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There are many varieties of lands in the life of a Christian. We have spiritual land, material land, marital land, even the physical lands we can see. The level to which you can possess your set land depends on how pleased God is with you. You find yourself doing a particular thing expecting results, but nothing seems to yield as expected. You pray the same prayer for many years without answers. You desire change in a particular aspect, but the same thing keeps happening.
When your ways and your life please God, every little request made to Him is treated with utmost speed because He is a father who listens to every conversation of the righteous.
If we think we can attain our desired heights as children of God by depending on our wealth of experience, connections, physical strength, or number of years we have put in the journey of Christianity, then we're nothing less than liars. For by strength shall no man prevail.
As a church, we can't stand to win souls for Christ if we stand to run by our own strategy or how the other person does his. Our lives should be the first thing that evangelizes to people.
WHEN GOD IS PLEASED WITH A MAN:
1. Everything he does prospers.
~There's always an evidence for every little effort you make.
~Academically, business wise, you stand out tall.
~Your marriage/family becomes a role model.
~The church reaps evidence of evangelism.
2. He makes your enemies to be at peace with you.
3. Your prayer is sweet unto God.
The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God’s people, went up before God from the angel’s hand. Rev. 8:3-4[NIV]
~It pleases God to hear and answer your prayers. Prayers here is not all about what you can beg or ask from God, rather the greatest and the most fundamental prayer of the saint is worship. So when God talks about incense as fragrance, He was referring to worship. This is your greatest gift & prayer to God. Or lives can only be a worship to God when it radiates fragrance, when it honors God, when it is beautiful like incense unto God. This is the only time we can receive healing, deliverance, and answers to our prayer requests, because worship is more than just the words we sing, it is our lives.
And if our lives are not pleasing unto God, our prayers will be struggling to break barriers to reach God. This is what causes prolonged answers to prayers most of the times.
In order to possess our assigned inheritance as sons and daughters of God's kingdom, God has to find pleasure in our lives first. That, can only be achieved through righteousness and total obedience to HIM.
Thanks for your words of encouragement, but don't forget to tell us how you feel about other peoples post.
Bs
That's not true. God was talking to Israel. The promises that God made to Israel under the old covenant don't apply to Christians in the church age.
Millions of Christians around the world suffer from persecution. God doesn't promise us health, wealth, or protection from those who hate us.
I would like to argue that the entire Bible is just one story pointing to Jesus and how great our God is, so to say God was speaking to just Israel is not true. But I am wrong most of the time so who am I to say these things.
I do know, God is a good God and when we drink from his cup it is very filling and good. God will fill us up and riches are promised and we must be a holy sacrifice to the Lord. We should be careful the true point is made to all of us so we do not worship for the wrong reasons. Picking one verse and talking about them can be used the wrong way for some so we must be careful as well. The key is to build His kingdom, praise him and our riches will be in eternity with our God in Heaven. We must also look at people like me who have been blessed and did not do anything to deserve His blessings. Because God is good. Afflictions, punishments, persecutions are all blessings and are good for Gods glory; but it is easy for me your brother the fatted sheep to say. His rod and staff still comfort me thank the Lord.
The majority of Christians are poor and do suffer, our God is a good God and they will be rewarded. So yes walking with the Lord is always good. Speaking of fatted sheep Ezekiel 34 is a great reminder God wants us to eat in his calm pasture and he will remove wild beast from the land. Also not to trample the grass and muddy the waters.
@barncat and @mcchummy may I serve you with anything?