Who :Pastor Ricky Ho
When : 8th Feb 09
" How can you judge if it is a curse or a blessing when you don't see the full picture"
* God is still in control - he sees the whole picture
* tough times grow tough people
* there are many unclaimed blessings we leave with God
Esau - willing to give up birthright
Jacob - unscrupolous - cheated & was cheated by Laban
Tradition of passing down family blessings.
1. Definition of blessings
Bestower of God - Beraka (OT Hebrew word)Eulogia(NT Greek Word)
Blessings & Curses are important themes in the bible
The word "bless" or "blessings" appears 460 times in the bible!
* God's blessings are far more than just money or health
* Its a blessing of hope, peace, well being & abundant life
Jeremiah 33:3 -Familiar & spectacular promise from God" Call to me, and i will answer you; I will tell you wonderful and marvellous things that you know nothing about.
* Here is a promise born out of difficult circumstances
* the people of Judah are invited to call upon Yahweh in their critical hour
* God will tell them of great things which are inaccessible to men
Economic crisis. What are we gona do about it? Pray?
2 Basic implications Jeremiah 33 :3
* Prayer becomes "a PORTAL" to the blessings of God
1) " Call unto me & I will answer"
* Not only did God say he would answer Jeremiah but he said he would also show great things he didin't know.
* Its exiting to learn new things
* God reveals the pit of relationships
* Would you like for God to show you things you don't know?
* Would you like for Him to help you understand your relationship better?
* Would you like for him to help you understand your finances better?
Feng shui's master don't see the big picture
All you have to do is call because he promises if you do he will answer
(James 4:2) " You want things, but you cannot have them, so you are ready to kill; you strongly desire things, but you cannot get them, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have what you want because you do not ask God for it."
Answered prayer is one of life's most rewarding experiences!
Daniel 2 - Nebuchadnezzar's Dream - All fortune tellers could not interpret
Daniel and his friends prayed & God reveal ACCURATELY
Especially when the answers are greater than we imagined!
Jesus-great teacher, great preacher
disciples did not ask him to teach to preach, but to pray
Many times, we forgot to claim the blessings of God.
Don't ever hesitate to ask him to help!
Only if you ask ME to help you, where you will use your own full strength (yrs + Gods)
Love your enemies. Do not repay a curse with a curse
Ask God to help you through the year
2) Call to me & I will ans- its not the problem of UNANSWERED prayer but UNASKED prayer
* We suffer from a radical case of self -sufficiency
Wilbur Resse" We want estasy, not transformation, we want the warmth of the womb and not new birth"
Acts 4 -So, we pray enough to get by, not to go forward
Conclusion
What " unclaimed blessings" of God we've missed by not asking for them?Let's not let our blessings remain unclaimedLet's begin today claiming then by calling on God!We won't relised how much we missed until we're away
Don't take each other for granted in a family relationship with God
NEXT.....Hindrances on claiming God's Blessings
**Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path**
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