God’s motivation for being in your life is to see you blessed. It is for you to live the fullest, grandest, and most fulfilling life of which you’re capable. This is the truth that must frame your entire existence. It is the lens from which you must view both your triumphs and mistakes. There is no question that you and I must be more than incredibly interested in lessening the gap between God’s motivation and any unhappiness we might be experiencing, because His Will is that we have the absolute best. As we make our way to obtain all that is required for us to feel good about ourselves, our relationships, and our overall lot in life, we must seek to understand exactly what keeps us from these treasures. In all honesty, this is a question that only those seeking a tighter relationship with God through the Lord Jesus Christ will ask.
Don’t Neglect Your Soul-Searching Responsibility
James 4:2 tells us that we have not because we ask not, and sometimes when we do ask, something in our hearts causes us to ask in a way that isn’t in alignment with heaven. When it comes to a delay in receiving the answer or blessings we desire, many of us will often have one of two responses to Heavenly Father, #1 “God, I didn’t do anything wrong!” or #2 “Someone other than me is keeping me from the thing I want.” Both responses seek to deflect responsibility for the soul-searching that is required.
The hardest thing for us to admit is that some piece of truth is missing from our arsenal of spiritual knowledge, and that we are wrong in areas where we think we’re right. There are some pieces of information that you absolutely must have in order to be prepared spiritually for the next level of blessings, growth, and purpose. It is crucial that you submit to God in humility, with an eye on correction and promotion, because often the very piece of information that’s missing is short-circuiting your believing.
Remember at All Times that It’s Not All About You
If you’ve spent some time reading and studying the Old Testament, you must have noticed the many times that God warned His people to listen to His voice. 2Kings 18:12 (NLT) says, “For they refused to listen to the LORD their God and obey him. Instead, they violated his covenant—all the laws that Moses the LORD’s servant had commanded them to obey.” God had a plan to rescue, deliver, and prosper them, and this very plan thousands of years ago included you and me. Individuals living then didn’t have the foresight to see beyond their everyday circumstances. They just wanted God to bless them and keep them safe, and didn’t have a clue that the continuance of their lives allowed generations to come into the Kingdom after they were long gone. God’s plan included their well-being and ours as well. This is how overwhelmingly brilliant and loving our God is. His love never ends. It continues to infuse life-giving treasures like hope, joy, and peace into the earth. This continuance of His plan occurs through us!
In the Old Testament, God counted on His people to do their parts in His plan, and in similar manner, He counts on us; except we are in a much better position to advance His Kingdom in the earth. Those living before the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus Christ did not have the indwelling Holy Spirit. They didn’t have access to the power that you and I have. Today, our prayers—the things we pray about and how we pray—is more important than ever. Our words have greater impact, and we have the distinct joy and privilege to be champions not only in the ministry of reconciliation that Christ has committed into our hands, but our knowledge of the truth will take us further than we ever thought possible.
Denying Your Destiny is a Huge Blocker
We underestimate our potential, influence, and impact. This is a blocker that many of us don’t realize. It closes the floodgates of your blessings, and takes you out of the realm of infinite possibilities. Ephesians 1:3 (NLT) tells us, “All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.” Heavenly Father didn’t bless us with all spiritual blessings for us to sit on them. He’s an ‘on purpose’ God. Jesus told us in Luke 12:48 that to whom much is given much is required. God isn’t demanding that we contribute more than our share, but when we became born-again, we made a commitment to honor Him with our lives—to present all that we are to Him, and to fulfill our calling. Our walks in Christ encompass more than just ourselves. At no time can we forget God’s plan and that each of us plays an integral role in it.
In Hosea 4:6, God tells us that the lives of His people end in destruction because they will not seek knowledge. They will not seek Him diligently for the revelation desperately needed in their arsenals. He’s making us aware that what we don’t know about Him, His Word, and the fulfilment of our purpose can cost us severely. It is the gap between where we are today, and the vision, clarity, and fulfilment of purpose that will set our feet upon higher ground.
Keep Yourself Primed to Hear and Heed God’s Directives
He tells us in Ephesian 1:10, “And this is the plan: At the right time, he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth.” This is our destination. It’s the ultimate mission, the coming together of everything under the Lord’s authority. Every knee will bow to our Master, Jesus Christ! We don’t know all the details of what, when, and where; we don’t need to. Your responsibility is to keep yourself primed with God’s Word so that you’re spiritually able to hear when He calls your name. Then, you can move when He says ‘move’, and stay put when He says ‘stay put’. This is the key to opening the floodgates of blessings. Make sure that recognizing and heeding the voice of God is the absolute first priority in your life. ■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“Opening the Floodgates of Blessings!” written by Reverend Fran Mack, edited by Kim Times for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2018. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.