GETTING AND KEEPING GOD’S BLESSINGS

                                                25/05/2017

GETTING AND KEEPING GOD’S BLESSINGS

Gen. 12:1-3; Deut. 28:1-15; Ephes. 1:3

God is a benevolent God “…who giveth us richly all things to enjoy” (1 Timothy 6:17b). His plan for man is to daily enjoy His blessings as confirmed by David in Psalm 68:19, where he emphasized “Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation.” God’s manifold blessings are available to all His creatures, especially His children (His covenant people) to enjoy as He doesn’t discriminate. What He did for the people in the Bible days, He is still able to do them for us today if we can fulfil the conditions for receiving His blessings. We need to position ourselves to maximally enjoy these blessings, and of course, there is need for us to consider the secrets of how to keep the blessings.   

1.   CATALOGUE OF GOD’S BLESSINGS

a.    Salvation and Adoption into God’s Family – Isaiah 53:4-6; Luke 3:6; Gen. 12:1-3; John 1:12

b.   Sanctification and Holiness Experience – Luke 1:73-75; I Thess. 5:23,24

c.    Spirit Power – Joel 2:28-30; Acts 1:8

d.   Healing and Divine Health – Exodus 23:25,26; 3 John 2

e.    Divine Preservation – Psalm 91:1; Psalms 121:7-8; Zech. 2:8

f.     Divine Provision - Psalm 23:1-6; 145:16; Matthew 6:33;

g.    Divine Companionship – Deut. 4:31; 31:6

h.   His Ever-abiding Presence with us – Deut. 31:6,8; Mat. 28:20

2.   CONDITIONS FOR GETTING GOD’S BLESSINGS

     Gen. 12:1-3; 2 Tim. 2:19-21; 2 Cor. 6:14-18; 1 John 2:6; 3:6-9

God’s blessings are available to only those who have entered into a covenant relationship with Him. A personal encounter with God opens the door into a life-long of untold, unlimited blessings from God. After genuine conversion experience, the Lord expects perfect obedience to Him if we want to enjoy His blessings. As the children of Israel were leaving Egypt to possess the land of promise, God told them that “…If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee” (Exodus 15:26). Obedience, we are told, brings blessings. Abraham received a call to go out from his native country and he obeyed, that obedience turned him to a father of nations. Separation from the world and its ungodly practices is pivotal to receiving untold blessings of God in your life. Daily practicing God’s abiding presence will always attract His blessings into your life. Abstaining from sins and all the works of darkness will guarantee the regular inflow of God’s blessings into your life.    

3.   CAREFUL STEPS FOR KEEPING GOD’S BLESSINGS  

     Genesis 26:5; Exodus 19:5; 15:26; Deut. 4:40; 28:13,14; Jer. 35:18,19

Obedience brings blessings while disobedience will bring God’s judgment and wrath upon the disobedient ones. When the children of Israel were about to enter the Promised Land, God told them that their continuity in the enjoyment of His covenant blessings with Him is based on their implicit obedience to His divine instructions. In order to consistently enjoy God’s blessings, you need to take note of the following:

a.      Implicit Obedience to God’s word – Deuteronomy 28:1-2; 1 John 3:22

b.     Continual abiding in Him – John 15:7

c.      Unwavering faith in God’s unchanging faithfulness to keep His promises – 1 Kings 8:56; Mark 11:22-24

d.     Living a life pleasing unto God every time – 1 John 3:22; Romans 12:1-2

e.      Abstain from sins – 2 Timothy 2:19

f.       Live a life of holiness all the time – Heb. 12:14; Luke 1:75

g.      Preaching of the gospel to the lost souls – Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-16.  

“Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (2 Cor. 7:1). With all these wonderful blessings that God has for us His children, the only way to reciprocate His kind gesture and to be able to enjoy all these blessings is for us to hate what He hates and love what He loves. He hates ‘sins’ “Let everyone that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity” (2 Timothy 2:19) so must we hate sins; He loves ‘holiness’ so must we also love holiness, “without which no may shall see the Lord” (Heb. 12:14).