How TO BECOME BLESSED by God : Understanding God’s BLESSING – Holy Ghost School 3 of 12, Chapter 1 – Day 17 of 40 Prayer and Fasting for church and leadership – Pray to THRUST OUT Labourers into the harvest
Tuesday 2nd of April 2024
Podcast link: Listen to the most recent episode of my podcast: How TO BECOME BLESSED by God : Understanding God’s BLESSING – Holy Ghost School 3 of 12, Chapter 1 https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/otakada/episodes/How-TO-BECOME-BLESSED-by-God–Understanding-Gods-BLESSING—Holy-Ghost-School-3-of-12–Chapter-1-e2hsfjc
YouTube link: https://youtu.be/dkgxIoPY3UQ?si=iGgtMXocPoj7bd8A
How TO BECOME BLESSED by God : Understanding God’s BLESSING – Holy Ghost School 3 of 12, Chapter 1
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Today’s scriptures for reading, meditating and Contemplating:
Matthew 6:33
Amplified Bible, Classic Edition
33 But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides.
John 10:27
Amplified Bible, Classic Edition
27 The sheep that are My own hear and are listening to My voice; and I know them, and they follow Me.
Jeremiah 29:11
Amplified Bible, Classic Edition
11 For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome.
Happy New Months of GREAT POSSIBILITIES in God Friends!
Today, in day 17th of 40, we are exploring A Divine Blessings in the individualised discipleship journey with Jesus Christ via the Holy Ghost School individualised Discipleship program for the end times in book 3, chapter 1, stage 1. – How TO BECOME BLESSED by God : Understanding God’s BLESSING – Holy Ghost School 3 of 12, Chapter 1
We are looking at what is blessing? How do we get it?
Let’s dive into the book
The main focus of this book is broken down as follows:
1 To show us that God really wants to bless us, both spiritually and materially.
2 To show us how to obtain these blessings without undue struggles, with emphasis on doing it yourself.
3 To put the records straight, to correct the impression that Christianity is full of restless efforts and fruitless exercises. To correct the impression that one has to do so much fasting, penance, long prayers and a host of other religious things before one can receive ‘blessings’ from God.
4 To straighten up the records, to show what God’s blessings really are and the simple way to get them, and to point out the wrong use of certain words, which we have been using to our own detriment.
5 To show that the glorious presence of God is indeed all we need to do well in this life. It sufficed for the saints of old; it is also sufficient for us today, too, if we really taste of it, for, “in His presence is fullness of joy.”
6 To put the priorities right in our desires and pursuits. If ‘one’ must come before ‘two’, but we choose to do it the other way (i.e. we put ‘two’ before ‘one’), it will not work. Spiritual things are governed by certain principles and laws. If we disregard these divine principles and orders, we will not get the result we expect no matter how we fast and pray!
7 We are now in the End-time, when satan will use hardship as a weapon to try to lure the saints away from their faith and then destroy them. (Matthew 24: 12). We must now draw close enough to the Lord Jesus and shield ourselves in His presence, as the only sure way to overcome, to the end.
8 To correct the impression that God is only ‘spiritual’, ‘spiritual’, ‘spiritual’. No! God is also ‘physical’, ‘physical’, ‘physical’. After all, He gave us the spirit and the body, therefore He cares for both. When He sent Elijah to brook Kerith and Zarephat for his spiritual training, He also arranged for the ravens to feed his physical body too! In fact, the woman of Zarephat was asked to give him food, first! So God cares for both our spiritual and material needs, only that we have to be disciplined and orderly about it. (Matthew 6: 33).
9 There is so much deception in today’s church. This is because there is hardship and suffering in the land and people are rushing to the church for ‘solution’, However, rather than get help from our leaders, many leaders have turned the whole exercise into a theatre of exploitation, employing all sorts of gimmicks to milk the already confused and lost sheep. The Lord now wants to reach each sheep personally and directly, so as to put life back into them and bind their many wounds, feed them, all by Himself. So, the emphasis here is on do it yourself, alone with God.
10 It is a call to ‘Discipleship’. The ultimate gospel commission is that we should “make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28: 19-20). Gathering the crowd is now over. It is now time for discipleship, leading people to begin to know Jesus personally and intimately. That was how the church started – on a note of discipleship. That is how it will also end. Now is the time to do it.
And Moses said, if Your PRESENCE will not go with us, then please do not let us go there… And the Lord said, “My PRESENCE will go with you, and I will give you REST.” (Exodus 33: 14-15).
