ARE YOU READY TO BE BLESSED?
From The HeartPublish date: 01/09/2006
Two things have I asked of You [O Lord]; deny them not to me before I die: 8 Remove far from me falsehood and lies; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, 9 Lest I be full and deny You and say, Who is the Lord? Or lest I be poor and steal, and so profane the name of my God. Proverbs 30:7-9 AMP
These are the words of Agur son of Jakeh of Massa and Solomon thought enough of them to include them in his Book of Proverbs. Agur asked God to remove falsehood and lies from him. He made a commitment to God to speak the truth and asked for His help in doing it. He also asked God to give him neither poverty nor riches—only that which he could handle.
When carnal people have all they need, they may become arrogant and deny God, taking the credit for their success for themselves. When carnal people are in a position of lack, they may steal from others to meet their needs, sinning against God and their neighbor. Both of these are very wrong. Some people believe that all their problems will be solved if they just have what they want, and others believe that spirituality and godly character come only from poverty and lack. Both of these beliefs are wrong too. Do not judge yourself by what is or isn’t in your hands. You are not a better person with stuff, or worse without it, and visa versa.
Neither poverty nor riches has the power to make you a better person, they merely reveal what is already in your heart. Being a better person comes from making a heart commitment to God. If you have made a sincere commitment to God, poverty or riches should not have the ability to sway you or change you. If you are sold out for God, poverty will not stop you, and riches will not corrupt you. Your heart attitude determines the outcome of your circumstances. It’s what you have in your heart that counts—not just what you have in your hand! Your sincere commitment to God will protect you from making a mess of your life, no matter what your economic situation.
Agur asked God to give him only that which he could handle without getting a bad attitude or sinning against God. Depending on your mindset, you could look at this request two ways. You could look at Agur as a man who doesn’t want God to give him very much or as a man who is asking God to enlarge him on the inside and make him able to handle all the blessing God can send his way! The fact of the matter is that we always get what we expect to get. If you expect to get only a little, you can have it, but if you want the ability to handle more and you expect God to do a work in your heart in this area, you can have that too.
Look into your own heart and judge yourself. Do you believe that you are not good enough for God’s blessing? Do you think that He wants you to be poor? Do you believe that He loves you? Do you believe that He would really like to bless you? Will you humble yourself and press into the Lord, allowing him to do a work in your heart and life in order to prepare you for all that He has in store for you?
Remember, if you want more ability from God, you must also be prepared for more responsibility. It has everything to do with obedience and faithfulness with the things God has already put in your hands and the commitment to be even more obedient and faithful day by day. Some people want the blessing with no commitment to the will of God on their part. There is a price to pay for the blessing of God on your life. If you will give your heart into God’s hands and ask Him to give you only that which you can handle, then it will be up to you to focus your attention on a heart change, allowing God to enlarge you on the inside so that you can be able to handle more. Make the adjustments, make God the center of your life, and make your stuff just stuff. Remember that God has promised to give you bread to eat (what you need to satisfy you) and seed to sow as well (to be a blessing to others).
Don’t have a poverty mentality—have a blessing mentality! Allow God to set the level of your prosperity. Ask God to give you only what you can handle and only what He wants you to have. If you think you want something, ask God for His opinion on the matter. Ask Him if He wants you to have it at this time. Consult with the Lord on all your purchasing decisions. “Give me neither poverty nor riches. Give me only what I need as I serve You with all my heart!” is the heart cry of a person who loves God with all his/her heart and who wants only what God wants.
You will see that if you will acknowledge God in this area of your life, He will invariably do exceedingly abundantly—superabundantly—far over and above all that you could ask or think—even infinitely beyond your highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams—according to the power that works in you (Ephesians 3:20).