The path to receiving God’s Promised Blessing begins with the prosperity of the soul and the dismantling of our own fleshly thoughts. As we see in the life of Isaac, true prosperity comes when we move beyond human wisdom and align ourselves with divine commands. By understanding how to obey God’s Promised Blessing, you can prepare a spiritual vessel capable of containing the overflowing abundance that God desires for His children.
Condition 1: Diligent Listening and Immediate Practice
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Dear brothers and sisters,
Continuing from the last session, let us delve into what we have to do to receive the blessings of God.
Based on verses 1-2 from the reading passage, we are looking into the three conditions to receive blessings. The first was about the words and commandments of God. Verse 1, Amplified Bible says, “If you will listen diligently to the voice of the Lord your God, being watchful to do all His commandments which I command you this day, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth.”
Here, I explained, that to listen diligently to the voice of the LORD your God does not only mean hearing it and storing it as knowledge. It is to obey what we hear. In order to do that, we first have to hear the word of God diligently. We have to read it, hear the messages, and meditate on them. What is more important is to learn the Word of God spiritually, keep it in our mind, and practice it immediately.
Condition 2: Keeping the Commandments
Next, let us look into the commandments. In the reading passage it says, “being careful to do all His commandments which I command you today,” As a condition for us to receive blessings, God tells us to keep all His commandments. Commandments are the things that God Himself ordered us to do certain things. Ten Commandments are the best example.
The commandments have the strongest force among all the words of God. We can feel the force from the word ‘commandment’ itself. So, it is not something about which we have an option. It is something that we simply must do.
For example, saying, ‘Drive carefully’, and ‘Fasten your seatbelt while driving’ are very different from each other. ‘Drive carefully’ includes many things, but ‘Fasten your seatbelt while driving’ is directly related with life. For this reason it is mandated by the law.
Why Commandments Are Not Burdensome
A Matter of Life, Death, and Happiness
As in the above example, most of the commandments of God are directly related with the life and death, and blessing and curse. But some believers find the commandments of God burdensome. Easily put, they find it difficult to keep them. But as I said earlier, commandments are not something optional to us. And if we just have the willingness to keep, they are not really difficult to keep either.
Deuteronomy 30:11-14 says, “For this commandment which I command you today is not too difficult for you, nor is it out of reach. [12] “It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will go up to heaven for us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may observe it?’ [13] “Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will cross the sea for us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may observe it?’ [14] “But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may observe it.”
The Heart of Willingness
When I told you to listen to the ‘seed of life’ ten times, to read the ‘Romance of Three Kingdoms’ two times, and to read the Bible out loud, those who really wanted to obey from the heart must have felt it was not difficult to obey.
On the other hand, those who did not have the willingness to obey must have felt it was such a great burden. You must have given many reasons and excuses for not being able to obey. 1 John 5:3 says, “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.” The commandments of God would not be burdensome to those who love God.
But rather they feel the love of God the Father contained in the commandments, so they rather feel joyful to keep the words of God. Deuteronomy 10:13 says, “…and to keep the LORD’s commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today for your good?” As said, the commandments are given to us for our own happiness. So, if we understand this heart of God, we will obey voluntarily and with joy the commands of God telling us to do certain things. Such people are the ones who prepare the vessel to receive blessings fully.
