He Has You

All of us want to be blessed by the Lord. Some of us are willing to do what it takes to gain His blessing, while most of us think He should just bless us when we ask Him. Certainly, God will bless us in some ways whether we ask or not, but He has conditions to receive His full blessings.

It’s either your way or God’s way, and your choice forever matters. “Today I am giving you a choice of two ways…You can choose life or death. The first choice will bring a blessing. The other choice will bring a curse…” (Deuteronomy 30:19 ERV).

The Beatitudes are the opening statements from Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount. If you look carefully, the Beatitudes are the ladder of faith by which we can grow in all the blessings God has for us. God blesses us, but we have to step into those blessings to receive them.

Step 1: “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs” (Matthew 5:3 NLT). The first step is to realize how utterly empty we truly are and just how much we need God for everything. You must realize the need for Him before you’ll reach out for Him. When we’re at the end of ourselves, we’ll be at a new beginning with the Lord.

Step 2: “God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted” (Matthew 5:4 NLT). The second step is to realize the depth of depravity that we have, such that we realize and acknowledge just how sorry we are for the sins we have committed. The path back to the Father begins from where you are right now.

Step 3: “God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth” (Matthew 5:5 NLT). The third step is to stop thinking we are all that and turn away from the arrogant thinking we once had. Humility is a prerequisite for going higher. Humility is the path that leads to God.

Step 4: “God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice [righteousness], for they will be satisfied” (Matthew 5:6 NLT). The fourth step is to desire justice for those around them such that they would be in the will of God. We are meant to stand for justice for all. The hungrier you are, the more you will eat.

Step 5: “God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy” (Matthew 5:7 NLT). The fifth step is to show mercy to those around us, just as God has shown His great mercy to us. The more we are filled with God, the more His mercy will pour out of us. Pour out mercy at the rate you would want to receive it.

Step 6: “God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God” (Matthew 5:8 NLT). The sixth step is to be sanctified to a higher level of holy living. This holy living is never to promote us above others nor to earn one square inch in heaven, but only to please our heavenly Father. Seek to be pure, not popular.

Step 7: “God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God” (Matthew 5:9 NLT). The seventh step is the attitude in heaven being present in our lives. It is where we seek peace on earth and goodwill toward one another. You will have as much peace in you as you have Christ in you.

Step 8: “God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs” (Matthew 5:10 NLT). The eighth step is the pinnacle of our faith, where even under persecution, we can see the blessings of God. This is portrayed when Paul was singing while in jail. Anybody can praise God in the good times, but it is the blessed ones who can praise Him in the bad times.

You may have noticed the phrase in the first and last Beatitudes, “For the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.” These phrases are the literary bookends that give us the assurance of heaven no matter where we are on this ladder of faith. Get to step one for sure, and the rest will be extra blessings.

The Bible is filled with the secrets to being blessed by God:

The problem is we read the Bible like a novel and not the Word of God. Jesus taught us, “…blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” (Luke 11:28 NKJV).

Sometimes God makes us wait to see if we will. “…blessed are all those who wait for him” (Isaiah 30:18 ESV).

The more you trust the Lord, the less you will worry. “Blessed is the person who trusts Yahweh. Yahweh will be his confidence” (Jeremiah 17:7 NOG).

It’s not how much you know but what you do with it that makes knowledge so powerful. Jesus taught us, “If you know these things, you are blessed [happy and favored by God] if you put them into practice [and faithfully do them]” (John 13:17 AMP).

The only thing worse than no counsel is bad counsel. “Blessed is the person who does not follow the advice of wicked people…Rather, he delights in the teachings of Yahweh and reflects on his teachings day and night” (Psalm 1:1-2 NOG).

The more you bless others, the more blessed you will be. “Those who live to bless others will have blessings heaped upon them, and the one who pours out his life to pour out blessings will be saturated with favor” (Proverbs 11:25 TPT).

Our problem is that we trust ourselves too much and trust the Lord too little. “Thus says the Lord: ‘Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength… Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord…’” (Jeremiah 17:5,7 NKJV).

Blessings to you,

Paul Balius