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God still promises that if we
obey Him, He will protect us, guide us, provide for us, heal us, and keep us
by David Cerullo
A fierce battle
is raging today over the Bible’s teachings about prosperity.
Many
well-meaning Christians have accepted the lie that God takes pleasure in giving
them financial lack instead of abundance.
Those who
criticize the Lord’s offer of financial blessings typically attack two
important principles found in Scripture:
· God’s desire to bless His children with
material things in this present life
· His prescribed methods for blessing His
people
It does little
good to believe in the Lord’s desire to bless us if we don’t know and obey His
instructions for how to receive those blessings.
Yet many
Christians stumble over the very first step, because they’re not really
convinced of their Heavenly Father’s intention to bless them.
In contrast,
look at what Scripture says about Abraham’s walk of faith:
“He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was
strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that
what He had promised He was also able to perform” - (Romans
4:20-21).
Could this
statement be made of you as well?
Are you “fully
convinced” the Lord is willing and able to bless you?
In order to
receive God’s abundance, James warns that we must…
“… ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a
wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose
that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man,
unstable in all his ways” - (James 1:6-8).
We can bring
Him our needs with full assurance of faith, without doubting.
Obeying God’s Instructions
When you were a
kid, did you ever receive a great toy for Christmas, only to find that it
didn’t seem to work?
Perhaps you
hurriedly yanked off the wrapping paper, ripped open the package, and pushed
the start button — but with absolutely no response.
“What’s wrong with it?” you wondered. “Is my new toy
broken already?”
In all
likelihood, your nifty new Christmas present failed to work for one basic
reason: You failed to read and follow the instructions!
In the same
way, although it’s exciting to hear about God’s promises for a life of
abundance, many Believers find themselves disappointed when they don’t
immediately receive their eagerly anticipated prosperity.
Typically, they
blame God for not being true to His Word, but the real problem is much
simpler: They didn’t take time to learn and follow His instructions!
Is there a
promise in God’s Word you claimed, without receiving the desired result?
Then I
encourage you to go back and look at the context of the Scripture passage
again. What condition or instruction did the Lord include with His promise?
Throughout the Bible, you’ll find God saying, “I’ll do this… if
you’ll do that.”
Ask Him to show
you any ways you’ve missed the mark in doing your part to receive His
provision.
God’s Prescribed Methods
Even after
becoming convinced of God’s desire to bless them, many people still fail to
actually receive the anticipated blessings.
While it’s
certainly possible for the Lord to supernaturally provide for us by dropping
manna, quail, or some other provision out of the sky, this is seldom how He
chooses to work.
Rather, He
works through established principles of abundance, which He has set forth in
His Word.
For example,
one of God’s primary methods of blessing His people is through the principle of
Seedtime and Harvest, which is a very simple concept:
“Whatever a man sows, that he will also reap”
- (Galatians
6:7).
“He who sows sparingly will also reap
sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully” - (2 Corinthians 9:6).
The principle
of Seedtime and Harvest is not only found throughout Scripture, but it’s also
an established law of nature.
What farmer
would expect to harvest a crop if he hasn’t first planted any seeds?
Once our seeds
are sown, He is able to bless and multiply them. But it’s impossible for a
harvest to start until something is sown!
God’s Appointed Times
Some of the
Lord’s most incredible spiritual blessings are offered to us through the
Biblical feasts ordained in Exodus 23 and Leviticus 23.
These passages
describe three Holy Convocations… “Appointed Times”… seasons when God
wants to meet with His people and bless our lives in miraculous ways.
Referring to these three feasts — Passover, Pentecost, and
Tabernacles — Deuteronomy 16:16 says, “None shall appear before the
Lord empty-handed.”
Yes, God put
conditions on His promises, and He decreed that these three appointed feasts
are to be celebrated perpetually throughout all generations… FOREVER
- (Leviticus 23:41).
These aren’t
just Israel’s feasts or the Church’s feasts —
they’re the Lord’s feasts!
His
instructions about the feasts aren’t tied to an old or a new Covenant.
He simply tells us emphatically: “Three times you shall
keep a feast to Me in the year” (Exodus 23:14).
This was a
direct and insistent command!
Jesus
celebrated the feasts. The disciples celebrated the feasts. The apostle Paul celebrated
the feasts.
The early
Church celebrated the feasts. So it’s misguided to think these feasts are
irrelevant to Believers today.
Let me be
clear: Celebrating these Appointed Times has NOTHING to do
with our salvation, but it has a LOT to do with releasing
God’s Covenant Blessings in our lives!
Each one of us
needs God’s supernatural…
·
Guidance
·
Healing
·
Protection
·
Provision
·
Victory
·
Restoration of anything the enemy has stolen
These are just
a few of the Covenant Promises God made to His children in Exodus 23… if they
would obey Him in all He asked.
Think about it.
Israel never had a big army compared to the armies of their enemies. But they
weren’t depending on the size of their army — they were depending on the size
of their GOD and His PROMISES to deliver them!
God was
faithful to His Word. He supernaturally provided for them in the wilderness. He
gave them food and water, and even kept their shoes from wearing out.
Israel lived
under a canopy of God’s Covenant Promises to give them supernatural abundance
and blessing — the same provision we need in our lives today!
The Israelites
KNEW that if they obeyed the Lord… kept His commandments… and came before Him
with their tithes and special offerings, they could depend on God to keep His
promises to bless them.
Of course,
Scripture is clear that the Lord is the rightful Owner of everything in
Heaven and on earth (Psalm 24:1, 1 Chronicles 29:11).
But there’s
something very special about the offerings God commanded them to bring during
these feasts.
He said they were
to be in addition to their tithes, pledges, and vows (Leviticus
23:37-38).
It’s tragic
that many Christians are being robbed of God’s intended blessings because they
think the Old Covenant promises don’t apply to them anymore.
God still
promises that if we obey Him, He will protect us, guide us, provide for us,
heal us, and keep us!
So, take a step
of faith and obedience… come before God to honor Him with your worship… prepare
Him a special offering… then trust that your amazing season of
miracles and blessings is at hand!
Your friend and
partner to reach the Lost,
P.S. I want you to have a copy of my brand-new book, PURSUING
HIS PRESENCE. I’m so excited about this powerful resource to help you
gain new intimacy with God. Click on the link below for all the details!
David
Cerullo is
the founder, chairman, and CEO of Inspiration Ministries, located in Indian
Land, South Carolina – a ministry dedicated to impacting people for Christ
worldwide through media. The son of international evangelist Morris Cerullo,
David took a less traditional approach to ministry, graduating from Oral
Roberts University with a degree in business administration and management. He
has authored over 20 books, and operates a global media ministry that
powerfully impacts the world for Christ. More from
David on Inspiration.org.
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