“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.” (Eph. 1:3

Eight spiritual blessings

Ephesians 1:3 says that God has blessed you with every spiritual blessing! How wonderful is that! If you want to know what these spiritual blessings are, then read the rest of the chapter where eight of them are listed for you.

• The first spiritual blessing is the election as saints. Eph. 1:4, which says that He has “chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love.”
• The second spiritual blessing is found in verse 5—our adoption as His children. Not only has God chosen us to be made holy, but He grants us full status as His children, with all the benefits thereof.
• The third spiritual blessing is in verse 6, where we are made “accepted in the beloved.” The word is related to grace and gives the idea of making us favorable through Christ, the beloved of God.
• The fourth spiritual blessing is in verse 7, the redemption through His blood. Redemption speaks of buying one's freedom, paying a ransom. The price for our sins was fully paid by the blood of Christ.
• The fifth spiritual blessing is also found in verse 7, the forgiveness of sins. It is closely related to redemption, but looks at the other side of the coin. In paying the ransom for our sins, the debt of sin was canceled, and we were forgiven. We no longer have the burden of guilt for violating God's holy laws.
• The sixth spiritual blessing is knowing the mystery of His will, verses 8-10. God has given us wisdom and insight through His Word and has shown us His desire to bring all things together to glorify Christ.
• The seventh spiritual blessing, verse 11 says, is the inheritance that is given to us through Christ. What is included in that inheritance? Simply put, everything that Jesus has, you now have as a “joint heir” with Jesus!
• The eighth spiritual blessing is found in verse 13, which is the sealing of the Holy Spirit. When we become God's children, He places His seal of ownership on us, guaranteeing our eternal security. This is spoken of as the down-payment of our full redemption, to hold us until the day Christ brings us to Him.

All these spiritual blessings are for you and have been completely bought and paid for, by the blood of Jesus!

“Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” (Rom. 12:11-12 NIV)

This verse uses two words, zeal and fervor, to describe how your relationship with the Lord should be. According to the dictionary, “zeal” is defined as great energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of a cause or an objective; and “Fervor” is defined as intense and passionate feeling, eagerness, enthusiasm, fire. 

Are you lacking in zeal and fervor?

Many people are excited and even on fire for God when they first get saved. But, over time they cool off, lose their fresh enthusiasm for the Lord, and even fall away. Jesus spoke about this in Rev. 2:3-4, “You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first.”

How to know you have left your first love

1. Your heart toward Christ is cold and indifferent; not tender as it once was, not easily moved by the Word, talk of spiritual things, etc.

2. You can go hours or days without having more than a passing thought of Him.

3. “Little” things that used to disturb your conscience, no longer do.

4. Private prayer and worship are almost non-existent, cold and dry.

5. Your service for Christ and others is motivated by a sense of duty or obligation.

6. You spend more time and effort on your physical appearance than on cultivatinginner spiritual beauty to please Christ.

7. You are more concerned about what others think and pleasing them, than about pleasing Christ.

8. You prefer secular songs, movies, and books more than songs or reading material that point you to Christ.

9. You prefer the company of people who don’t love Christ, to the company and fellowship of those who do.

Jesus said what to do

“Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.” (Rev. 2:5)

In the above passage He said to do three things:

• Remember from where you have fallen. Think back to when you had first received Christ. Remember the details of what first brought you to Him, what you prayed, and how your life was changed.
• Repent. The word “repent” means to turn around, change direction, or to turn away from something. So, make a sincere decision to turn back to God with your whole heart.
• Do the works you did at first. Go back to doing the things you did at first. Those things were probably basic, such as praying, reading your Bible, going to church, singing worship songs, and sharing your faith.

“Therefore tell the people: This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'Return to me,' declares the LORD Almighty, 'and I will return to you,' says the LORD Almighty.” (Zech. 1:3)

“All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.” (2 Cor. 5:18)

There are divisions all around us these days

It’s very obvious in things like politics, race, and religion. Our country was divided in half during the recent presidential election, and truth is, no matter who had won, the other half would have been unhappy about it.

A divided anything is weaker!!

The way to weaken anything is to divide it. In fact, an often used battle strategy is called,“divide and conquer.”

