that should give caution include the examples of Achan in Joshua Chapter 7 verses 20 to 23,; the examples of Ahab and Naboth in 1st Kings Chapter 21 and King David and Uriah in 2nd Samuel Chapters 11, and 12 verse 14. Sadly both cases led to the death of innocent people. The Bible cautions against covetousness. Please read Ephesians Chapter 5 verses 1 to 8 and Acts Chapter 20 verses 33 to 36 as well as Nehemiah Chapter 5 verses 14 to 19.
Hatred in the hearts of members against the
leadership or the leadership against members can also create barrenness and
spiritual death as well as the attendant consequences of spiritual death in a family,
Church, community and nation. This is because hatred is a precursor of strife
and strife which always works in tandem with contention does not bear good
fruits. The fruits of strife and contention are always destructive. Please read
Genesis Chapters 13, 14, 26 verses 12 to 33. The people of Gerar envied Isaac
on account of Isaac’s sporadic progress in their land. As the envy progressed
to hatred, they sent Isaac away from their land. Isaac moved on, away from them
yet the herdsmen of Gerar contested with Isaac the ownership of the wells of
water dug up by Isaac’s servants. Isaac towed the path of peace and left the
wells for them. Eventually God blessed Isaac with more wells and abundant
material resources. The people of Gerar and the leadership then acknowledged
that God was with Isaac and begged to make a covenant of peace with Isaac.
Abraham also wisely contained the strife between his
herdsmen and the herdsmen of Lot. He requested separation and even gave Lot the
first choice of any portion of the land and after Lot chose the well watered
lush plains of Jordan, Abraham was left with the land of Canaan. Significantly,
Lot’s stay was short lived in the well watered plains of Jordan. This is
because the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah who lived there had sinned
greatly against God and the land was earmarked for destruction and after
destruction, Lot really had no home as he and his daughters lived in a cave.
Quite instructive is the fact that Lot could have contained the strife at
inception by letting go of his greed for personal possessions – he could have
instructed his herdsmen not to contend over resources with the herdsmen of
Abraham; he could have refused the first choice offer and chosen to live as one
of Abraham’s children. But his quest for personal possessions occasioned by
greed destroyed him. He lost all those possessions alongside the herdsmen who
started the strife in the fires of Sodom and Gomorrah. He also lost his wife
and left with two daughters who had lived in Sodom and Gomorrah famed for
sexual perversion and lewdness, surprisingly, it was not long before the
daughters made Lot their father drunk with wine so they could commit incest
with him and have children by him. Greed led to strife and beneath the veneer
of greed was envy and hatred, the same envy and hatred which made the brothers
of Joseph decide to kill him but because God intervened, Joseph was sold into
slavery in Egypt. Please read Genesis Chapter 37.
Other sources of pollution include greed (1st
Corinthians Chapter 11 verses 20 to 34, Philippians Chapter 3 verses 18 to 19,
1st Samuel Chapter 2 verses 12 to 17, 28 to 30 where the sons of Eli
demonstrated uncommon greed and polluted the priestly lineage. Consequently,
their family lost the priesthood. Gehazi’s greed also led to a generational
ailment of leprosy on both Gehazi and his descendants. Please read 2nd
Kings Chapter 5 verses 20 to 27.
All forms of sexual immorality including sexual
perversions also bring about pollution. May God Who is rich in mercy grant all
the people who are still involved in these deadly sins the grace to rise above
such satanic orchestrations designed against them to rob them of God’s
sanctifying and protective awesome Presence. May God free their minds of the
captivity of the devil so they can dwell on wholesome thoughts; particularly
the Word of God so that their minds are free of salacious materials in the
mighty name of Jesus Christ.
Beloved, as much as possible, make conscious deliberate
effort to keep yourself from being a source of pollution and also work at
helping people who want bring about pollution from doing so. That way, you can
be God’s healing stream wherever you are located to bring God’s healing to the
nations. Shalom and God bless you.
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