God wants to bless us and give us peace and rest in this life, but we must learn how to dwell in His Presence, for that is where all our needs shall be met.
UNDERSTANDING GOD’S BLESSINGS
Many people have gone out there in search of God’s blessings. Some have done that for many years now yet they have not found what they are seeking. In this section, we will try to examine why they are not getting the blessings that they seek. We will try to redefine God’s blessings, from God’s own point of view, so that we can take corrections where necessary. Then shall the blessings come.
So what does it mean for somebody to be “blessed” by God? What does God’s blessing really mean? This is what we are out to discuss in this section.
HOW TO BECOME BLESSED BY GOD
One of the reasons why many people are roaming about today from one “prayer house” to another is because they are searching for “God’s blessing”. Today there is so much hardship in the land and so people are going about seeking God’s Blessings. In the process, many have fasted for days, weeks, months for God to “bless” them. Some have done “night-vigils” upon “night-vigils”, so as to get “blessed”. Yet some believe it is going from one “anointed man of God” to another that would make God bless them. Some have gone to upwards of five to ten churches and “prayer houses” and fellowships all in search of God’s blessings.
“Land liberation”, “covenant breaking”, “deliverance”, “seed-faith”, “seed-sowing”, “anointing oil” and all sorts of things have been done and applied, all in their bid to secure God’s blessings.
However, the sad news is that after these religious efforts have been made and even repeated several times, not many of these people seem to have found what they are looking for. Many say they have not received the blessings they are seeking, and so the “struggle” continues.
So one might ask; “Why is it that these blessings are not forthcoming?” Is God not interested in blessing us or is there a fault on our side? From revelations and experiences, it appears that many who are seeking “God’s blessings” in this way are actually confused. It appears that they don’t really know what God’s blessings are, and so they don’t really know what they are looking for. They are using the right word, blessing, but then, their idea of blessing seems to be different from God’s own idea. Therefore they are walking in disharmony with God, yet they do not know. That explains why many who are searching for God’s blessings have not got them.
WHAT ABOUT YOU?
Do you want God to “bless” you? Have you been seeking God’s blessings? Now, what do you really mean by that? What do you mean by blessings? It is important to ask this question because revelation shows that many people are busy pursuing what they don’t really know! If you don’t know exactly what you are pursuing, then you won’t know when you have passed it.
So, what are those blessings you have in mind which you have been calling on God all these years to give you? Try to name them one by one.
GOD’S BLESSING ARE DEEPER THAN THESE
Through revelations from the Lord and our own experiences, we have discovered that what many people call blessings are actually money, riches, material possessions. By blessings they mean good job, marriage, fruits of the womb, houses, cars and other such things. The bulk of it consists of material things. Now these things are not bad. They are in fact good and desirable, but then, are these what we should call blessings? These material possessions, are they indeed the blessings that God intends to give His children in this life? If that is the case, then many unbelievers are already blessed and so they don’t need to receive Christ anymore. Why? Because many evil men today have got so much of these material things including so much money, positions, children, family and so on.
But if having all these things means that one is blessed, then why has Jesus said that “a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses?”
And Jesus said to them, “take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.” (Luke 12: 15)
And the “Living Bible” puts it this way:
Beware! Don’t always be wishing for what you don’t have. For real life and real living are not related to how rich we are. (Luke 12: 15-LB).
“Real Life”, “real living”, is what we mean by blessing, living a blessed life. So, if it is not found in riches and in material possessions, what is it then? It also means that most of us have got it all wrong, for what most Christians call blessings are actually riches and possessions! Some call it “open door”, others call it “breakthrough”.
So, what does it mean for one to be truly blessed by God?
NOT EVERY GOOD THING IS A BLESSING
Let us be careful to understand what blessings are. Many people, once they hear the word “blessings”, quickly think of money, believing that those who have got money (riches) are all blessed.
Now, it is not so. Blessings may include money, but money in itself may not be blessing. The rich man in the Bible who had so much riches in the time of Lazarus, was not blessed. He had so much riches, but he died and went to hell! Do you call such a person blessed? Do you call such material wealth blessings?
A man buys a beautiful new car and dies in an accident in this car, do you call such a thing blessing? A rich man who lives in his great mansion in a special area of the city suddenly drops dead without Christ; do you call such riches blessings? To just have money and acquire things of this life may look good, but that is not the “blessing” that God is talking about.
Real blessings from God must include peace, joy and righteousness from God. Those who acquire worldly possessions but lack the peace of God, are not blessed. Those who have great wealth, but are tormented in their souls, and can’t sleep at night, full of restlessness, such people are not blessed. They are like the rich fool of Luke chapter 12.