Patrick Henry said in his famous last speech of 1799,  “Let us trust God, and our better judgment to set us right hereafter. United we stand, divided we fall. Let us not split into factions which must destroy that union upon which our existence hangs."

Jesus said it this way

“If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.” (Mark 3:24-25)

God wants us to bring the message of reconciliation to the world!

“All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.” (2 Cor. 5:18-19)

And here’s how!

“Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. (Col. 3:12-15)

“The number one problem in our world is alienation, rich versus poor, black versus white, labor versus management, conservative versus liberal, East versus West . . . But Christ came to bring about reconciliation and peace.” – Billy Graham

“Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” (Jer. 33:3)

I attended a business seminar a while back and the speaker emphasized over and over again the importance of asking questions because, as he said passionately, “Youdon't know what you don't know!”

By asking questions from experienced business people who have important knowledge about things, you can avoid serious mistakes and move ahead faster and with fewer problems.

He was certainly right about that! It is important to ask questions in business matters! But, It's also important to seek knowledge in other areas of your life!

God’s people can get in trouble for lack of knowledge!

“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” (Hosea 4:6a)

Wise people seek knowledge from God!

“An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.” (Prov. 18:15)

God gives knowledge to those who ask

“For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.” (Prov. 2:6)

Fools reject knowledge

It's crazy not to ask God for wisdom and knowledge about things!

“Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord, would have none of my counsel and despised all my reproof, therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way, and have their fill of their own devices.” (Prov. 1:29-31)

Knowledge is pleasant and will guard you

“For wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul; discretion will watch over you, understanding will guard you.” (Prov. 2:10-11)

“An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” –  Benjamin Franklin

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.” (Phil. 4:6)

This verse is a four step formula for success for any and every situation

No matter what you are dealing with at home, at work, or in every and any situation, apply these four steps.

Step one - “Don’tworry”. Worry is the opposite of faith and is a tool of the devil to stop you. But, don't let it! DECIDE NOT to worry! That’s right! It's a decision. Take control of it! Make it your conscious decision immediately at the very start of anything, no matter how it looks, not to worry! Use God’s Word as your weapon to fight it (it’s the sword of the spirit). "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:6-7)

Step two -  “Pray about everything.” Most of the time we don't use the biggest resource we have in our hand, prayer! If you don't use it, you lose it! As a child of God you can come boldly to Him at any moment and instantly discuss anything with Him. And, you must do so immediately and boldly, in the time of need.  “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” (Heb. 4:16)

Step three - “Tell God what you need.” Come right out with it! Be specific and tell God exactly what you need! He cares about you and wants to help you but you must ask! “You have not because you ask not.” (James 4:2). “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” (Matt. 7:7)

Step four -  "Thank Him for all that He has done.” Thank Him for the many times He has helped you in the past. Thank Him, too, for the thousands of promises He has already provided for you in the Bible. They cover virtually every possible need you could ever encounter! God has already thought of everything and provided for it. Many times we ask God for things he’s already provided for us in the Bible. When problems or challenges come along, find specific promises in the Bible that already apply and then thank Him for them! “And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises.” (2 Peter 1:4). “All the promise of God are 'yes' through Jesus.” (2 Cor. 1:20). “And God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory, by Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:19)

So do it!

“Don't let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do." - John R. Wooden

"Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no help at all." -Dale Carnegie

With our grandchildren  

“For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous; with favor You will surround him as with a shield.” (Psalm 5:12)

Susan and I recently had photos taken with our beautiful grandchildren. Their smiling faces reminded us of how blessed we are to have them in our lives and how much we do love and cherish each one of them. And, of course, we feel exactly the same way about their parents, our children.

Yes, we love them dearly and they all have favor with us!

And, how did they get our favor? Some of them were born into our family and some of them were adopted into it.  But, no matter which way they came, they are loved and favored!

It's exactly the same with God!

You were adopted into His family by being “born again,” according to John3:7. At some point in your life, you prayed and invited Jesus to forgive your sins and to be your savior. At that moment, you were made a part of God’s family and became a joint heir with Jesus.

With great pleasure, God adopted us into His family!

