And Six Blessing Blockers To Avoid

Text: Proverbs 13:12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.

Jesus was talking to his disciples and they were cautiously asking him questions. Because he had occasion to ask them already where was their faith? Had they been with him this long and still little faith. Though never in a mean way, I imagine it hurt each time for him to ask them. When they were out in a boat with Jesus asleep in the hinder part. They ran into a hellacious storm. They tried not to wake him. But alas they did, with the words, “Jesus! Do you not care? We are all about to drown?”

Awakened out of a deep sleep – he stood up and said, “You of little faith. Why are you so afraid?” Then he rebuked the storm.”Peace, be still.” The writer described it as the waters grew deadly calm.

Back to the reason, I brought that up with the storm–faith question included. He had presented a tough principle to believe, many had turned from him. So, he turned to his disciples will you leave me too? He asked, who do you say I am. Several said, John the Baptist come back or Prophet Elijah reborn. And you, he said. Peter burst out, “Thou art the Christ!” He said, you’re right flesh and blood didnt reveal this to you.

Then Peter saying again, “What about us? Where would we go? We left everything to follow you…And here’s the point, his response is one of the Commanded Blessings listed below. He said, “As for you who have left houses, land, family you shall receive 100-fold now in this time houses and brethren, sisters, mothers, children, houses, lands, with persecutions and in the world to come eternal life. The Blessing Blockers that may block us in receiving the blessing that’s been on the way too long. Or your hope was deferred and you are wondering why you feel sick about this blessing hold-up:

According to our text Scripture hope deferred makes the heart sick.

1. UNFORGIVENESS. As a believer, we are commanded to forgive. In the story above, it was a relief to Jacob to find out his brother Esau had forgiven him for his essentially tricking the blessing out of his father. For once given it could not be retracted. Though Esau sought him with tears for another blessing for him. He blessed him but there was not another birthright blessing to offer.

• Matthew 6:14-15:
  “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”
• Matthew 18:21-35:
  The parable of the unforgiving servant illustrates the consequences of withholding forgiveness, even after receiving great grace.
• Ephesians 4:31-32:
  “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

2. OFFENSE. The right response to an offense is always to forgive.

• Proverbs 19:11: A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense.
• In Matthew 18:7. Jesus says, “Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!”

3. AFFLICTION. Affliction can be a blessing blocker especially if its been long and hard. It can turn into an offense if not handled properly.
   “This is my comfort in my affliction, that Your word has revived me” (Psalm 119:50). “Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Your word” (Psalm 119:67). “It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I may learn Your statutes” (Psalm 119:71).
4. PERSECUTION. With the 100-fold blessing Jesus mentioned for his followers and disciples could receive. Especially, that had left all to follow him. He states yes this blessing is available to you. In Mark 10:30 but he shall receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brethren and sisters and, mothers and children and lands, with PERSECUTIONS and in the world to come eternal life.”

• Genesis 26:12: “Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year a hundredfold; and the Lord blessed him.”
• Matthew 13:23: “But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”

5. CARES OF THIS WORLD. Worry and anxiety can be a blessing blocker. When we become weighed down by the cares and concerns of this world, we often lose the focus of our faith.

• 1Peter 5:7 Casting all your cares [all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares about you [with deepest affection…]

6. BITTERNESS. Another common blessing blocker can be bitterness. Often stemming from unresolved anger, rage or relationship mishaps.

• Ephesians 4:31-32: “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
• Hebrews 12:15: “See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no ‘root of bitterness’ springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled.

Closing I was sitting in church one morning. Nearby were two ladies I did not know but I could overhear their conversation. One was saying, “I could hate ‘church people.’ I found myself nodding in agreement. Then I stopped because I was a leader back then. I said to myself, ‘Wait a minute I can’t be in agreement with that. I had to stop and trace where that thought was coming from. Sure enough it was unresolved feelings that I had forgotten about. I quickly identified the who when where and forgave it.

In summary, these are a good group to choose your meditation scripture for this week. I encourage you to take a look at the blessing blockers to see if any issues lie there: unforgiveness, offenses, affliction, persecution, cares of this world (worry), or bitterness. Make sure you’re not like I was harboring something that could block your blessing. I hope you got something out of it today. See you next week.

End of Blog

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