Bring on the Blessings

We can't have God without His blessings.  Every promise of Abraham is mine. God wants to bless you.

Deuteronomy 28:1-8 (NKJV)

28 “Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. 

2 And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God:

3 “Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country.

4 “Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, the produce of your ground and the increase of your herds, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks.

5 “Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.

6 “Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.

7 “The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face; they shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways.

8 “The Lord will command the blessing on you in your storehouses and in all to which you set your hand, and He will bless you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you.

Grace and blessings are a little bit different.  Grace is free.  It makes me free from sin.  Blessings must be planted.  It is seed time and harvest. 

Whatever you put in the ground will come forth. We cannot walk in His blessings if we're not walking in obedience to His word. If God is our Father, we have a responsibility to please Him.

1. We must check our own heart. 

If we want God's blessings, we can't do what we want to do. 

Luke 6:38 (NKJV)

38 Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”

This verse is not about just money, but about your heart.   We don't give to get.  This verse is about your heart.  Read the verse before it. 

Luke 6:37 New King James Version (NKJV)

 “Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.

We filter our heart, and hide who we are.  Jesus went on to say this...

Luke 6:45 (NKJV)

45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

Jesus wants your heart and not your pretend commitment.  

Matthew 6:24  (NKJV)

“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other.You cannot serve God and mammon (the god of money).

We respect people with money and not people of character. We judge from the outside.  We don't want to, but we do.  

God judges the heart.  The kingdom of heaven levels the playing field.  God does not judge you by how much you possess.  

Matthew 6:21  (NKJV)

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Jesus talked about money more than anything else.  He cared about their hearts.  He encouraged giving money to the poor.

Never give under compulsion.  Give what the Lord puts on your heart. You attached your heart to where your money is. 

You assign your heart and your treasure to what you love. If you want to know where your heart is, follow the money trail.  

2. You have to be a good steward and money manager.   

   

Luke 12:42 (NKJV)

42 And the Lord said, “Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season?

We want to be the answer to other people's prayers.  To give it, you've got to manage it.  How do your steward your relationships and time?  If you manage what you have now, God can trust you with more.

3.  You have to be a generous giver. 

Don't give to get. It's not about more.  It's about your heart.  I want to be a clearing house of God's blessings.  I want to be a blessor not just a blessee. 

If you want to be a blessing, check your heart.  Worship is first mentioned when Abraham was willing to give his son, Isaac, to God.  

Psalm 37:4 (NKJV)

4 Delight yourself also in the Lord,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

To delight yourself in the Lord's will, it means to wrap yourself in His will.  It means God will give you what to desire.

Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV)

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,

And He shall direct your paths.

Psalm 23:6 (NKJV)

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord

Forever. 

Deuteronomy 28:2  (NKJV)

2 And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God:

Jeremy Foster, Hope City Church

https://hopecity.com/sermons/bring-on-the-blessing/