The Bible says that God’s blessings are good, are perfect and they add no sorrow. (James 1: 17; Proverbs 10: 22). Any riches that keep us away from God’s peace and joy are not blessings. They are covetousness. They are evil. So what then are blessings? When we say God’s blessings, what are the things we should have in mind? Let us now see what they are. Understanding what God’s blessings are would help us to know why our religious efforts and search have not been fruitful all these years.
REAL MEANING OF GOD’S BLESSINGS
The most important blessings from God are actually invisible. They are things we cannot see with the physical eyes. They are spiritual in nature. Spiritual positions are the first and most important blessings God wants to give us. Though we can’t see them, yet it is these spiritual blessings that control the rest of our lives. They are like the foundation of a house which, though hidden in the ground, is carrying the rest of the building. Real blessings of God are first of all spiritual. When we have got them, the visible material blessings are then added to us, just as blocks are added on a foundation to become a house. Let’s now see what these blessings are.
There are four major things we should receive in order to be truly blessed by God. These four things are:
1. A conversational-relationship with Jesus Himself.
2. Spiritual power and authority (SPA).
3. Perfect will of God.
4. Material well-being.
Let us look at these in detail.
1. Having a Personal Conversational-Relationship with Jesus.
This is the starting point in our journey to a blessed life. We are to have the person of Jesus and know Him personally. When this happens, we should be able to hear His voice, have conversations with Him everyday, interact with Him closely and intimately and live and walk with Him everyday. This is what we call a talking, personal relationship with Jesus. Note that we are not saying be born again and that is all. No! To be born again is just the beginning of the journey to having an intimate, talking relationship with Jesus. Many Christians are truly born again, but they cannot hear Jesus’ voice and can’t have conversations with Him daily. Such people are baby believers. They need to grow up. To hear the voice of Jesus is the beginning of great blessings. His voice opens doors, brings healings and leads to progress. That Jesus, the King of Kings can make out time to look at us as individuals, and then speak to us, that is a great blessedness! How many people has the president of a nation spoken to? How many people have received the personal attention of the president of their nation? That Jesus will set aside all He has to do, and then come to us as individuals and speak to us, should be the greatest blessing of all! Don’t you think so? This is more so when we realize that Jesus does not talk to just anyone He sees. His voice is too precious that it is not open to just anyone to receive. It is meant for those He calls His Sheep.
My sheep hear my voice… (John 10: 27).
So those who hear His voice are His Sheep, and that is the greatest blessing of all. Now, have you been seeking a conversational, personal relationship with Jesus? Have you been seeking His voice personally and regularly? If not, then you have not been seeking the right blessings. To have a conversational, personal relationship with Jesus is the first and the best blessing we should seek. Why? Because this conversational relationship is the foundation of life upon which God can then build other blessings. Talking relationship with Jesus is our Life foundation. When we have it, God will then build other things upon it, but without this foundation, not much spiritual progress can come to us and stay. If progress comes, it goes, because we haven’t got the right foundation to hold it.
So, if you want God to truly bless you, then start drawing close to Jesus, in His presence, so that you would begin to hear His voice. Once this is done, other blessings will begin to come to you without you struggling.
Hearing His voice and relating personally with Jesus should be the first blessing we are to seek. It is the first blessing God wants to give us.
2. Having Spiritual Power and Authority (SPA)
Once we have established a talking relationship with Jesus, we are now ready for the next blessing which is receiving God’s power and authority. Why SPA? Because this world is full of evil powers. Anyone who hasn’t got the power of God is in trouble. Why? Because evil powers will not let the person have peace and rest. If he tries to get any good thing, evil powers will try to snatch that good thing from him. Haven’t you seen people who are rich today, tomorrow they become suddenly poor? Yes, some are alive and well today, tomorrow, sudden destruction comes upon them. Some have good business today, tomorrow, their business suddenly collapses. Some people have good things of this life, material possessions, but they cannot enjoy them. Why? Because fear is tormenting them. They are dying of restlessness, worries and anxiety. Insecurity and anguish of the soul are eating them up. Such people haven’t got real blessings. They have got good things, but they haven’t got the power and spiritual authority to keep and enjoy them. They keep getting and losing the good things of life! Such people are not blessed. They are rather cursed. They are living miserable lives.
