There are steps that people can take that will remove God's blessing from their life, and bring God's cursing into their life. The greatest example that I can find of this in the Bible is Balaam.
We first hear of Balaam in Numbers 22. The Israelites had just defeated Sihon, the Amorite. This prompted Balak, the King of the Moabites, to try to swing an impending battle into his favor. And, he calls on Balaam because in Numbers 22:6- Come now therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people; for they are too mighty for me: peradventure I shall prevail, that we may smite them, and that I may drive them out of the land: for I wot that he whom thou blessest is blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed.
Balaam was a man that the Lord used to bless and curse. I guess, you could say he was a prophet, though the Bible doesn't really call him that. Balak thought he could call on Balaam to curse whomever he deemed fit and that would help him to defeat this enemy army.
God, however, told Balaam not to go with Balak's men. And, this is where we see the beginning of Balaam's disobedience and downward spiral from blessing to cursing.
The second time Balak send more honorable princes to Balaam, he went with them.
Numbers 22:22a- And God's anger was kindled because he went: and the angel of the LORD stood in the way for an adversary against him.
If you're familiar with this story, this is where his donkey actually saves his life!
Numbers 22:32- And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times? behold, I went out to withstand thee, because thy way is perverse before me:
Why did God say that Balaam's way was perverse? We get a small hint of this in the New Testament.
2 Peter 2:15- Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;
Balaam's way was perverse because he wasn't trying to obey the Lord. He wanted to go to King Balak because there was a reward (Jude 11). There was a worldly thing that God didn't want Balaam to have, and Balaam wanted it bad enough to ignore the Lord.
Balak asked Balaam three times to curse the people, but God would only allow blessings to come out of Balaam's mouth. This made Balak so mad!
Numbers 24:10, 11- And Balak's anger was kindled against Balaam, and he smote his hands together: and Balak said unto Balaam, I called thee to curse mine enemies, and behold, thou hast altogether blessed them these three times. Therefore now flee thou to thy place: I thought to promote thee unto great honour; but, lo, the LORD hath kept thee back from honour.
Isn't it funny how the world blames God for keeping us from certain things? Balak said that it was because of God that Balaam wouldn't get his reward. This chapter ends with Balaam returning to his own town.
But the next chapter opens with the children of Israel sinning with the people of Balak's kingdom. What happened? Balaam happened. He just had to have the worldly reward that Balak was offering.
Revelation 2:14- But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.
Balaam told Balak, "I can't curse these people. But, you can get their God to remove His blessing from them." He told Balak that he should invite the Israelites to their services and get them to start worshiping Baal. Once they started that, he could then get his people to seduce them into disobeying God's laws. God, Himself, would curse them.
Numbers 31:16- Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against the Lord in the matter of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the Lord.
Balaam's love of worldly pleasures caused him to go against God to the destruction of his own life. When Joshua took his army against Balaam's hometown, God didn't spare Balaam.
Joshua 13:22- Balaam also the son of Beor, the soothsayer, did the children of Israel slay with the sword among them that were slain by them.
Do you think there is something in the world that you just can't do without even though the Lord said "no"? Is there a position, a possession, or a person that you would tell God "I don't care what you want; I want this!"? Be careful, you may be accepting something that will remove God's blessing from your life and open you to His cursing.
