God's Blessing and Healing Always And Only Follows Obedience

My Utmost For His Highest

Arise from the dead… —Ephesians 5:14

{CHAMBERS} “[…] We all have many dreams and aspirations when we are young, but sooner or later we realize we have no power to accomplish them. We cannot do the things we long to do, so our tendency is to think of our dreams and aspirations as dead. But God comes and says to us, “Arise from the dead….” When God sends His inspiration, it comes to us with such miraculous power that we are able to “arise from the dead” and do the impossible. The remarkable thing about spiritual initiative is that the life and power comes after we “get up and get going.” God does not give us overcoming life— He gives us life as we overcome. When the inspiration of God comes, and He says, “Arise from the dead…,” we have to get ourselves up; God will not lift us up. Our Lord said to the man with the withered hand, “Stretch out your hand” (Matthew 12:13). As soon as the man did so, his hand was healed. But he had to take the initiative. If we will take the initiative to overcome, we will find that we have the inspiration of God, because He immediately gives us the power of life.

{ELGIN} Blessing always follows after obedience.  God never uses blessing as a carrot to get us to go where He wants us to go or to do what He wants us to do.  We cannot bargain with God … “God if you will do this then I will do that…”  That is not the way it works my friend.  When you are born again you begin to live the faith-life.  The rules about how things work have changed .. old things are passing .. all things are becoming new.  If you live I fear and always ask “But what if ….?”  Then you will surely miss God’s best for you.  Whether it is a withered hand, a lame leg, or blind eyes … or maybe a broken heart or some great financial or material or relational loss ….. faith, trust and obedience are always at the root of the blessing and healing.  Understanding is not.  If someone says that they will not trust in what they cannot see, then they are surely eternally lost.  They lack the faith and the presence of the Spirit for salvation to come.  What is it in your life that is overwhelming you today?  Take it to Jesus .. stretch out your withered hand … and be healed.