RESTORATION OF TIME AND FAMILY LIFE

When the devil wants to attack you, one of the ways he comes against you is to steal from you. In Deuteronomy 28, there is a very interesting principle to observe under the portion of the curses.

Deuteronomy 28:38–40 “You shall carry much seed out to the field but gather little in, for the locust shall consume it. You shall plant vineyards and tend them, but you shall neither drink of the wine nor gather the grapes; for the worms shall eat them. You shall have olive trees throughout all your territory, but you shall not anoint yourself with the oil; for your olives shall drop off.

The “seed” here refers to grain and in the “vineyards”, you have wine. Notice that the devil is out to consume your grain and wine, so he sends the locusts and worms. He is also out to consume your oil.

Let’s look at the next verse to find out why the devil wants to take away these things from your life.

Deuteronomy 28:41 You shall beget sons and daughters, but they shall not be yours; for they shall go into captivity.

Whenever there is a lack of the grain, wine and oil, your family life is affected. You may have children whom you love deeply, but when they grow up, you lose them. Mixing with bad company, they become captive to drinking, partying and drug addictions.

But God has prepared a way out for you.

Joel 2:23–24 …for He has given you the former rain faithfully, and He will cause the rain to come down for you—the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month. The threshing floors shall be full of wheat, and the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil.

The “former rain” in Hebrew refers to a teacher of righteousness. The reason God gives you a teacher of righteousness is so that the church, your home and your workplace will be full of grain, and overflowing with new wine and oil. And the next verse says:

Joel 2:25 “So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the crawling locust, the consuming locust, and the chewing locust, My great army which I sent among you.

Here, the “chewing locust” refers to the worm. The King James Bible uses the word “palmerworm”. When your life is full of the grain, wine and oil, God will restore to you the years that the locusts and worms have eaten. Some of you may say, “Pastor Prince, once the years have passed, they are gone.” But the Creator of time says that He will restore to you the years that have been wasted!