There is little doubt that our nation is at a crossroads. The key to blessing and positive change has always been to see God work.

However, God works on behalf of his children when they are pleasing in His sight and are obeying His principles as found in the Bible. Right now, the most important thing is for believers to get in a position where God wants to bless His people – or He will let them be overcome with undesirable circumstances.

II Chronicles 7:14 still holds the key to the revival needed. The verse says: “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

Even though revival comes from God, His people need to be able to receive it. It requires four things: 1. humbling ourselves, 2. praying, 3. seeking Him – not merely going through the motions, and 4. turning from sin.

In the Bible, when people got serious with God, He was ready to do His part and bring revival. A lack of seriousness will fail to do the job. Believers need to be confessing, surrendering to His will, and doing His will. Revival only comes when His people spend considerable time in prayer and Bible reading.

God does not significantly bless those who do not spend much time with Him. Christian, are you willing to do what is required – or are you too busy?

Believers that would be wise in God’s wisdom need to be around the source of wisdom. The only source that we have is the Word of God – the Bible.

The Bible presents wisdom in different ways. There are positive things – things that we should do; and there are negative things that we must not do.

There are also things that we need to be. Christians need to be loving, be filled with the Spirit, be gracious, be forgiving, be praying always, etc.

Thankfully, the Bible not only shows us these things, but it also gives us the desire to do them. It does this for the heart that is in tune with God – the Word gives faith, too.

Finally, the Bible also presents us with a key to learn God’s wisdom. It is necessary to be “watching daily at my gates,” He says. This means to be in His Word daily.

For those that do get into the Word daily and apply it to their life – they are promised to be “blessed.”

The above verse testifies of a principle of Christian growth. It reveals that there is a strong connection between prayer and your love for God. Failing to spend time in prayer is the cause of many believers turning from the faith and ceasing to live for God.

The more that a believer in Christ prays and talks to God, the greater the opportunity there is for growth in love to God. As you can see from the verse, the growth can come from seeing answers to your prayers.

The answers that will help you the most are those that come in response to very specific prayers – not general ones. When you only pray generally, you can never be sure whether God answered your prayer or someone else’s.

Before the answers to prayers will come, there needs to be close fellowship with God. Our relationship with God is built by time in the Word and prayer, and obedience. As you read the Bible, confession of sin is important as you find things that you should not be doing, and an application of things the Bible reveals you ought to do.

As things are subtracted and added to your life in accordance with the Bible, you will be able to see more and more answers to prayer. Avoid letting your prayers become a list of things you want. God wants you to get to know Him. He is so much more than a Santa Claus. Be sure to include a time of worship, including praise and thanksgiving, confession, and prayer for others.

Prayer needs to be two-way communication. It is this factor that will help enable you to be and stay strong in Christ. Victory is impossible without it. It is just as important that you take time to listen to God’s still small voice – or you may miss His directions for your life or for any situation.

I have also mentioned how the Holy Spirit gives the obedient believer an internal joy that cannot easily be shaken. However, today I need to talk about how to maintain that joy because it is fragile. The reason it is fragile is because there are so many distractions in this world that can cause you to take your eyes off of God and His will for you. An example of this is Peter walking on the water: he was successful and safe as long as he kept his eyes on Jesus. The same is true with the joy of the Spirit.

Christian, I will now present to you a way that God intended to help you keep your eyes on Him. The Bible often uses the word “blessed” – and it means “happy.”

Now look at Psalm 1:1. Note that this verse starts out with the word “blessed”: “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.” The verse says that the one who is blessed by God does not follow the advice or ways of sinful people (unbelievers).

The next two verses reveal what this “blessed” person does instead: “But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.“ Did you see the key in these verses to being “blessed”?

It says that meditation on the law of the Lord (the Bible) is the key to prospering (spiritually). If you want to know how to live a happy life, as was mentioned yesterday, it is in obedience to the Bible and your walk with God. You cannot obey the Bible, however, if you do not know what it says and keep it in your mind. This is what God wants you to do.

Meditation in the Bible means keeping your mind focused on God and His Word. You do this by reading some of it faithfully every day, memorizing important verses, thinking on them through the day, and doing it as opportunity rises. This will lead to praise to God, a focus on the will of God, and joy in knowing that you are doing His will.

God has given many promises in the Bible that ensure that you can walk with Him successfully. Yes, there are obstacles – Satan and the world will throw them at you. Remember what God promised: “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world” (I John 4:4). God can give you overcoming power to do His will.

Christian, since 2022 starts tomorrow, why not make a commitment now to start reading the Word daily and meditating on it? You also want to get in a Bible-teaching church – if you are not already attending one – to have friends that will help you learn more about the Bible and serve God.

I offer some books that I believe can help you get started and be happier next year. They will teach you about the Bible and enable you to grow in grace and your walk with God.

When an unbeliever comes to God for forgiveness and salvation, God is more than ready to forgive. The unbeliever only needs to come and be repentant in his heart – sorry for the way he or she lived and wanting to change – and trust Christ alone for a complete salvation.

A “complete salvation” (my term) means that once you have believed and received Christ as your Savior, that no more is needed for salvation. You have become a child of God by a new birth and cannot be unborn. Christ paid the full debt for all time and has given you eternal life.

Although sin cannot undo your salvation, willful sin will limit and prevent your fellowship with God. The relationship becomes strained because God has been wronged. Just like when you hurt a friend, you need to admit the wrong and apologize to heal the hurt. God is a Person, and He is holy.

Although He has forgiven you at salvation, it is necessary to confess sins committed against Him often to maintain a close fellowship. Also, when sins are unconfessed and there is a wrong attitude in your heart, it will seem to you like God has left you (although He promised never to leave those who are saved – He. 13:5). It is also impossible to have the power of the Holy Spirit – or His guidance, victory, or blessing – while you are at odds with God and have unconfessed sin in your heart.

Getting things right with God again is simple. Like the text verse above says, you simply need to come before God in prayer, admit the sin and tell Him you are sorry, ask for His forgiveness and you will have it: “For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee” (Ps. 86:5).

Be careful to avoid thinking that God will not forgive you – this is one of Satan’s tricks to keep you without joy and without blessing. Also, do not focus on whether you feel sorry enough or not. Confess it like He said, be willing to forsake it, and He will forgive. Believe it.

Proverbs 28:13 “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.”

Believers sometimes come to think that God is a big blessing machine and they expect Him to be blessing them all the time. Some Christian groups even teach that if you are not being blessed, then you are not right with God. The truth is far different from what these groups claim.

Thinking like this leads many to turn from the faith because life can take a sudden turn that will not be explained by this philosophy. When it does, they think that God let them down and failed them. Sometimes, some believers think that they can live any way they want and still expect God to bless them. This way of thinking is not in the Bible – God’s guidebook for Christian living and instruction book on how to please Him and get blessed.

Ever since the beginning of time, God has had some basic principles laid down that believers need to understand if they want His blessing on their life. God has not changed in these requirements. One thing that must be understood first is that material possessions do not necessarily indicate His blessing. Wealth can easily take the heart of some believers away from God and focus their eyes on this world. God’s blessings are not always to be measured by wealth and material goods but may be spiritual.

The key to being blessed by God as a believer is simple. It is found in His Book that was completed 2,000 years ago – the Bible:

• “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you” (Jn. 15:7)
• “And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight” (I Jn. 3:22)
• “But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper“ (Ps. 1:2,3)

As you can see from these verses, two are from the New Testament, and one is from the Old Testament. God’s plan for getting blessed has not changed. He blesses those that stay in His Word – and do it.