One of the most frustrating things that happen when people become Christians is that they don’t experience the radical life change and blessings raining down from Heaven as they are lead to believe by what I call the “Slot Machine in the sky” sermons so prevalent today. Say the prayer and accept Jesus, go to church, tithe (if you want to), be a good person, and pray and God will bless you with health and prosperity. That is the checklist straight from the “Christians for Dummies” book. Don’t get me wrong, I am a big proponent of the “…for Dummies” books. But, there are no shortcuts or clef notes when it comes to God. He already provided complete instructions called The Bible, the perfect example in Jesus Christ, and the consummate instructor in the Holy Spirit.<\/p>\n
Joshua 1:6-9 NIV<\/p>\n
6<\/strong> “Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. <\/span><\/p>\n 7<\/strong> Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. <\/span><\/p>\n 8<\/strong> Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. <\/span><\/p>\n 9<\/strong> Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”<\/span><\/p>\n \n In this text, God was speaking to Joshua just before Joshua was to take over leading the Isrealites after Moses’ death but this instruction is a recurring theme through God’s word and is still speaking to us today. God’s blessings does not come from prayer even though prayer is of the utmost importance in a Christian’s life. Blessings come from obedience. Ephesians 2:10 states that we were created in Christ to do good works which God had already planned for us. Once saved we are remade and re-purposed. When you get a new job you don’t continue to do your old job and expect raises, bonuses, much less a continued paycheck! Yet, we apply that logic to becoming reborn in Christ. Jesus provided the new job discription in Matthew 28:19-20, demonstrated how to do the job in the life He lead on earth, and provided a life coach in the Holy Spirit to ensure we will always have the proper guidance. To unlock the ubundant life we are so desperate to have is not through prayer, it is through obedience…Matthew 6:33<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" One of the most frustrating things that happen when people become Christians is that they don’t experience the radical life change and blessings raining down from Heaven as they are lead to believe by what I call the “Slot Machine in the sky” sermons so prevalent today. Say the prayer and accept Jesus, go to … <\/p>\n