Barriers To God’s Blessings

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IAojo1NBjA

 

1. Uninformed and heretic view and image of God hinder blessings in your life.

Blessings: God’s favor and protection.

The God we serve

Matt 15:18 This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.

·       If you never spend time before God in honor and adorations, you have a wrong perspective of God.

·       If all you do when you go before the Lord God is to ask for material and blessings for yourself , you have the wrong God.

·       The God you have is a vending machine God if all you think about him is getting from him.

·       That view of God denies us the opportunity to get the blessings of God that come through adoration and service.

·       Though our God is a giving God, our relationship with the all knowing ,sovereign and able God should be more of adorations, reverence and honor.

·       This is the God we can submit to, even when he doesn’t answer our prayers-we will say He knows what is best for me.

·       This is the God we will serve, even in our difficulty times, we know he is sovereign and self-existent-not defined by us but He is The I’m, Who He is.

You wonder why people struggle with doubt, dishonor, casual service, selfishness?

These verses point to the truse God and hi magnifiscence.

1 Chronicles 29:11: Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head overall.

Psalm 71:8 My mouth is filled with your praise, Declaring your splendor all day long.

2 Samuel 7:22 : How great you are, Sovereign Lord! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears.

Psalm 68:4-5 Sing to God, sing in praise of his name, extol him who rides on the clouds.

rejoice before him—his name is the Lord. A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows,

is God in his holy dwelling.

Romans 11:36 For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.

Daniel 4:37: Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride, he is able to humble.

The living God is so big, sovereign and magnificent and you will not, but spend time just in worship unto Him.

When you envision him as truly, He is,

·       Your life Increases fellowship/prayer/word/submission.

·       You will maintain your focus unto Him.

·       Blessings will flow through you to others.

If have a limited God in your mind, you will only see a limited God.

2. The spirit of familiarity hinders God's Blessings.

The reward of a prophet

Matthew 10: 41 Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward.

·       The blessings of a priest or a man/woman of spiritual authority.

·       The blessings of a father.

In 2024 I flew my family to Kenya, I presented my children before my father and told him, I’m just like Joseph, I bring my children born in a foreign land that you may bless them. I asked Dora, Nate and Miah to come before my father. I didn’t tell them, but they all knelt and my father, layed his hands on each of them and he poured him heart out. I have listened him pray, but that day he spoke all his love. There was tangible presence of God in the room, and Dora offered a sacrifice of Ksh5000 to him.

·       The kingdom of God is a kingdom of order. That is established with authorities and dominion.

·       Man was given dominion over all creature, but not dominion over another man. Dominion means RULE.

·       Authorities were established among men, purposely not for man to rule over the other but for the flow of blessings.

·       Abraham was the father of faith-blessings that were to flow from the father to all.

·       Aaron was the high priest-anointing which represents authority and grace was to flow from Aaron to us all.

·       This order is meant to work for the benefit of the individual, church and families.

The Jesus away from his hometown.

Matthew 4:23–24 – “He went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them”

·       Jesus Miracles happened far from home

A Prophet Without Honor

Mark 6:6 Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. ² When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. “Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing? ³ Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph,^[a] Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.⁴ Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.” ⁵ He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. ⁶ He was amazed at their lack of faith.

·       They missed on the blessings because of the spirit of familiarity.

·       Aaron and Miriam attracted the wroth of God by becoming so familiar with Moses.

John 6:41-42;  "How can He say He came down from heaven when we know who His father and mother are?" , "We have known Him since childhood. How does He expect us to believe Him?"

·       They are not taking His words in and believing and assimilating them as part of themselves for use in improving the quality of their lives .

Leviticus 10:1-4 1 Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense; and they offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, contrary to his command.

-        Never become familiar with the presence  of God.

-        Samson became so familiar with God’s power that he was using it to taut his girlfriend and used it for selfish ambitions.

Men Become Familiar with God and falter even in their Giving towards God's work.

Malachi 1:11-14  My name will be great among the nations, from where the sun rises to where it sets. In every place incense and pure offerings will be brought to me, because my name will be great among the nations,” says the Lord Almighty.¹² “But you profane it by saying, ‘The Lord’s table is defiled,’ and, ‘Its food is contemptible.’ ¹³ And you say, ‘What a burden!’ and you sniff at it contemptuously,” says the Lord Almighty.“When you bring injured, lame or diseased animals and offer them as sacrifices, should I accept them from your hands?” says the Lord. ¹⁴ “Cursed is the cheat who has an acceptable male in his flock and vows to give it, but then sacrifices a blemished animal to the Lord. For I am a great king,” says the Lord Almighty, “and my name is to be feared among the nations.

·       Moses, Miriam and Aron

The spirit of familiarity is a spirit that causes people who are close to someone to become lax and depreciative of a connection or relationship with someone. 

·       The danger with familiarity is it reduces the person to being common.

·       Things that are common to us we take for granted, we reduce their importance, and we

even disregard their input until we need them.

When a pastor becomes common/very available, there is a tendency to lose respect.  This creates a barrier between you and the anointing on that gift.

I once served in a church where the members streamed to to see the visiting preachers for all kind of issues, marriage, their children, sickness and financial issues. Another guest would come and they would seek to talk to him in private-they had become too familiar with their pastors. 

·       The result is unbelief is fostered, faith is diminished, and miracles are hindered.

·       Familiarity also breeds contention. As a result of seeing the man of God as common, you feel authorized to question his authority, criticize his decisions, and negate the vision that God gives him.  This attitude drains the life out of a body of believers and eventually leads to strife and division.

·       This is foolishness and the book of Proverbs 6: 15-18 warns against that.

3. Sin hinders Blessings

-        Sin hinders the blessings of God in our life.

Isaiah 59:1-2 “Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you…”

·       The integrity of Joseph.

·       The sin of Saul. 

1 Samuel 15:10-15 Then the word of the Lord came to Samuel: ¹¹ “I regret that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions.” Samuel was angry, and he cried out to the Lord all that night.

Proverb 6:16-18 There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him:¹⁷

1.     haughty eyes,

2.     a lying tongue,

^3.          hands that shed innocent blood,¹⁸

4.     a heart that devises wicked schemes,

5.     feet that are quick to rush into evil,

6.     a false witness who pours out lies.

7.     a person who stirs up conflict in the community.