Forfeiting Your Blessings

Did you know you can forfeit blessings, destinies, purposes, marriages, careers, dreams, heart desires, and your very life?

If you don’t know this. Let me remind you today of those that did: Saul, Amnon, Samson, Solomon, Achan, Cain, and Judas, and that's just to name a few. These people did that which was evil, and God rewarded them according to their conduct.

Your behavior speaks for itself. That which you do and say can cost you big time. You can actually abort the perfect will of God. God does NOT have plan B. There’s one plan for your life. "Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you." God was there. He created you with great purposes, a great destiny. However, He allows YOU to have a free will. This means YOU choose that which you want. Take a look at the following scripture.

“The LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve.” -Jeremiah 17:10

God searches the heart. We have lots of verses to back that up. Please understand there is nothing hidden from the eyes of God. He sees everything. He examines our hearts to see what it truly contains. In other words, what is the real motive of the heart? Who are you really?

When I look at this verse, I get scared! Why? Because you and I do not know just how wicked our heart is. I love the Bible verse, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.“ This needs to be our everyday prayer before Him. Trust me. Believe me. If your sincere God will show you.

You see? God searches the heart. He examines our minds. “The Lord knows the thoughts of man, that they are but a breath.” What is our thinking? Are we of righteous thoughts or evil thoughts and intentions? Did you know it all starts with a thought?

Then, God rewards! You should be shuddering at this point. Do you see what I see? He rewards, presents, awards, and honor us with what we have done. Good or bad. We are about to receive that which we poured out. Ouch!!! If we did that which is right, we receive the blessings. If we did that which is evil, we receive curses. Deuteronomy 28 is an entire chapter on the blessings and the curses, and it does not stop there. From Genesis to Revelation, we find blessings and curses. We can receive the blessings by doing that which is right. It’s called obedience.

Let me share a personal story. A few years back, I was asked to head up a major research study. I was so excited. I’m not a researcher but I knew how to lead one and quickly got together a team of experts. I offered them a chance of a lifetime. I knew this research study was going to put us on the map. I contacted every pediatrician in my state, every school district, and parent organization. I’m talking thousands and thousands of people here. Everyone was excited. I wrote the grant, and I met with the president of that company... months of hard work. Money guaranteed!

During the final stage, I noticed an attitude from a team member. I tried to ignore it, and I did ignore it. The day before I was to pass it in, God began to speak to me. “How long are you going to ignore this issue? Do not pass this proposal in. I am not in it. If you do, you will get the funds, but you will fail. I will not allow this person to use you. Rip up this contract now.” Can you imagine? I was stunned.

I ran to my assistant's office as I was hyperventilating! “Oh my God,” as I repeated what God just told me. “What now?” I asked her and her mouth and eyes wide opened. You can understand, our salaries were projected in the grant, and it was substantial. The grant was a three year grant. It was thousands of dollars. I stood before her, apologized for the months of hard work, and the salary she wasn’t going to receive in this future contract, tore that contract in half, and threw it in her barrel. A terrible vivid memory.

Then, I had to call the President of that funding company. I had to tell him truth. “I’m so very sorry. I believe the team I put together will fail this project.” Thank God he understood. Why? He was of same faith. He actually told me, “Teresa, your integrity and character is incredible. I admire and respect you now more than ever. I look forward to the day we meet face to face. Whatever you need in the future from me, it’s yours. No questions asked. I trust you fully.”

I then had to call the rest of the team. I gave the same answer. “Who is that,” demanded the one person who was the reason God told me there was a problem. I am the CEO of the company. I don’t answer to employees. I answer to a Board of Directors. In that split second, before my entire team that person made his heart, thoughts, and real intentions come forth in actions. There was a resignation on my desk that very day, along with some other not so nice things. I said not one word. Not one! I allowed the display of the heart, mind, thoughts, and intentions to come right out. There were others watching. It didn’t matter what God told me. It mattered if what God told me was truth. God protected me, the rest of my staff, my team, my reputation, integrity, character, and my job. My destiny and those who worked for me was saved.

I lost the money, but I gained honor, respect, and hundreds of better contracts that pushed me into my destiny. I can trace back and clearly see my destiny burst forth due to this incident. I obeyed God and He rewarded me. My doctorate is just one result that came out of this cancellation of the contract. In addition, I brought many, many others with me. We gained greater honors, and much more respect in the field. You see, God knew my heart, my thoughts, and my motives. They were pure which was not the case for one of the team members. In that whole mess, not one of us got hurt, but the person who needed to leave the project. Guess what? We recovered just fine, that person did not and still hasn’t.

Can you forfeit God’s plan? Yes, you can. The most saddest thing was that person had the biggest salary in the grant. $250 thousand dollars salary for just this one grant a year. That person missed over one half million dollars in three year salary. The prestigious study that would have showcased themselves worldwide, and the future contracts. Can you even believe it? Rebellious actions cost dearly.

The characters I named above where just as rebellious. Their evil actions and desires cost them, and they missed opportunities for joy, peace, and long life. The problem was they couldn’t control themselves. These people -Saul, Amnon, Samson, Solomon, Achan, Cain, and Judas- had hearts that were evil. The interesting thing is they all started well. So, how can you start well and end in destruction and complete failure? Their ambitions were with evil desires and wickedness. It was all about their conduct.

I have learned we have to not rush in but wait things out. We watch, we listen, and we keep our mouth closed. We don’t react to the behaviors and reactions of people. We allow their actions to speak for themselves. We don’t need to blab to anyone. We don’t need to explain ourselves to people who don’t care about themselves, their reputation, their futures. You are in control of one person only. YOU!

Today, take a moment. Examine yourself. Ask God to point out anything that’s wicked and evil before Him. Repent, and determine you will not loose out on your God given destiny. Humble yourself and don’t be arrogant. Be grateful to those who blessed you, are blessing you, and trying to bless you. Don’t be a fool. Have a heart of gratitude, thankfulness, conviction, right attitude, and respect for God and others. Don’t be like one of my staff members and lose it all. That was a tragedy for that person. The person's unwise, rude, disrespectful attitude caused God to tell me, “Do not pass in that proposal. I’m not in it. You will fail if you do. That person is using you, and I’m not going to allow it.”

People, please fulfill your destiny. Stop yourself from any actions that will abort it. Ask God. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” God will do it.

Rev. Dr. Teresa Allissa Citro

Founder and President of Thread of Hope, Inc.