Focus: Conditional Blessings

Text: Dt.28:2

"And ALL THESE BLESSINGS shall come on thee, and overtake thee, IF thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God."

The Scripture presents us with God's conditional and unconditional blessings. Deuteronomy 28 is replete with conditional blessings. In it we find that God reserves blessings for those who obey His instructions, and curses for those who disobey them. All the blessings contained in it are conditional. The Scripture is filled with conditional blessings. Our text says, "All these blessings shall come upon thee, and overtake thee, IF…" Obtaining a certain blessing requires meeting a certain condition, and the condition is simply obedience to God's voice. That means that before you can lay any claims to a blessing, you must make sure that you have met the condition attached to it, that is, if the blessing is based on a condition.

You will also find that these conditional blessings are more or less related to the physical and material. Concerning spiritual blessings, Paul writes, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with ALL SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS in heavenly places IN Christ" (Eph.1:3). Paul is here worshipping God for our spiritual wealth made possible by Christ's atoning death on the cross. In Christ the believer finds a plethora of blessings. 

The truth is that Christ, through His sacrificial death on the cross, has met the conditions for the blessings. Christ obtained the blessings for us by His blood. He shed His blood for us to obtain God's blessings. His blood flows through the blessings. The blessings are only found in Christ, not outside Him. You must be in Christ to experience and enjoy the blessings. That is the condition - believing and being in Christ. 

You access the blessings from the inside, not from the outside. Faith in Jesus Christ is the key to the blessings of the Spirit. Spiritual implies that which is associated with the Spirit of God.

The unsearchable riches of Christ are for those who are in Christ. Paul tells us that God gives us richly all things to enjoy (1Tim.6:17). O how blessed the believer in Christ is!

Let us read Paul elsewhere. He says, "Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God" (2Cor.7:1). We have abundance of promised blessings, but God requires that we cleanse ourselves from the filthiness of the spirit and of the flesh, ensuring that we are not missing out on holiness, and we realize the holiness of God in our lives by fearing or honoring God.

Fearing God means obeying His words. True spirituality is measured or determined by our level of obedience. Jesus Christ says, "And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?" (Lk.6:46). Obedience is doing what God says. God requires our obedience, not our opinions. Obedience is the currency of heaven. We make withdrawals from our heavenly accounts through obedience. 

Faith and obedience are two sides of a coin. We believe before we obey, and we obey as a proof that we truly believe. Those who trust God show it by their obedience. God says, "If ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart, to give glory unto my name, saith the LORD of hosts, I will even send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings: yea, I have cursed them already, because ye do not lay it to heart" (Mal.2:2). We hear to obey; and faith comes by hearing God's word.

Our disobedience is really killing us. It is locking us out of God's blessings. Solomon says, "Blessings are upon the head of the just…" (Prov.10:6). Righteousness attracts God's blessings. Solomon says again, "A faithful man shall abound with blessings…" (Prov.28:20). Faithfulness is the key that opens the door to the blessings of God. In Malachi, God accuses His people of having robbed Him in tithes and offerings. He then says to them, "Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation" (Mal.3:9). Then in verse 10, He makes a demand of them, "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it" (Mal.3:10). You get blessed by being obedient to the commands of God.

A lot of God's blessings are conditional. In Psalm 91, God says, "Because he hath set his love upon me, THEREFORE will I deliver him: I will set him on high, BECAUSE he hath known my name. He shall CALL upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation" (Ps.91:14-16). In fact, read Psalm 91 in its entirety and see more of the conditional blessings. Long life is a blessing that comes with loving God and knowing His name.

Rise up in your level of obedience! Tap into God's many blessings through obedience! If you obey the laws of health and hygiene, you will enjoy the benefits of a healthy body and a long life.

I close by reminding you of the words of Christ, "If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them" (Jh.13:17). By obedience we claim the conditional blessings of God. I can't wait to hear your testimonies on the blessings of obedience! Amen!

by Bishop Moses E. Peter