As I talked about in the previous blog, God intends to bless you. You must connect faith, action, and obedience. Today, I want to share three character traits that you must possess and perfect as you stand upon the word of God.
Be conscientious. Resist the temptation to take in the word and stop working, building, or moving forward. God’s word of blessings is a call to continue to move forward. It is crucial that you continue to pursue those things the Father has placed in your heart. Continue to pursue the dream or vision God has imparted into you. Don’t allow the austerity of the economy drive you to close up shop. Don’t allow fears and doubts to keep you from pursuing your purpose. Remember nothing is impossible with God. This is an opportunity for you to demonstrate the marvelous creativity that comes from God. Zechariah tells us, “Let your hands be strong.” Essentially, he says keep working.
Be courageous. There are not very many more profound statements in the Bible than, “Fear not.” It is what the Lord repeatedly told Joshua as he stepped into leading the children of Israel. He told him time and time again fear not; as he outlined the mission, plan, and purpose of Joshua’s life. He tells it to the children of Israel again through the prophet Zechariah after he reveals his plan to bless them. You see, when God speaks of blessing you there is almost always an element of fear that tries to attach itself to you. It seems impossible, sometimes even unfathomable. I remind you, nothing is impossible for God. God’s will for you is that you receive the word and allow him to make you a blessing to others. Don’t allow thoughts of fear and doubt to sabotage God’s intention. If the enemy tries to tell you to give up, delay, or forget about achieving a goal, you can silence him by moving with deliberate determination, being motivated by love, and maintaining discipline. Be confident in God, trust him completely, and stick to the plan. Don’t allow anyone to talk you out of God’s promise to you. This means silencing your own doubts, ignoring the doubting Thomases in your life, and most of all silencing the enemy. Satan will do anything he can to talk you out of the blessing of God. You must recognize that God determines to bless out of his holy, righteous character.
Be committed. Commitment is everything. Without commitment nothing will ever get accomplished. If you want to accomplish anything in life you must commit to it. Often we believe ourselves to be committed to something when we are not. Commitment precipitates action. Just the other day, I was talking about my desires with someone and she quite pointedly asked me, “So you want to go for it, or are we just talking about it?” It was right then I realized that the only way to obtain what I wanted would be to commit to a course of action. Commit to the vision. Be clear on what you are in pursuit of and be willing to do what is necessary to achieve it. Recognize that commitment looks different for everyone. If you preparing to run a marathon commitment looks like running in the rain when it’s easier to stay in the warm, dry house. If you are trying to increase your prayer life commitment looks like praying for those who would despitefully use you, your gifts, or skills to gain advantage over you. If the vision that you are to pursue is to maintain balance and peace at work commitment looks like meeting deadlines, operating in excellence, and helping others. Commitment to God’s vision for your life can also look like maintaining a proper attitude about all he has given you instead of complaining about what you don’t have. Finally, I want to remind you that commitment even looks like taking time to laughing and enjoying the life God has blessed you with. It’s okay to enjoy the journey. Be committed, but not obsessed. Life will be far more pleasurable and God will get the glory.
Remember, it is God’s intent to bless you.
Blessings to you!
MC