Blessings For Obedience

Deuteronomy 28

1 If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth.

2 All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the LORD your God:

3 You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country.

4 The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock— he calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks.
5 Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed.

6 You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out.

7 The LORD will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven.

8 The LORD will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The LORD your God will bless you in the land he is giving you.

9 The LORD will establish you as his holy people, as he promised you on oath, if you keep the commands of the LORD your God and walk in obedience to him.

10 Then all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they will fear you.

11 The LORD will grant you abundant prosperity—in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your ground—in the land he swore to your ancestors to give you.

12 The LORD will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none.

13 The LORD will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the LORD your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom.

14 Do not turn aside from any of the commands I give you today, to the right or to the left, following other gods and serving them.

How to read the Bible so that God speaks to you

Download The eBook here

Developing a successful Bible reading time depends on the balancing of several skills like the improvement of your ability to study the Bible, the negotiation with your motivation, and the management of your time. Which of these skills to focus on and which to lead with, make all the difference between catching a wave or just getting tired and giving up.

In this journey, we get in the water with you. We help surface the desire God has given you to be with Him. We help you learn to read the Bible in simple steps so God can speak to you. And we help minimize the influences that would push down or choke out your motivation.

By carefully reinforcing your desire for God, at the same time as enhancing your Bible study skill, you will be able to hear and respond to what God says to you. If you decide to take this journey and do the assignments, rest assured your life will never be the same.

Main Topics in The E-book – ‘How To Read The Bible’

* Understanding Desire and Discipline
* Surfacing your Desire
* Renewing Your Mind
* Walking Toward the Help
* Removing Thorns
* Stretching Your Comfort Zone
* Aligning Your Prayers
* Pacing Your Growth

Simple Tips on How to Read the Bible

I’d suggest reading and rereading a passage or a book to get the gist of the message and the context. Familiarity with the text is vital. Another a good procedure is to read through the Bible once a year to continue to familiarize yourself with its total message. Another help is to have a study Bible such as The Ryrie Study Bible or NIV Study Bible or The Nelson Study Bible and read the notes as you read the text. All of these are excellent. I’d highly recommend the new NET Bible, which has extensive notes.

As you read the Bible, pay special attention to the context and the argument of the writer. Ask and answer questions like: Who is writing? To whom is he writing? Why is he writing? Is there a problem he is addressing? What is the purpose and theme of the book? You can ask this last question of every paragraph and chapter as well as for the whole book.

May I also suggest the following: The Joy of Discovery by Oletta Wald and especially, Living By the Book by Howard G. Hendricks and William D. Hendricks. Dr. Hendricks was one of my profs at Dallas Seminary and taught Bible study methods for years. This is his specialty and anything he writes is exceptional. In this book he discusses ten strategies for reading, things to observe and principles of interpretation and application. Both are super books. Try them.

Anyway for now, download the eBook in PDF format given at the top. God Bless.

Power of God’s Presence – Its awesome!

I am always aware of the Lord’s presence; he is near, and nothing can shake me – (Psalm 16:8)

A person who recognizes God’s presence in his life is truly blessed. It doesn’t matter what he faces or goes through, He knows that God is with him!

One of the famous Old Testament personalities, Joseph, is a good example (Genesis 37 – 47). From a very young age, he started having encounters with God in the form of dreams. Though some in his own family did not like this ‘dream thing’, Joseph recognized God’s abiding presence in his life.

He went through some real bad situations from his family as well as foreigners. He experienced trials and triumphs. Whether in the pit, prison, Potiphar’s place or palace, all along, Joseph was aware that God was with him.

Recognizing God’s abiding presence in your life has great benefits. It will help you live with an attitude of confidence regardless of what you face daily. It will also motivate you to live clean and be all that God has called you to be.

Are you shaken because of something you are facing right now? One of the best solutions is to run to God and pour out your heart to Him. Spend some time in His Word (Bible). As you do, you will sense God’s presence around you! And that will break shakiness and produce confidence.

Positive thinking and motivating talks alone have only limited value. But when you spend quality time with the heavenly Father, you become aware of His presence and love surrounding you. Then you will be flooding with positive thoughts! Then you will be motivated to accomplish remarkable things!

Jesus has promised us that He will be with us day in and day out (Matthew 28:20). Still, it is when you spend time with Him in prayer and Word that you become aware of His Presence. And that releases pure confidence to face the future!

So believe in the immense power of God’s presence in our day-today life.

- – - written by Joe Abraham