In Your Bible Read This
Out Loud: Proverbs 11:24
Memorise This Verse:
Hebrews 6:12 'Imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what
has been promised'
Afterwards Talk About
This: When Jesus talks about being trustworthy with little
things, how does that apply to your life?
Something To Do Before
Next Time: If God has shown you anything that is blocking a
blessing in your life, ensure that you remove it.
Written Diploma Work:
Write one side on the reasons why we may loose a financial harvest
Meditate Word By Word On
This Verse: Galatians 6:9
Having seen in the previous
sections just some of the ways and channels that God can use to prosper
us, this section will look at some of the things that will block and
delay the good things of God coming to us. Just as the previous section
didn't cover all the channels that God can use to prosper us this
section also doesn't cover every area of blockage. Should an area be
applicable to anyone reading this then may Holy Spirit illuminate it to
them. It must be stated at the very start that God is forever determined
to bless and prosper us if we are not seeing this happen then the
problem lies with us, and not God. If you haven't yet seen the fullness
of God's best in your life, then instead of praying to God to bless you
(which he has already said he will do), why not pray and ask God to show
you what is blocking it.
Certainly the biggest reason
why people are blocking the fullness of God in their lives is that they
simply haven't been faithful in their giving. They want a harvest but
they have never sown seeds, they are waiting for their ship to come in
but never sent it out in the first place, they are waiting for their
bread to come in on the water but they have never cast it in the first
place!. It has been rightly said that a non-giving Christian has no
business complaining to God about lack of finances. Proverbs 11:24 says 'Another
withholds unduly, but comes to poverty' any believer who has not been
giving and consequently has been withholding God's money back from him,
really has no argument if their lives are tending to poverty.
A further area to consider
regarding the motives for giving is the area of love, are we giving to
people out of a genuine love for God and love for the people we are
ministering to? or once again is it just out of duty. For example, in
Luke 11:42 Jesus reveals this about the Pharisees when he says, 'Woe
to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all
other kinds of herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God.' In
fact in 1 Corinthians 13:3, Paul makes an even stronger statement about
the need to give with the love of God in our hearts when he says,
'If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the
flames, but have not love, I gain nothing'. Is our giving
mechanical, something we have always done every Sunday, or is it a true
expression of our love for God and for those around us who will benefit
from our giving.
A further reason why a
person may not be experiencing the fullness of God's prosperity is a
failure to observe the laws of seedtime and harvest. For example,
Genesis 8:22 says that the laws of seedtime and harvest will never
cease, but perhaps the people of God have been ignorant of them. For
example, would it not be strange if a farmer planted his seeds and then
the next morning went looking for fruit? clearly there is a time between
sowing and reaping. Perhaps you have sown to God and not yet received
your harvest, keep on believing because not only is it a fixed law that
the harvest will come, it could be just round the corner!
Furthermore Galatians 6:9
says 'Let us not become weary in doing good, for
at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up',
three things can further be drawn from this scripture to confirm what
has been said previously.
Firstly, it does not say we
could or might reap a harvest, the scriptures assumes a harvest because
if you have given it will be given back to you, the law that operates
this is as sure as the law of gravity. Secondly, it mentions the proper
time - again a reference to seasons of seedtime and harvest, sowing and
reaping and the need to respect the time element involved. (Hebrews 6:12
shows that we inherit the promises of God through faith and
patience and Romans 8:25 speaks of the same thought as well). Finally,
it mentions not giving up and hence the need to carry on persevering in
faith and having the hope of harvest set ever before us. Let it be said
again, if you have given and not yet received your harvest keep on
believing and keep on giving, the harvest will surely yield.
Zechariah 4:10 provides a
further insight into what could block the fullness of God's prosperity
in our lives and that is the area of despising the day of small
beginnings. For example, it could be that you have given and seen only a
small and partial harvest, and you are believing God to see a lot more.
However, how have you responded to this? with thanksgiving and gratitude
or have you despised the day of small beginnings and complained? If you
haven't been thankful with a small harvest you probably will not be
thankful with a big harvest. Ingratitude towards God will not release
his fullness, instead, 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says to give thanks in all
circumstances.
A further reason why some
people have only seen a partial harvest and no more is the way they have
handled what money they have seen come to them. For example, instead of
using it wisely to give even more into the work of God and spending it
wisely to meet their own needs, it has been spent selfishly on worldly
goods and possessions. Jesus warns in Luke 16:10 'Whoever
can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and
whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.'
Perhaps the people of God
need to check their spending habits to see if they are being trustworthy
with the little they have, which in return will lead them to be given
much. If we are being selfish with our money and are not looking to
systematically invest it in the work of the Kingdom of God then perhaps
the blessing of God will go to someone else who will spend it wisely to
reach people with the gospel.
A final major reason that
some of the people of God are not experiencing a high level of
prosperity is that it would completely ruin them spiritually in his
grace and mercy God is trying to save them from this. Proverbs 10:22
says 'The blessing of the Lord brings wealth and
he adds no trouble to it.' For some Christians, the prosperity of
God is withheld due to wrong motives or a lack of character and
integrity or due to the fact it would lead them away from God. James
also speaks of this area when he says in James 4:3 'When
you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that
you may spend what you get on your pleasures', in light of this
should we not carefully examine our desires and motives for believing
God for prosperity.
We have seen previously that
when the children of Israel were about to enter into the promised land,
they were warned several times by God that the good things and
prosperity they could enjoy had the potential to cause them to forget
all about him.
Perhaps you are seeking the
blessings of God much more than you are seeking after God himself?
whilst God undoubtedly wants to bless us, should we not seek him for who
he is and not just for what he can give us. Surely, when we are mature,
faithful and stable in our relationship with God we will see the
fullness of his blessing but in the mean time, in his mercy and love he
is waiting to give it to us as it could ruin us.
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