In the last message: "Do What You Do" - I got feedback from one friend that it was a real "beat up" message. And of course, that message was not intended to be a beating!
I mentioned that I've been hearing a lot of people saying they feel like they already are doing all that they're supposed to do. And that's not meant to target any one person as if to say "You are doing something wrong." Absolutely not!
I am saying that in the last month alone I have heard 5 people say the same things. That means people (myself included!) are feeling beat up already and at their wit's end as to what to do about it!
God feels our frustration! And, He's even more frustrated that our answers are here for us, but the "cares of this world" choke out the word like thorns choke out good seed in a harvest! (Matthew 13:19-23) Verse 23 says: "But he that receives seed into the good ground is he that hears the word, and understands it; which also bears fruit, and brings forth, some a hundred-fold, some sixty, some thirty."
Joyce Meyer always says she wishes she could unzip people and pour the word down in them. Well, I suppose if I could "beat" my friends with the word, and maybe give them some kind of spiritual amnesia where they would only remember God's word, that'd be awesome. But it doesn't work that way. And I really don't want it to work that way. I want us all to really get it without any beat downs from the world (our the word of God!) and get our blessings!
I was going to blog-on today and try to soften the blow of the apparent beat down in the previous message. But then I heard two messages this morning that said exactly what I wrote yesterday in "Do What You Do". And as I began to write God told me, "Don't ever apologize for the Word I give you!"
Well, I'd rather withstand getting beat up by my friends and loved ones than God, so I'm foraging on with part two of these messages: "Do What? Part II: Perceive"
Our blessings are no accident. But yet, we have some unspoken list of possibilities and reasons why we haven't received the answers to our prayers. They are ALL false!
- We do not skip through life on a wing and a prayer, hoping that we'll please God enough that He'll choose to bless us.
- There is no formula for life, or prayer or the repentance of sin that acts like a combination lock, opening our blessings from heaven.
- There is no check list of rights and wrongs that we must complete before God will approve of us and release our blessings.
- We do not have to figure out how to increase our faith before God will manifest our blessings.
- And finally, God is NOT waiting for us to learn how not to squander our blessings before He gives them. He is NOT waiting and holding out on us because He knows we're not ready.
We must repent and turn away from this list of thinking regarding our blessings and we must turn towards Kingdom thinking. That's why Jesus constantly said, "Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand." Translated into today's understanding this would say:
"Don't think like the world, think like God because His Kingdom is in your control!"
Or... Romans 12:2 "Be not conformed to the ways of this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind." We are born into this world and from our first breath as infants we are trained and raised into the ways of the world. It's all we know and understand.
But our understanding, and our perception of our blessings has to turn away from the world and turn towards the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. (Matthew 6:33)
Recently I was blessed with a new car. I have been praying, asking and hoping for that particular car for a long, long time. But getting blessed with the car was not an accident of timing. I know my friends and especially my family are thrilled that this blessing has finally come through for me. But that's just it, it didn't just "finally come through." God didn't suddenly say, "today is the day, your lucky number was pulled in the blessing lottery!" No, the truth is, I KNOW I have figured out some things, and I purposefully manifested the blessing of that car through what I've figured out. And that is what I want to share with you in these next few messages.
I know it sounds basic, academic and too good to be true, but I have figured out what to "do." Now, I'm not saying God has a check list of "do's and don'ts", before He'll bless us, but there are do's and don'ts in the spirit realm just as there are in the natural.
We know in the natural we don't embezzle money because it's illegal. We don't cheat people because it's immoral. We do save because it's safe. We do invest because it's smart. These are the types of do's and don'ts I've figured out in the spirit realm.
In the previous message I said the 3 main things we must do are to perceive, believe and receive. And, to "perceive" means to "understand".
So, here's what we must "perceive" regarding God's blessings:
(I have scriptures for each item in this list so if you want them, let me know)
- Understand that God has already provided everything we need for life and godliness.
- Understand that we walked under the window of Heaven's blessings when we accepted Jesus by faith.
- Understand that we release our own blessings from the treasures we store up in heaven
- Understand that everyone has already been given a measure of faith and we are already pleasing to God; already forgiven and already called and chosen for a great and powerful purpose.
