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and obey Him, He gives us whatever we ask. On the other hand, if we hold back, then He holds back. He's obligated to! He can't BLESS disobedience. And unlike the devil, He won't just barge in on our lives and try to dominate us. He goes where He's wanted and honored. As James 4:8 says, "Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you." How exactly do you draw nigh to God? You search the Scriptures to find out what's pleasing to Him. You fellowship with Him in His Word and in prayer and seek to know His will and His heart. When He shows you something in your life that's out of line with the Bible or the direction of His Spirit, you make a change. The more you do that, the more freely He can move on your behalf. The more you hearken to Him, the more fully He can manifest His BLESSINGS in your life. Deuteronomy 28 makes this very clear. It not only lists many of the wonderful benefits that are included in God's BLESSING, it repeatedly ties them to hearkening to and obeying God's commands. Verse 1 says, "If thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments… the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth." Verse 2 says again, "All these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, IF THOU SHALT HEARKEN UNTO THE VOICE OF THE LORD THY GOD." Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store. Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out. The LORD shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways. The LORD shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee (verses 3-8). Every one of those promises already belongs to us, as believers. We don't have to work to earn them. We qualify for them 100% because through the new birth we've been made the righteousness of God in Christ. He redeemed us, that THE BLESSING of Abraham might come even on those of us who are Gentiles (Galatians 3:14). God has promised those of us who are under the new covenant just as surely as He promised the Israelites: If thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, and walk in his ways…all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the LORD; and they shall be afraid of thee…. And B V O V : 2 9 Everything God says in His written Word is there for your benefit.... Every command He gives is designed to work for your good.

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