When God wants to give us real blessings, He would first of all give us personal talking relationship with Jesus. Next, He gives us spiritual power and authority, so that no evil power harasses us nor snatches our material things. Now, have you got spiritual power and authority from God? Don’t say you do not know, for anyone who has a certificate knows that he has it. Even so, God’s spiritual authority is a certificate which God gives to those who have studied in the school of obedience and personal relationship with Jesus.
When we have got spiritual power and authority, God is then happy and ready to give us other blessings, including material possessions, because we have got His authority to keep and enjoy them. God wouldn’t want to give us material blessings which He knows we cannot keep! This is why people who seek material blessings only, often don’t receive them. God wants us to receive spiritual power and authority first.
Have you now seen why perhaps you too haven’t got the material blessings you have been seeking all these years? You should now stop seeking material blessings and start seeking personal relationship with Jesus and then spiritual power and authority. If you do it this way, you will be surprised how fast things will move in your life, because you are now seeking things the right way.
That God would give His power and authority to man is a great blessing indeed. Why? Because His power is the ultimate power. When we have it, the devils will recognize us and begin to give us respect. When we have it, no power of hell can stand before us. When we have it, all our enemies have become powerless before us, they cannot overcome us anymore! When we have God’s power and authority, we will walk in this evil world fearless, powerful, successful, for His authority makes All the difference! Have you received it?
3 Perfect Will of God
This is another thing that makes us blessed, if we have it. Many people, including believers are struggling so much in this life. The more they struggle, the less they progress in life. As a result, there is so much restlessness and anxiety because their efforts are not getting them the success they have set out to achieve.
Why are things so? It is because such people are operating outside the will of God. God has beautiful plans for each of us in this life. These plans are contained in His Will, just as a rich man has great things for his children in His will also.
For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. (Jeremiah 29: 11).
That is the will of God we are talking about. When anyone gets into God’s will, he will never struggle in this life again! Why? Because in the will (plans) of God, we will find all the things that we need in this life, including peace, joy, progress, success, good job, money, housing, good health, good family and children, good husband, good wife, spiritual power and authority, and all other wonderful things that our Father God has planned for us.
Therefore, to discover the will of God for one’s life and to enter into it is one of the greatest blessings we can ever receive from God. Why? Because His will is one blessing that contains all other blessings. When we have it, we have others as well.
So, what blessings have you been seeking? Do you now see why God hasn’t given you those things you have been praying and fasting for? The right thing to seek should be His perfect will for your life. Once that is done, you will find all those other things right there in His Will.
From today, stop praying for those material things. Start praying for God’s will instead. Start spending time in God’s presence and there ask Him to reveal His will for you in different areas of your life. For instance, find out God’s will for you in marriage. Ask Him;
Lord, please what is Your will for me in marriage? Who would you want me to marry?
Ask for His will in other areas of your life too. For instance in education, in having children, in where to live and what to do for a living, etc. Ask Him to reveal His plan and purposes for you in all area of your life and to help bring you into them. When you ask for His will in your life, you are making the best request of your life. Why? Because once you operate in His will, you will never struggle in life again. Why? Because His will covers everything we need in this life in order to be happy and successful.
Those who are asking for blessings, but have not asked for His will are not wise. As you enter into a personal, talking relationship with Jesus, He will begin to reveal the Father’s will to you, for only He can lead us into the will of the Father.
4 Material Possessions and Physical Well-being
We have now come to the one that everyone is waiting for, material blessings. Do you see where it comes in? It is number four and the last thing. Before material blessings, there are three other things that we must get:
– Personal, conversational relationship with Jesus
– Spiritual power and authority
– Perfect will of God
These three things make up our spiritual foundation. These are the blessings we should seek first. When we have got them, material blessings flow to us effortlessly. That is the mystery of Matthew 6: 33 which Says;
Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things (i.e. – material things) will be added unto you.
Have you now seen the wisdom of God in this arrangement? When we seek material things first and get them, evil forces will harass us and try to snatch those things from us, for this earth still lies in the power of the evil one (1John 5: 19). But when we seek and obtain good spiritual foundation first, God will then happily and readily give us the material things as well, knowing that we won’t lose them to the evil powers. Without good spiritual foundation, material things can lead us to destruction, as it happened to the rich fool in the Bible. It nearly destroyed the prodigal son also.
Unfortunately, most believers have spent all their days seeking item four first, instead of seeking items one to three first. You, which one have you been asking first? Item four or items one to three? Those who seek item four (material blessings) first are foolish. They are not wise. They are seeking what God said He would add to us! Such people can never receive God’s real blessings unless they rearrange their desires to fall in line with God’s order:
Seek ye first… (Spiritual foundation)!
