Cain and Abel Spirits

I want us to follow the grace of God from the beginning of mankind. To do so, we must go back to the Garden of Eden.

Genesis 3:15

15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

This is the first promise made to man. It is the promise of a righteous seed that will come to destroy the works of the devil. From here we go to the generations of Adam.

Genesis 4:1-7

1 And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD.

2 And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.

3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.

4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:

5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.

6 And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?

7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee [shall be] his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.

Cain and Abel both offered gifts to the Lord in acknowledgement of God's preeminence. What Cain and Abel offered unto the Lord was different for the simple fact that they were very different in their mindsets relative to God. Abel’s offering was one of humility and sincerity in offering God the best; the firstlings of his flock and the fat. Cain approached God with a proud and unbelieving heart. He presented unto the Lord that which he wanted to give. He, as well as many saints today, became hard-hearted and indifferent towards the method by which they are to be perfected. Therefore, God rejects them and their offering. Cain and Abel are the first examples of the two types of saints worshiping in the household of faith.

Many saints refuse to render unto the Lord that which He has revealed as acceptable. Instead, they try to please the Lord with methods of their own devising. When their sacrifices are rejected by God, they become angry with other saints who please God with a humble heart and a peaceable spirit and who are not proud vindicators of their sin, but who acknowledge them and repent of the same.

When the Lord tried to reason with Cain, He asked him, “Why art thou wroth?” In other words, why are you so angry, dejected and depressed? These emotions are produced when a person has not obeyed God and finds themself and their efforts not rewarded by Him. However, if they had done well they would be accepted too.

Likewise if you do not do well, it is because sin lies at your door. It desires to have you, but you must overcome it. This was the counsel the Lord gave to Cain. However as many saints do today, his heart became hardened and he took out the anger he had toward God on his brother. Pride, jealousy, rebellion and malignant anger drove him to murder his brother. Discontentment and rebellion are evils that produce sinful passions and roots of bitterness in the soul. We must face the reality that there is no anger, envy, strife, malice or deceitful look that God does not see. He rewards according to the disposition of our hearts. So if we do not do well, then we must agree with the Word of God . . . sin lies at our door.

Jeremiah 6:16-21

16 Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.

17 Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken.

18 Therefore hear, ye nations, and know, O congregation, what is among them.

19 Hear, O earth: behold, I will bring evil upon this people, even the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not hearkened unto my words, nor to my law, but rejected it.

20 To what purpose cometh there to me incense from Sheba, and the sweet cane from a far country? your burnt offerings are not acceptable, nor your sacrifices sweet unto me.

21 Therefore thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will lay stumbling blocks before this people, and the fathers and the sons together shall fall upon them; the neighbour and his friend shall perish.

The penalty for not walking in the Spirit is very severe. The Lord testifies that He will:

1. Bring evil upon those who refuse to obey His Word.

2. Give them over to the fruit of their own thoughts.

3. Lay stumbling blocks in their paths.

It is the Lord who will bring these things. It is the Father who rebukes or causes to prosper, not man. If we do not prosper in the Lord, it is because we have not pleased Him. We cannot lay this to anyone’s charge. We are at fault. Beloved, do not take the road Cain took. Consider the consequences of sin and repent quickly. No one is the blame for our relationship with God. It is not the responsibility of others to see to it that we, as individuals, walk pleasing to the Lord. It is a decision we must make.