The choices we make dictate the type of legacy we leave behind *Where you stand when you are young will decide where you will sit when you get old* Spending time with God will help you succeed where others have failed* No one is going to do it for you.

Abimelech’s conspiracy and rewards.

Then Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem, to his mother’s brothers, and spoke with them and with all the family of the house of his mother’s father, saying,

“Please speak in the hearing of all the men of Shechem: ‘Which is better for you, that all seventy of the sons of Jerubbaal reign over you, or that one reign over you?’ Remember that I am your own flesh and bone.”

And his mother’s brothers spoke all these words concerning him in the hearing of all the men of Shechem; and their heart was inclined to follow Abimelech, for they said, “He is our brother.”

So they gave him seventy shekels of silver from the temple of Baal-Berith, with which Abimelech hired worthless and reckless men; and they followed him.

Then he went to his father’s house at Ophrah and killed his brothers, the seventy sons of Jerubbaal, on one stone. But Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left, because he hid himself.

But a certain woman dropped an upper millstone on Abimelech’s head, and crushed his skull

Then he called quickly to the young man his armour bearer, and said unto him, Draw your sword, and kill me, lest men say of me, A women killed him. So his young man thrust him through, and he died.

And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they departed every man to his place.

Thus God repaid the wickedness of Abimelech, which he had done to his father, by killing his seventy brothers.

Judges 9:1-5, 53-56.
We serve a God who is full of love, grace, mercy and compassion, and He is also a God of justice, He delivers justice at the right and appropriate time. Many in the body of Christ have taken God’s grace for granted they say and preach that God’s grace is unlimited and unending ( that is true ) but they simply forget that the grace of God is not a licence to sin. The grace of God is given to us to overcome and enable us not to sin, it is given not to be in sin and spread sin, after the second coming of Jesus there will no longer grace be available to us, then Gods judgement will begin and He will judge everyone according to their thoughts and deeds.

The above scripture portion tells us that Abhimelech ( born to a concubine of Gideon ) hearing the words of his mother’s brothers went and killed his brothers on a single stone and in the end, he was killed by a woman who dropped a millstone on his head and his story simply came to an end. God is a God of justice what Abhimelech sowed in private he reaped it in public.

Weaknesses robs a person of their destiny in God. Gideon was mightily used by God to deliver the Israelites, the people were so pleased with him that they wanted him, his children and grandchildren to rule over them. Gideon had a weakness, he had no self control over himself, he had seventy sons through his four wives, he had a weakness for women inspite of having four wives he lusted around with a concubine from Schecem and she bore him a son Abhimelech who had no self control over himself ( selfishness and anger ) he killed all his brothers except one, and he himself was killed by a woman and the story of Gideon’s descendants came to an end forever, the lack of self control robbed the glorious destiny of Gideon’s descendants.

Blessings, curses and weaknesses flows through generations. Abraham had a weakness of lying and it flowed to Isaac and Rebecca and then it flowed to Jacob and Rachel and from there it flowed to Jacob’s sons Simeon and Levi ( four generations ). David had a weakness for women and it travelled to his son Solomon.

Moses was chosen by God to deliver the Israelites and God used him mightily, but he had a weakness of no self control, in anger he killed a Egyptian and ran away from Egypt and in the end he could not enter into the promised land, because he had no self control over himself, because the Israelites were pestering him for water. God asked him to speak to the rock to give water, but instead of speaking to the rock he struck it twice he didn’t listen to God, but he went in his own way of striking the rock. It pays to listen to God, because He speaks differently on different days. Moses weakness robbed him of his destiny of entering into the promised land.

The weaknesses of the old covenant saints is mentioned in the Bible, so that we could learn from their mistakes become wise and not commit those mistakes in our lives. We should not take it as an example to encourage, commit mistakes and then cover our mistakes by keeping them as examples ( if we commit the mistake of having multiple wives then the police will come searching for us and in the end we will land in hell ).

Every person has some weaknesses ( no one is perfect ), It is always good to identify our weaknesses and break it otherwise it will travel to the future generations. The best way to get rid of our weaknesses is to ask God to give us His grace and strength, so that we could overcome it ( we cannot do it in our own strength ). It is good to fast and pray and get rid of unwanted weaknesses that rob a person of his destiny in God.

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and hope.

Jeremiah 29:11.
Heavenly Father thank You for the word, thank You for the plan and purpose that You have for our lives. Lord we give our weaknesses ( name yours ) into Your hands give us the grace and strength to overcome our weaknesses and fulfill the plan and purpose that is in store for us in Jesus name we ask and pray.

Amen and Amen.
God loves you
Blessings

Alfred Joseph
Hyderabad Telangana India
[email protected].