Robbing the human spirit and soul of the Holy Spirit robs the whole nation.

Malachi 3:7-15

Click for a description of the mark of the beast.
Click for a description of the image of the beast.

• Return to God and He will return to us.
• Robbing the human spirit and soul of the Spirit of God robs the whole nation.
• God enables the fruit of the Spirit to blossom when His “storehouse” is filled with the Holy Spirit.
• Today’s culture say that it is useless to serve God.

Return to God and He will return to us. “Yet from the days of your fathers you have gone away from My ordinances and have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord of hosts. “But you said, ‘In what way shall we return?’ Malachi 3:7

Malachi 3:7 concludes the previous passage by posing the question, ‘How shall we return?’ In response, Malachi discloses the ways in which God has been robbed and explains the necessity of restoring to God what belongs in His storehouse. “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so there may be food in My house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.” Malachi 3:8-10

Robbing the human spirit and soul of the Spirit of God robs the whole nation.  “Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, for you have robbed Me, even this whole nation. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.” Malachi 3:8-10

Malachi 1:6-14 reveals the purpose of Malachi’s prophecy, highlighting how honor is given to humans and their authority, while neglecting to honor God and His authority. This scripture asks, ‘How have we robbed God?’ In today’s culture, we see how human beings are honored by the flattery of dignity, self-respect, and esteem. However, honoring people does nothing to nurture the spirit and soul but prevents the Holy Spirit from living within the spirit and soul. The Holy Spirit is essential for the born-again experience, enabling a person to live for God through Jesus Christ. Today’s culture robs the storehouse of God, our body, of the treasures of His Spirit. We are created to be the home of the Holy Spirit.

Robbing God through tithes and offerings is not about money and wealth, as true devotion to God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit comes from the heart, not the bank account. This is shown in the following verses, “And He looked up and saw the rich placing their gifts into the treasury, and He also saw a certain poor widow putting in two small copper coins. He said, ‘Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them; for they all contributed out of their surplus, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.’” Luke 21:1-4.

The belief that God’s blessings are received through earthly tithes and offerings, as though the Holy Spirit could be bought, is a curse to our spirit and soul. As Peter said, “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! You have no part or share in this, for your heart is not right before God. Repent of this wickedness and pray to God that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart.” (Acts 8:20-22) Jesus Christ taught that money cannot be our master if He is to be Lord of our lives, saying, “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” (Matthew 6:24) “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:21)

Withholding tithes and offerings is to rob belief in God as our Creator, “bouncing a check” on sin’s forgiveness through Jesus Christ, and bankrupting the Holy Spirit’s presence within us. As it is written, “You are cursed with a curse, for you have robbed Me.” This echoes the scripture, “If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are,” found in 1 Corinthians 3:16-17.

Today, God’s “storehouse”, our body, is being robbed by the entity that sets in the temple of God, our body, as if it is God. This atheistic entity does this with power over physiology to give people what to think, feel, do, and say. This entity thrives on bankrupting people of their faith in God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. This entity replaces the human spirit and conscience as it enlivens the image of the beast to speak and live through people. Today’s culture is groomed to the mark of the beast by what they are given to say and do.

Our bodies are considered the storehouse of the Holy Spirit, bestowed upon us by God through faith in Jesus Christ. If the Holy Spirit is robbed from God’s “storehouse,” then a curse befalls the nation, even the world. The Holy Spirit is He who restrains lawlessness, and His absence from within us unleashes chaos, as stated, “For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. Then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.” – 2 Thessalonians 2:7-8. Click here for a post on the lawless one.”

The scripture encourages, “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, so there may be food in My house…” Tithes are brought into the storehouse to provide food for God’s house. Our bodies are described as God’s house, the temple of the Holy Spirit, as stated, “Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?” from 1 Corinthians 6:19. Furthermore, it is acknowledged that the food for God’s temple is the Bread and Water of Life, who is Jesus Christ. Jesus proclaims, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in Me will never be thirsty,” as found in John 6:35.

Bringing tithes into the “storehouse” to provide food in God’s house means to fill our minds, spirits, and souls with faith in God our Creator. This involves nourishing ourselves with the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the entirety of the Bible, as well as living in the presence of the Holy Spirit. In doing so, the Lord our God declares, “…test Me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “to see if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour out such a blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.”