“God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.” (Eph. 1:5 NLT)

We became Jesus’s siblings

“For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.” (Rom. 8:28 NLT)

“As many as received him to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” (John 1:12)

As a member of God’s family, you have His favor

“For he who finds me finds life and obtains favor from the LORD.” (Pr. 8:35)

Favor means complete access to God

This unmerited favor includes not only being forgiven of sin but also receiving access to the very presence of God in the same way Jesus has access to Him.

Favor means that God withholds no good thing from you!

“For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk upright.” (Psalm 84:11)

God’s favor for you is for life!

“His favor is for life; weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” Psalm 30:5b

Favor means that thousands of promises in the Word of God are yours!

“For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God.” (2 Cor. 1:20)

"Jesus looked at them and said, 'With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.'” (Mark 10:27)

"Stay on the job until you succeed!"

In his book, Think and Grow Rich, 1960, Napoleon Hill tells the story of how Automobile genius Henry Ford once came up with a revolutionary plan for a new kind of engine which we know today as the V-8. Ford was eager to get his great new idea into production. He had some men draw up the plans, and presented them to the engineers. As the engineers studied the drawings, one by one they came to the same conclusion. Their visionary boss just didn't know much about the fundamental principles of engineering. He'd have to be told gently--his dream was impossible. Ford said, "Produce it anyway." They replied, "But it's impossible." "Go ahead," Ford commanded, "and stay on the job until you succeed, no matter how much time is required." For six months they struggled with drawing after drawing, design after design. Nothing. Another six months. Nothing. At the end of the year Ford checked with his engineers and they once again told him that what he wanted was impossible. Ford told them to keep going. They did. And they discovered how to build a V-8 engine.”

Has God given you a dream?

Throw off everything that hinders you, fix your eyes on Jesus, and proceed on the path God has created you for and has marked out for you!

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” (Heb. 12:1-3)

Do it God’s way!

“God's work, done God’s way, will never lack God’s supply.” – Hudson Taylor

Lincoln persevered  

“So let's not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up.” (Gal. 6:9)

The value of courage, persistence, and perseverance has rarely been illustrated more convincingly than in the life story of Abraham Lincoln!

Abraham Lincoln’s story of persistence

• Failed in business – at age 22
• Ran for Legislature--defeated – at age 23
• Again failed in business – at age 24
• Elected to Legislature – at age 25
• sweetheart died – at age 26
• Had a nervous breakdown – at age 27
• Defeated for Speaker – at age 29
• Defeated for Elector – at age 31
• Defeated for Congress – at age 34
• Elected to Congress – at age 37
• Defeated for Congress – at age 39
• Defeated for Senate – at age 46
• Defeated for Vice President – at age 47
• Defeated for Senate – at age 49
• Elected President of the United States – at age 51

“But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.” (2 Chron. 15:7)

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Josh. 1:9)

Persistence!

“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan ‘press on’ has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.” – Calvin Coolidge

“The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” (Heb. 13:6)

Recently, while Susan and I were traveling, we were suddenly rerouted by police to back roads in order to avoid a riot in the city we were just about to pass through. We turned on our radio and heard about what was happening to innocent people on the very route we were on. Cars were being stopped on the freeway and terrified people were being pulled out of them and attacked by the angry mob. We were very glad to have been warned and directed to go a different way!

Scary things do happen!

It's impossible to pick up the newspaper, turn on the television or radio, or even look at social media, without being bombarded with all kinds of fearful news! And yes, it can be frightening. But, the good news is that we don't have to give in to fear because we have a constant helper! And, it's none other than God Himself! Check out the following promises!

God’s hand will help you!

“Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand." (Isaiah 41:10)

When you cry out to God, He will answer!

“In the day when I cried out, You answered me, and made me bold with strength in my soul.” (Psalm 137:3)

“For he will deliver the needy when he cries for help, The afflicted also, and him who has no helper. He will have compassion on the poor and needy, And the lives of the needy he will save. He will rescue their life from oppression and violence, And their blood will be precious in his sight.” (Psalm 72:12-14)

God is your strength in time of trouble!

“But the salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; He is their strength in time of trouble.” (Psalm 37:39)