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February 16, 2015

"And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:  And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God.  Deuteronomy 28:1-2

Have you ever tried to pick something up while holding onto something else?  It's a challenge, isn't it?  If you are unwilling to let go of that object you have in your hand, you are most likely not going to be able to pick up the other object.

I've often heard people talk about that in terms of blessings.  how can one receive God's blessing while holding on to anger or bitterness?  Sometimes feelings of anger or bitterness consume us so much that we end up missing out on our blessings. We may be blinded by these things to the point that we don't recognize  our blessing when God sends them our way.  We may be so focused on our bitterness and anger (or the object of that bitterness and anger), that we are unable to recognize the blessing hanging right in front of us.

Is it possible for God to bless us while we're holding on to anger and bitterness?  Yes it is.  All things are possible with God.  It is, however, hard for us to recognize those blessings, or receive them because we are so filled with that bitterness and anger.  Bitterness is not in God's nature.  God was never once bitter about anything related to us.  Yes, God may have been angered by us, but He has also always been quick to forgive us.

Ephesians 4:26 says, be angry, but do not sin.  So we can be angry.  But not to the point where our anger becomes an obsession.  We must learn to let go of the anger so that it does not harden our hearts.  When in sin, how close are we to God?  How is our relationship with God when we are knee deep in sin?  If we are far from God, how can we receive His blessing?

In order to receive God's blessing, we must obey Him and turn away from sin.  We must draw close to Him, and remain in a close relationship with Him.   He has told us that we need only listen to His voice and follow His commands in order to be blessed.  God wants to bless us, and as He promised, He is able to bless us overwhelmingly.  Above all, God desires a relationship with us.  So if that means holding His blessings back from us while pursuing us and drawing us out of sin, He will do it.

PAG