How to Obtain God’s Blessing in the New Year – Guaranteed!
1. Personal Cleansing: Search yourself for anything that is impure that could disqualify you from God’s Blessing:
a. “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that He will not hear.” (Isaiah 59:2)
b. Jesus said “He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me, scatters.” (Luke 11:23)
c. “He who conceals his sins does not prosper.” (Proverbs 28:13)
d. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)
e. “’Come now, let us reason together,’ says the LORD. ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best from the land; but if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword.’” (Isaiah 1:18-20)
2. Accept God’s love for you:
a. “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)
b. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)
c. “Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name He gave the right to become children of God.” (John 1:12)
d. “If God is for us, who an be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all – how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things… who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution… No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” (Romans 8:31-32, 35-37)
3. Determine to seek God - Press in to Him:
a. “Blessed are they whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the LORD. Blessed are they who keep His statutes and seek Him with all their heart.” (Psalm 119:1-2)
b. “For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him.” (Isaiah 16:9)
c. “Dear friends, if your hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from Him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases Him.” (1 John 3:21)
d. “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow.” (Jesus in Matthew 6:33)
4. Allow God to start prospering you from the inside out: (As your “inner man” or “spirit” begins to grow and prosper, it affects your soul, then your mind and body and expands into your attitudes, relationships, finances and legacy to those who come behind you)
a. “I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people , and I will be their God.” (Ezekiel 11:19-20)
b. “A man of perverse heart will not prosper.” (Proverbs 17:20)
c. “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. (Joshua 1:7)
d. “The Lord was with Joseph and he prospered.” (Genesis 39:2)
e. “Misfortune pursues the sinner, but prosperity is the reward of the righteous.” (Proverbs 13:21)
5. Read God’s Word every day:
a. “Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” (Joshua 1:8)
b. “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.” (Psalm 1:1-3)
c. “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Jesus, when he was being tempted by Satan in Matthew 4:4)
6. Live with an Open hand: (Be generous to God and others)
a. “A generous man will prosper.” (Proverbs 11:25)
b. “A greedy man stirs up dissension, but he who trusts in the LORD will prosper.” (Proverbs 28:25)
c. “Forgive and you will be forgiven, Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Luke 6:37b-38)
d. “’Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,’ says the LORD Almighty, ‘and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit,’ says the LORD Almighty. ‘Then all the nations will call you blessed.’” (Malachi 3:10-12)
7. Work, but not too hard:
a. “The plans of the diligent lead to profit.” (Proverbs 21:5)
b. “He who pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor.” (Proverbs 21:21)
c. “In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus Himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” (Acts 20:35)
d. “He who sows sparingly will reap sparingly.” (2 Corinthians 9:6)
e. “A man reaps what he sows.” (Galatians 6:7)
f. “Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint.” (Proverbs 23:4)
8. Invest in a couple of close friends:
a. “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” (Proverbs 27:17)
b. “a brother is born for adversity” (Proverbs 17:17)
c. “Two are better than one, because they have a good return fro their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12)
9. Fear God, not men:
a. “Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe.” (Proverbs 29:25)
b. “Love the body of believers, fear God.” (1 Peter 2:17)
c. “I tell you friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear Him… I tell you whoever acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God. But he who disowns me before men will be disowned before the angels of God.” (Jesus in Luke 12:4-5; 8-9)
d. “If you fear the LORD and serve and obey Him and do not rebel against His commands, and if both you and the king who reigns over you follow the LORD your God-good! But if you do not obey the LORD, and if you rebel against His commands, His hand will be against you… Now then stand still and see this great thing the LORD is about to do before your eyes!” (1 Samuel 12:14-16)
10: Fulfill all the commandments by loving God and loving others:
a. “We love because He first loved us. If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And He has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.” (1 John 4:20-21)
b. “Jesus replied, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love you neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37-39)
Now, just ask God to give you the faith to act on these steps and watch His presence and power come into your life this new year!
Roy Jenkins
January 1, 2007