"…if you refuse to listen to the Lord your God and do not obey all the commands and laws I am giving you today, all these curses will come and overwhelm you:

You will be cursed in your towns and the country.

You will be cursed with baskets empty of fruit, and with kneading bowls empty of bread.

You will be cursed with few children and barren fields.

You will be cursed with infertile herds and flocks.

You will be cursed wherever you go, both in coming and in going.

The Lord himself will send against you curses, confusion, and disillusionment in everything you do, until at last you are completely destroyed for doing evil and forsaking me. The Lord will send diseases among you until none of you are left in the land you are about to enter and occupy. The Lord will strike you with wasting disease, fever, and inflammation, with scorching heat and drought, and with blight and mildew. These devastations will purse you until you die.

The skies above will be as unyielding as bronze, and the earth beneath will be as hard as iron. The Lord will turn your rain into sand and dust, and it will pour down from the sky until you are destroyed.

The Lord will cause you to be defeated by your enemies. You will attack your enemies from one direction, but you will scatter from them in seven! You will be an object of horror to all the kingdoms of the earth…The Lord will afflict you with the boils of Egypt and with tumors, scurvy, and the itch, from which you cannot be cured.

The Lord will strike you with madness, blindness, and panic. You will grope around in broad daylight, just like a blind person groping in the darkness, and you will not success at anything you do. You will be oppressed and robbed continually, and no one will come to save you…

Is that enough? There is more…

If you refuse to listen to the Lord your God and to obey the commands and laws he has give you, all these curses will pursue you and overtake you until you are destroyed. These horrors will serve as a sign and warning among you and your descendants forever. Because you have not served the Lord your God with joy and enthusiasm for the abundant blessings you have received, you will serve your enemies whom the Lord will send against you. You will be left hungry, thirsty, naked, and lacking in everything. They will oppress you harshly until you are destroy." (Deuteronomy 28)

"Therefore, obey the terms of this covenant so that you will prosper in everything you do…" (Deuteronomy 29:9)

"So what commands are we to keep?" you might ask. Deuteronomy 5 outlines what we know as the Ten Commandments God gave to Moses for His people:

1. "Do not worship any other gods besides me.
2. Do not make idols of any kind, whether in the shape of birds or animals or fish. You must never worship or bow down to them, for I the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not share your affection with any other god! I do not leave unpunished the sins of those who hate me, but I punish the children for the sins of their parents to the third and fourth generations. But I lavish my love on those who love me and obey my commands, even for a thousand generations.
3. Do no misuse the name of the Lord your God. The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.
4. Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you. Six days a week are set apart for your daily duties and regular work, but the seventh day is a day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any kind of work. This includes you, your sons, and daughters, your male and female servants, your oxen and donkeys and other livestock, and any foreigners living among you. All your male and female servants must rest as you do. Remember that you were once slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out with amazing power and mighty deeds. That is why the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day. Honor your father and mother, as the Lord your God commanded you. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God will give you.
5. Do not murder.
6. Do not commit adultery.
7. Do not steal.
8. Do not testify falsely against your neighbor.
9. Do not covet your neighbor’s wife.
10. Do not covet your neighbor’s house or land, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else your neighbor owns." (Deuteronomy 5:6-21 NTL)

Some believe that the Commandments of God were for the Children of Israel only and not applicable to us, who believe today. But Jesus said when He was teaching, "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets, I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 5:17-19)

When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was, His response was this: "You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind." This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: "Love your neighbor as yourself." All other commands and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments. (Matthew 22:36-40 NLT)

So we find that God still requires obedience to His Word, His commands, not as under the old covenant [agreement], but under the new, which is based on better promises. He has given unto us the promise of His Spirit to live with in and to dwell in us, to be our Helper, to empower us to live for Him and carry out His Will. Therefore, any person who does not receive Christ and the gift of His indwelling Spirit, will not be able to live for Him as He called us to. It is His Word and His Spirit at work in us and through us that enables us to do it. Therefore, it is God Who is doing this work, not us! We are only called to yield and submit to Him and His Will.