Let us obey this command and start seeking items one to three first, from today. It will surprise you how fast God would visit you with material blessings as well! Those who have tried this program are full of amazement that these things work out truly! You too, start the program today and you will never again have the need to run about seeking man’s help. God truly wants to bless you. He wants to give you material blessings. He wants to give you material progress in this life. But He wants you to have a solid, spiritual foundation first. That is all. Do you understand?
Then pray and thank Him for this arrangement. Tell Him that you have understood His plans. Tell Him that you will henceforth seek the right things, according to His arrangement and priorities. Ask Him to give you the grace to remain in His presence, and not to go back to your own ways any more.
You will soon enter into a real blessed life.
ALL ARE RECEIVED IN HIS PRESENCE
Have you now seen why we are directing everyone to God’s presence? Because it is in His presence that we will receive those three items that make up the solid foundation:
– Conversational relationship with Jesus
– Spiritual power and authority
– Perfect will of God
These things make up the solid spiritual foundation which we need to get first before material blessings are added to us. And it is as we spend time in His presence that we get all three of them. Unfortunately, most Christians are too full of church and religious activities that they don’t have time to stay in His presence, alone, in their homes. Such “on-the-road” Christians cannot receive the solid foundation. As a result, they cannot come to that blessed life that God has for us.
If you are one of such “too busy Christians”, you are harming yourself terribly. You are the one denying yourself God’s blessings. Stop fasting and praying and all those religious things you are doing to get blessings. The devil is not the one holding your blessings, so stop all those talks of devil and enemies. Stop going from one deliverance centre to another; for there is nothing wrong with you in that sense. Your only problem is that you don’t spend time in God’s presence. That is all. If you want to begin having progress, then start going to His presence everyday, for Him to build in you the solid spiritual foundation we have talked about. Before you know it, He will begin to add to you those material blessings you have been seeking all along. Start the program today.
DEEPER THAN WE HAVE THOUGHT
So we have seen that God’s blessings are much more than merely acquiring material things! In fact, material things are the least among God’s blessings. Therefore, as we go about seeking God’s blessings from today, we should now be wise to know exactly what we are talking about. We have been seeking and not finding because we have been seeking amiss. As we begin to seek properly from now, God will surely be pleased and He will cause us to receive His great blessings.
In Matthew 16: 19, Jesus said to Peter, “Simon, you are blessed”. At that time what had Peter got? He did not have much riches or material blessings. In fact, he had given up his fishing business, yet Jesus called him “blessed”. Why? Because he had begun knowing Jesus personally, by revelation, and now Jesus had promised him spiritual power and authority called “keys of the kingdom of God”. So, a good spiritual foundation makes us blessed, and prepares the way for material blessings to now follow.
Let us never again be deceived as we seek God’s blessings.
DON’T WORSHIP IDOLS AGAIN
Do you know that many believers have been worshipping idols unknowingly? Yes, the way we go about seeking material blessings can in fact make us idol worshippers. See how it works.
Material blessings here include good health, good job, money (riches), good husband, good wife, nice children, good marriage and family, promotions and positions, cars, housing, and all good things of this physical life which we need to fulfil God’s purposes for our lives. These things are good and desirable, and in fact, it is God’s will to let us have them. But then, are these the things we should be preoccupied with? Are these to become our focus? When such good things become our main focus, they cease to be good. Why? Because they have become idols to us. “Idols” in the heart are things which we have allowed to displace God in our hearts, things which have taken the number one place in our hearts, things which we have made our main pursuit.
God and pleasing God should be our main pursuit. As we please Him, He gets these material things for us with ease. It is these material things that many people have been running up and down looking for, praying for, fasting for, drinking anointing oil for, and afflicting their souls and bodies for! When we do that, then we are worshipping idols in our hearts! That is why many who seek them don’t find them, because God did not ask us to seek these things. We are to seek God’s spiritual foundation first, then God would add these things to us. Let us not worship idol again.
Furthermore, when we make these material things our main pursuits, they displace God in our hearts. We may then lose God as well as the material things we are seeking. That is what has happened to many Christians already. They have lost both God and the material things they are seeking!
Are you one of such people? Ask God to show you your real position. Then repent if need be start doing things the right way.
Question for you!
The information shared today, does it make sense to you? if so, give further insights.
Going forward, what would you do differently? Make commitment to start immediately!
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Shalom!
Ambassador Monday O. OGBE
God’s Eagle Ministries
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