Living a Life under God’s Blessing and Eliminating any Barriers that would Hinder it

As believers in Christ, we need to treasure God’s blessing; our normal Christian life should be a life of blessing and our Christian work should be a work of blessing, enjoying God’s blessing and being under God’s blessing.

Our God is not only the One who created us, redeemed us, and came into us to be our life; He is also a blessing God – He is a God of blessing, and we as His people should treasure God’s blessing. He shepherds us and brings us into the enjoyment of His blessing, causing us to also become a source of blessing under the showers of blessing.

First, we ourselves enjoy the Lord’s blessing, and then the Lord causes us to become a source of blessing to others, so that they also may be supplied (see Ezek. 34:26).

But what is God’s blessing? Is God’s blessing merely something material that He gives us to make us happy? Is God’s blessing merely peace, joy, comfort, and healing? Many believers think that God’s blessing has to do the things He gives us, money, or a good family, a good material situation, and a good family life.

But God is not pleased to merely give us things: He gives us Himself as our blessing; the unique blessing is God Himself as the Spirit coming to us to make us happy and meet all our needs.

We as human beings are qualified to be under God’s blessing, for we have His image and likeness to express Him and represent Him. God wants to bless us so that we may become His corporate expression.

After God created man, He blessed him. After He called Abraham, He blessed him. Again and again, God speaks to us, calls us, and blesses us; He wants to give more of Himself to us as the reality of our rest and satisfaction so that we may become His corporate expression.

The promise and blessing God gave to Abraham is not merely the seed and the land, but it is Christ Himself as the reality of Abraham’s seed, and the Spirit as the all-inclusive portion for us to enjoy.

The blessing promised to Abraham is the Spirit, whom God in Christ became through death and resurrection (Gal. 3:14-16; 1 Cor. 15:45). Hallelujah, now we as believers in Christ are the seed of Abraham, members of the corporate Christ, and we enjoy God’s promised blessing!

Realizing that Everything in our Christian Life and Work Depends on God’s Blessing

We need to realize that everything in our Christian life and work depends on God’s blessing. Sooner or later, all those who serve the Lord will be brought to the point of not relying on how much they know, have, can speak, and can do, but they would expect God’s blessing.

Without God’s blessing, all our faithfulness, faith, diligence, and prayers will be to no avail, but when we have God’s blessing, even though our situation may be hopeless, we will bear fruit and express God.

If we look at the story of the Lord multiplying the five loaves and two fish (Mark 6:35-44; 8:1-9) we see a very important principle: the Lord Jesus took the Father as the source, and He expected God’s blessing.

When God’s blessing came in, thousands of people could be fed even with a small number of loaves. No matter how many loaves we have in our hands, we need God’s blessing.

Everything in our Christian life depends on God’s blessing, and everything in our work for the Lord depends on His blessing. In a sense, it doesn’t even matter how much we can do for the Lord or how much we know; as long as we have God’s blessing, others are fed, life is brought into people, and God gains the glory.

But the question is, do we really treasure God’s blessing, or do we still strive to do this and that, not expecting God’s blessing? Is it still us trying to live the Christian life, or do we rely on the Lord with His blessing? Do we still strive to meet the need with what we have, or do we depend on the Lord with His blessing?

God’s blessing is greater than our lack, and His blessing can more than meet the need at hand. Our methods, considerations, human wisdom, and clever words are useless; in God’s work and in our Christian life we should depend on God’s blessing and expect it.

The Lord wants to bring us to a point where His blessing takes the first place, and then He has a way to go on in us and through us. We need to treasure God’s blessing (see Deut. 28:2-8; Psa. 84:4-5; Eph. 1:3).

In Deut. 28 God spoke blessing over His people, and this blessing is for us also, in a spiritual sense: God wants to bless us whether we’re at home or abroad, He wants to bless our home, our family, the things we have, and whatever we do.

What does it mean for our Christian life and work to be blessed? It means that the results are not in proportion to the effort, the gift, and the amount we have.

We may put in a certain effort and we may have a certain gift, but the result is much more – because we have God’s blessing. We need to depend on God’s blessing, treasure God’s blessing, and seek that, wherever we are, we would have God’s blessing and bring it to others also (Rom. 15:29).

