Just because a person is Saved doesn't mean that they're automatically Blessed. Of course it's a Blessing to be saved, to know Jesus Christ in the pardon of your sins. But how many of us know individuals that definitely know Jesus Christ in the pardon of their sins, but the other areas of their life would not be described as "blessed". Their health is bad, they're struggling financially, they have no peace of mind, their family life is deteriorating, there's no success in their job or line of work. All of these are areas for which, when you're operating in the Blessing of God, you experience the Favor of God in the aforementioned areas. The point is that if we want to live Happy, Fulfilled and Successful lives, we're going to have to do more than just confess Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior, we're going to have to learn to get into The Blessing Zone.
The Blessing Zone is an area in Christ and in God where God Divinely Favors certain areas of your life. Let me reiterate, it's a Blessing to be Saved, because you've received the Gift of Eternal Life. But God wants to Manifest His Blessing in the material and physical areas of our lives as well. This was the point of the Prosperity Gospel, to show that God didn't want to just bless us in our soul and spirit, but also in our health and finances (3John). Unfortunately, it digressed into a sort of "Christian Materialism" which I do not believe was the Will of God. However, Christians need to understand that it is the Will of God for us to prosper in every area of our life. But in order to receive this, we must learn to operate in the Blessing Zone.
Galatians chapter 3 let's us know that Jesus died on the Cross so that the Blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles. People always wonder why the Jews "collectively" seem to always prosper financially. It's because, in large part, they know how to work the Blessing Covenant that they received through their father Abraham. The catch is, as Christians, we too are now the Seed of Abraham, through Jesus Christ; so we too should be prospering at the same level, if not greater, than the Jews; if we learn how to get into The Blessing Zone.
Jesus lays it out in terms of how to get into The Blessing Zone in the 5th chapter of the Gospel of Saint Matthew. If we would listen to what The King is saying, we surely will be Blessed. The first thing Jesus says is "Blessed are the poor in spirit". If you want to operate in the Blessing Zone, you have to learn Humility. How many Christians and church people do you know that are not humble? This is a problem. A lack of Humility will keep you out of the Blessing Zone. Pride is offensive to God (James 4). Learn how to be Humble, and you will be Blessed.
The next thing the scripture says is, "Blessed is the man that endureth temptation". If we want to live in the Blessing Zone, we have to learn how to be Obedient to God. Yes, the God we serve is a God of Grace and a God of Mercy (John 1), but He is also a God of Obedience (1Samuel 15). There are too many believers in Christ that are dead set on doing things "their way". They refuse to submit to the Will and the Word of the Lord. You cannot be Blessed when you refuse to Obey and yield to the Lord.
Lastly, the scripture says, "Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven...Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin" (Romans 4). The blessing here is the Confidence of Faith. Yes, when you confess Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, your sins are forgiven (Ephesians 1). But do you believe that? There are many Christians that confess that but don't actually "believe" it. That's why we still have a lot of self-righteousness and religious hypocrisy in the church. If people really understood what it means to be Saved by Grace (Ephesians 2), the last thing we'd be doing is "pointing the finger". Let's learn to love and accept others as Jesus has loved and accepted us. Let's learn to live in The Blessing Zone.
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