The Blessings Of The Lord
November 2020 |
“Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.” - Ephesians 3:20-21
Who Qualifies For The Blessings Of The Lord?
There is not a believer who has ever lived who has not encountered the blessings of the Lord. From the moment that the believing sinner comes to Christ for salvation to the moment God calls him home to glory, the blessing of the Lord abides upon him. The believing sinner is instantly forgiven of all sin—blessing! The power of the sin nature is broken—blessing! The Holy Spirit takes up residence within—blessing! Our union with Christ at salvation instantly establishes us as an heir with God and a joint heir with Jesus! The inheritance that is available to us was established at Calvary by Christ and is now limited only to “his riches in glory” (Phil. 4:19). So, every believer must learn what the benefits of salvation have afforded him or her and then, secondly, appropriate those blessings by faith.
The Requirement Of Faith!
The word blessing holds the connotation or idea of increase. God wants to bless or increase His people. He brings us out of a life of sin and into a life of righteousness. First and foremost, He desires for His children to grow spiritually. He desires His children to trust in the finished work of Christ and continually grow in the grace and the knowledge of the Lord. As with all things that God has, they are obtained only by faith.
True biblical faith always has its object in the cross of Christ. Why? It is because this is where man’s covenant with God was cut. This is where the inheritance was established. This is where man must come to obtain and maintain His relationship with God. In other words, I must believe that the Lord has accomplished all that I may ever want or need at Calvary, and that whatever blessings I receive will only come as my faith is placed in the work accomplished at Calvary by Christ Jesus.
So, in order to qualify for the blessings of the Lord, we must have faith in the Cross. As well, we must believe that what the Word of God says is available to us and is, in fact, a blessing that He desires for us.
What Do The Blessings Of The Lord Include?
God desires to bless or increase the believer in every aspect of life. As previously stated, the premier focus of the believer should be to pursue God and His righteousness; however, the Bible promises that everything else we need, and even things we don’t, can be added if our focus upon Him is right (Matt. 6:33). Therefore, the blessings of the Lord include things of both a spiritual nature and a physical nature.
I believe that the Lord desires to rain down extravagant blessings on every believer, spiritual things first and physical things second. If a person doesn’t believe this, the blessing of the Lord is limited by unbelief or ignorance. For example, if a believer doesn’t believe that the baptism with the Holy Spirit with the initial physical evidence of speaking with other tongues is available, it is unlikely that he will receive it. If it is not preached or proclaimed, he cannot have faith to receive it, for “faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word” (Rom. 10:17).
If a believer doesn’t believe that the cross can and has resolved the sin issue, he will be dominated by the sin nature. If the believer doesn’t know or believe that healing is available, he will not believe for divine healing or expect it. If the believer is not informed that God wishes to increase a believer in the realm of finances, income, or personal possessions, he will not have faith to receive all that God has. Ignorance and unbelief are the two greatest factors in hindering God’s people from receiving all that Jesus died to make available.
Expect A Blessing
So, you might ask, “Should every believer be rich?” The simple answer to that is that “rich” is relative. We dare not compare ourselves with ourselves. To do so is unwise. To be rich simply means “to have an over-abundant supply.” I believe that God intends to increase every believer. Therefore, an individual’s blessings will revolve around a variety of issues, all that are in direct relationship with his calling, his placement in the body of Christ, the ways in which God wants to use the life of the individual, and the individual’s willingness to believe and obey God. Since all of these factors differ for everyone, we should never allow the idea that the blessing for one should be exactly the same as the blessings of another. However, all should believe that they are candidates for God’s blessings just because they are believers.
God wants to increase His people far above what we could ever ask or think. These blessings include my spiritual condition, my physical condition, and my financial condition. I earn no blessing through my confession, suffering, or actions of obedience alone. The source of my blessing is Christ. The means of getting those blessings to me is the cross. With Christ as my source and with the cross as the means, I should live with the faith and expectation that God wants to increase me today far above anything I have ever experienced before, and in every area of my life—exceedingly abundantly above all that I could ever ask or think.
I exhort you, live in an aura of this expectation and be willing to receive every blessing that God has in store specifically for you. In this manner, He will receive all glory for every blessing He freely bestows upon you!
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