God enables the fruit of the Spirit to blossom when His “storehouse” is filled with the Holy Spirit.  “And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, so that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,” says the Lord of hosts; “And all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a delightful land,” says the Lord of hosts.” Malachi 3:11-12

Ultimately, Satan is referred to as the “devourer,” as it is written, “Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8) Satan aims to devour our belief in God, our faith in Jesus Christ who atones for sin, and the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. Consequently, Satan wreaks havoc on many lives, incites conflict and chaos, and revels in human ruin, death, and despair. However, God has rebuked Satan, the devourer, by sending His Son, Jesus Christ, who brings light, salvation, and life. As stated, “For the Son of Man came not to destroy lives but to save them.” (Luke 9:56) Our Lord Jesus is the Light that brings life.

There is an entity in this world that is a tool of Satan, the devourer. This atheistic entity has power over physiology to give people what to think, feel, say, and do. This entity thrives on devouring the fruit of our Salvation, belief in God, faith in Jesus Christ, and the fruit of the Holy Spirit. By replacing the human spirit and conscience, it enlivens the image of the beast to live and speak through people. Today’s culture is groomed to the mark of the beast by what they are given to say and do.

The Holy Spirit within us serves as our assurance of salvation. As Ephesians 1:13-14 states, “…having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance…” God ensures that Satan cannot destroy the fruits of our Salvation, as affirmed by the Lord of hosts: “[Satan] will not destroy the fruit of your ground, nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,” says the Lord of hosts…” Moreover, God sustains the fruits of the Holy Spirit within us, ensuring that love does not turn to hate, kindness to cruelty, goodwill to ill intentions, peace to conflict, gentleness to harshness, humility to arrogance, faith to despair, goodness to evil, joy to sadism, self-control to rashness, patience to quick-tempered, and perseverance to defeat.

Belief in God through Jesus Christ assures us of an eternal homeland, as stated, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Everlasting life in the New Jerusalem is depicted as a delightful place in Ezekiel chapters 40 through 48 and also in Revelations chapter 21 and chapter 22. We are indeed blessed of all nations.

Today’s culture say that it is useless to serve God. “Your words have been harsh against Me,” says the Lord, “Yet you say, ‘What have we spoken against You?’ you have said, ‘It is useless to serve God; What profit is it that we have kept His ordinance, and that we have walked as mourners before the Lord of hosts? So now we call the proud blessed, for those who do wickedness are raised up; They even tempt God and go free.’” Malachi 3:13-15

We live in a world where today’s global culture speaks harshly against God, as quoted, “Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven. It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation. All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” Revelation 13:6-8 The “he” in this verse is the beast of the image and mark of the beast. The masses of people around the world who speak harshly of God boasts in their attitude, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?” Revelation 13:4

Today’s culture lives by the principles of humanism, which is the fig leaf worn by the atheistic entity that gives people what to think, feel, say and do. They say it is useless and has no benefits to serve God and to live according to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They honor human beings and human authority but give no honor to God and His authority. Humanism is “…an outlook or system of thought attaching prime importance to human rather than divine or supernatural matters. Humanist beliefs stress the potential value and goodness of human beings, emphasize common human needs, and seek solely rational ways of solving human problems…” Our Lord Jesus Christ says, “How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?” John 5:44

Today’s culture feels proud and blessed in allowing the image of the beast to speak and live through them as they welcome the entity that gives them what to say, do, think, and feel. Blessings, flattery, and smooth words are bestowed on them to build up their dignity, esteem, and respect. “For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple.” Romans 16:18 They are raised up in their wickedness of denying God the Creator, scoffing at the need for the forgiveness of sin through Jesus Christ, and oppressing the presence of the Holy Spirit. They even tempt God and go free. This means they deliberately and consciously go against the word of God as in their demeanor they boast, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?” Revelation 13:4

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“….to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets,“
‘I will not impose any other burden on you, except to hold on to what you have until I come.’”
“I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”
Revelation 2:24-25, 3:11