Sermon Central
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Preparing Ourselves To Receive The Blessings Of God
Contributed by Dr. Stanley Vasu on Jan 2, 2008 (message contributor)
Summary: THIS SERMON IS ABOUT PREPARING OURSELVES TO RECEIVE THE BLESSINGS OF GOD AND EXHORTS US TO 1.REFLECT 2.REPENT 3.RELEASE 4.RECOVER 5.REARRANGE 6.RENEW 7.REJOICE
PREPARING OURSELVES TO RECEIVE THE BLESSINGS OF GOD
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OUTLINE
1.REFLECT
2.REPENT
3.RELEASE
4.RECOVER
5.REARRANGE
6.RENEW
7.REJOICE
THE MESSAGE
PREPARING OURSELVES TO RECEIVE THE BLESSINGS OF GOD
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1.REFLECT
We prepare ourselves to receive the blessings of God by reflecting on our lives and examining our actions and attitudes . We must allow the Lord to search our hearts and shows us if there is any offensive way in us that prevent the blessings of God in our lives. We must know the true condition of our hearts.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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Now this is what the LORD Almighty says: "Give careful thought to your ways.
You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it."
This is what the LORD Almighty says: "Give careful thought to your ways.
Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
2.REPENT
We prepare ourselves to receive the blessings of God by repenting of the sins and iniquities that the Lord has revealed to us that are blocking the blessings of God in our lives. We must acknowledge our sins and repent of it and receive God’s forgiveness. We must not harden our hearts or justify our wrongdoings or give excuses for our behaviour.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD "— and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah
PSALM 51:1-3 , 9-11
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.
Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.
For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.
Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity.
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.
3.RELEASE
We prepare ourselves to receive the blessings of God by releasing the guilt and condemnation from our hearts once we have repented and received the forgiveness of God. We must not continue to carry the burden of a guilty conscience once the Lord has forgiven us and released us from our guilt. The Lord has promised not to remember our sins anymore and we must accept His forgiveness and move ahead with our lives.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.
Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,
I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
"This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts,and I will write them on their minds."
Then he adds: "Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more."
4. RECOVER
We prepare ourselves to receive the blessings of God by recovering all that we had lost due to our sins and failures. We must receive the joy of salvation once again in our lives. We must revive the gifts and talents that the Lord had given to us to serve Him and glorify Him. We must not remain lethargic and passive and continue to remain idle and fail to ultilise the opportunites that the Lord has given to us to live a fruitful life.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.
For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.
5.REARRANGE
We prepare ourselves to receive the blessings of God by rearranging our lifestyle to make us more efficent and effective in serving the Lord. We must give up those practices which are hindering us from being the best that we can be. We must be willing to make the changes and modifications that are neccessary in order to position ourselves to receive the blessings of God in our lives.