Lord, cause us to realize that everything in our Christian life and work depends on God’s blessing. Save us from increasing our efforts or relying on our gift; may we truly depend on Your blessing in our Christian life and work. Only Your blessing can more than meet the need. We do not look at what we have, Lord, but we look to You for Your blessing. We give ourselves to You, and we open to You all we have, all we are, and all we can do: we depend on Your blessing and we treasure Your blessing!

Living a Life under God’s Blessing and Eliminating any Barriers that would Hinder it

Our life as believers in Christ is a life under God’s blessing; He blesses us and keeps us, He causes His face to shine upon us and is gracious to us, He lifts up His countenance upon us and gives us peace (Num. 6:23-27).

In Matt. 5:3-11 we see the normal Christian life under God’s blessing – blessings again and again! We are blessed when we are poor in spirit, pure in heart, hungry and thirsty for righteousness, meek, and one with the Lord to weep over the evil situation today.

In our Christian work, we need to sow with blessings, and we will also reap with blessings (2 Cor. 9:6). It is normal for our Christian life to be under God’s blessing, and it is normal for our work for the Lord to be under His blessing.

It is not normal if the result of our work is up to the level of what we do; if there’s no multiplication, if the results can’t exceed what we can do, then it’s not a blessing.

However, we all have to admit that, in many ways, we don’t have a normal life under God’s blessing, and we don’t have a Christian work under His blessing.

This is not because the environment is hard, the situations are difficult, the people around us are not open, or we don’t have enough power – it is because we may live in such a way that hinders God’s blessing.

Some of our habits may force God to withhold His blessing – and they must be eliminated. Our temper may keep God from blessing us, and it must be dealt with.

God is willing to bless us, and He even challenges us: “Prove Me, if you will, but this, … whether I will open to you the windows of heaven and pour out blessing for you until there is no room for it” (Mal. 3:10), but on our side, we may hinder Him.

God is more than happy and willing to bless us, but we must depend on God’s blessing, rely on it, and eliminate the barriers that prevent us from receiving it. God doesn’t bless the expression of the flesh, the living in the self, or the natural man being lived out; there are certain prerequisites, some conditions, to God’s blessing.

Therefore, we need to come to the Lord and cooperate with Him to deal with anything that hinders His blessing, so that we may live a normal church life and Christian life under His blessing.

God withholds no good thing from us; He is ready and willing to pour out His blessing, but the main hindrance to this is not others or the environment but ourselves.

If the saints are in a poor condition, the number of the newly saved ones is not increasing among us, or the work for the Lord is not going well, we should not use the environment or certain people as an excuse, but realize that we may harbor some frustrations to God’s blessing.

If the Lord can get through in us, His blessing will be greater than our capacity, for He will open the windows of heaven and pour out His blessing for us until there’s no room for it.

Lord Jesus, we believe in Your blessing and depend on it, and we want to cooperate with You to remove any barriers or frustrations to Your blessing. May our Christian life and church life with our work for You be under God’s blessing. May our living not be a hindrance for Your blessing, and may our person be qualified to receive Your blessing. Lord, make it our experience that we experience Your blessing wherever we are and whatever we do. We are willing to deal with any problems to You pouring out Your blessing!

References and Hymns on this Topic

• Inspiration: the Word of God, my enjoyment in the ministry, the message by Mark Raabe for this week, and portions from, Collected Works of Watchman Nee, vol. 56, pp. 435-446, as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Crystallization-study of Ezekiel (2), msg. 4 (week 16 in the HWMR), The God of blessing and the blessing of God.
• Hymns on this topic:
  # Showers of blessing come in their season; / We ask, You come, abundantly given; / You are the hope Who fills us with joy / That we’d abound, Your pow’r employ. (Song on showers of blessing)
  # All the blessings God hath promised, / With our faith on Thee depend; / Thou art “Yea” and “Amen” for them, / All the content and the end! (Hymns #191)
  # We cannot be channels of blessing / If our lives are not free from all sin; / We will barriers be and a hindrance / To those we are trying to win. (Hymns #928)