Sometimes to be blessed by God, all we need to do is get out of His way and watch Him operate in our lives. There are, however, some things that we do or attitudes that we have that get in God’s way and stop Him from helping us. This week, I want to look at some things that can help us stay out of God’s way.
One thing we must have to stay out of God’s way is a strong faith in Him. We must learn to trust in God in any situation or circumstance in which we find ourselves. Faith is the key to overcoming any problem in life. Notice the power attributed to faith by our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Mark 11:23 (ESV)
23 Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him.
Can you see how powerful faith is? If you could believe, without any trace of doubt, that if you told a mountain to move, it would move, then you could move mountains. Now, just to be clear, I do not think anyone could tell a mountain to move with the necessary degree of faith to move it, and I think Jesus knew this, but He is saying that faith can do just about anything. So, the point of it is this—if undiluted, unwavering faith can move a mountain, it can certainly solve any problem that creeps into our lives.
We sometimes show a lack of faith by constantly worrying about the necessities of life. We worry about how we are going to make it financially in this world. In the great sermon on the mount, Jesus reminds us that we do not have to be filled with anxiety when it comes to the things we need to survive because our heavenly Father will provide for us.
Matthew 6:33 (ESV)
33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
“…all these things” refers to the necessities of life. Jesus is emphasizing the fact that we do not have to go through life with anxiety regarding what we shall eat, drink, or wear because we have a heavenly Father who will provide for us. Our only job is to seek Him and His kingdom first, that is, we must put His rule over our lives and reign over our hearts before everything and everyone else in our lives. If you are not seeking God first in your life, you are in his way and it could be preventing Him from blessing you. Get out of God’s way and stop worrying about the material things you need to survive in this world. God will take care of you. You just need to believe it.
How do we increase our faith? Remember, faith comes by hearing the word of God (Romans 10:17). If your faith is lacking, preventing you from trusting in God enough and causing you to go through life with anxiety, perhaps you need to study the Bible more often. I would recommend, not only more personal Bible study, but also taking advantage of the resources that you have that help you with the word of God. Make sure you are attending all the services of the saints (Hebrews 10:25). Attend gospel meetings in your area. Arrange Bible studies with the preacher, one of the elders, or someone in the local church who is grounded in God’s word and can help you grow in grace and knowledge (2 Peter 3:18).
Do not allow a lack of faith to get in God’s way of blessing you. Faith is one of the keys that God has blessed us with that helps us to overcome the world (1 John 5:4). Take advantage of it. It will help you stay out of God’s way.
As you wind down for the night, think about these things.