- Understand that we are the seed of Abraham with the promise of receiving land, health, long life, riches, wealth, healing, prosperity, protection, wisdom and abundance in THIS life.
- Understand that your needs are automatically provided and your wants and desires are to God's good pleasure to give you.
- Understand that your blessings don't just go to you, they go through you. You are not blessed just so you can be made fat, but so that you can make others fat also. That you are not intended to just be great but to do great things for others. It ain't about you (period). It's about you (and...)
When we focus on our needs through (ineffectual) prayer, and in striving to accomplish them in life under our own power, efforts and understanding we become "needful" like Martha regarding her sister Mary. When we are needful, we are full of need. When we strive for our need, we cancel out God's grace to supply our need. It is the same counterproductive activity as when we strive for increased faith. Striving to increase our faith implies that we do not have enough faith. Then when faith is required, we are burdened with a deep-seeded doubt as to whether or not we have enough faith to manifest what we are hoping for. Doubt counteracts our faith. But when we have faith with no doubt pulling against it, we have no weight to keep our faith from accomplishing what we intend it to. That is why Philippians says, "Laying aside every weight that so easily besets us..."
Imagine this for me: Proverbs says our blessings are in Heaven. Imagine a heavenly realm with all our blessings stored up in there. Just for imagination sake, let's say there's a spouse, a house, kids, cars, land, property, job, career, a fat 401k, investments, businesses, jewels, good friends, travel and most of all - the greatest treasures of all - opportunities to save souls and deliver lives.
And underneath this heavenly realm is each one of us. We each have a heavenly realm above us like a upstairs floor in the unseen sky above our heads. And our lives are this linear path underneath. Now above us, let's say in every year, there are periodic windows, or portals in which if opened the treasures above will pour out from the heavenlies into the natural. And every year there are windows of opportunities for us to receive the blessings we desire. If we do not walk IN GOD'S WILL, then we are not walking under these windows. And if we are walking in God's will, then we can have access to the treasures He has laid up for us there. Also, we are able to add to and store up those treasures in our heavenly realms through our prayers, words, tithes, offerings, gifts, seeds, and giving - all 7.
Each one of these activities: prayers, words, tithing, offerings, gifts, seeds, and giving, is like a key that will open the portal when we need it. Faith turns the key and receives what is desired from that heavenly realm. In the natural we follow Mark 11:23-24 and by faith it opens the windows of heaven and pours out what we are hoping for according to Malachi, chapter 3.
And if we follow these things - all these things - with no doubt, fear, strife or unforgiveness to counteract our faith, then it doesn't matter whether we are ready to receive our blessings or not.
Remember the prodigal son? He received his blessing before he was ready - before its time - simply by asking for it. And then he squandered it in sin and riotous living. But he came back to his father and still was given more! He wasn't punished by his father for squandering it! And the son who stayed home; doing what was "right" and what he "thought" was required of him was ticked off, demanding why he didn't get the same treatment as well. And the father told him, you too could have had it at any time. But you didn't ask like your brother did.
It is in our relationship with God - our mutual prayer and communication, study in the word, wisdom and understanding - that we become ready. But whether we're ready or not, our blessings will always follow the laws of prosperity just like our feet must follow the laws of gravity.
To perceive we must see something with the revelation of it's meaning and application. I can tell you what you must perceive, but you really have to read the bible, spend time in the word, spend time with God and be fed by a pastor in order to receive your own revelation and understanding.
I am not an ordained pastor. But according to scripture a pastor is a person - given by God - to feed you with knowledge and understanding. As your friend and loved one - that's really all I want to do - is to share with you the benefits of the knowledge and understanding I have received from God Himself.
Jesus said there are those who have ears, but do not hear. I pray you "hear" this message because faith comes by hearing (not increases, but "comes", in order that your hopes would manifest!) And Jesus said there are those who have eyes, but do not see. I pray you "see" what I'm trying to convey in this message because God's word says to stand and "see" the salvation of the Lord. And when you've done all that you can do, just stand.
So, what should you do? Do ALL that you can - no matter how much, no matter how hard - and then stand on the true, living and powerful word of God.
Power, love & peace, ya'll -
~Min. Dez
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