Where are our blessings

Where Are Our Blessings

Introduction

1.      We are talking about the blessings that God has released but never reached us

2.      Prayers unanswered by God are a different topic

3.      There are certain prayers answered by God, but never reached us

4.      Where are they now?

5.      They can be:

i.               Delayed

ii.             Diverted to someone else

iii.           Stolen by someone else

iv.           Destroyed so that we do not enjoy it.

How We Know That Our Prayers Are Answered By God

1.      No intimation is given to you by God except His promise

2.      He has given you the promise to answer your prayers in advance

3.      If you fulfill all criteria of heaven, you can be sure that your prayer is answered

4.      If you do not fulfill any criteria you cannot get answer from heaven, however you force God

   

Three Factors That Determine God’s Answer

1.       Whether it is God’s Will to Answer?

1 John 5:14, 15

14 And this is the confidence that we have in him that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us

15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

1.      If God answers all our prayers, it would be disastrous to us

2.      We are far from perfection

3.      Prayer conforms us to God’s will

1.                  Whether it is God’s Time to Answer?

1.   Hanna’s Prayer for a son

1 Samuel 1: 10,11

10 - And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore.

11 -       And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.

i.        Hanna prayed for years

ii.      It was a long wait for his parents

iii.    Samuel had to live at a certain time in order to accomplish a particular mission in Israel

2.      Nehemiah’s prayer for rebuilding of Jerusalem

i.        He wept and mourned for certain days and fasted and prayed (Nehemiah 1:4)

ii.      Answer came in God’s Time

iii.    It occurred on a specific day

iv.    From the day, 69 weeks of years (483 years) would be completed to determine the very day that Jesus would ride into Jerusalem on a donkey and hailed as Messiah (Daniel 9:25)

2.                  Relationship with God - Abide in Jesus

John 15:7 - “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.”

Observe, in order to have influence with God, we must:

1. Be united to Christ - if ye abide in me.

2. That in order to be preserved in this union, we must have our lives regulated by the doctrine of Christ - and my words abide in you.

3. That to profit by this union and doctrine, we must pray - ye shall ask.

4.  That every heavenly blessing shall be given to those who continue in this union, with a loving, obedient, praying spirit:-ye shall ask what ye will

If by communion and the study of the word we abide in Christ, our prayers will be of such a nature that it will fully accord with the divine counsel to answer them, for they will be prayers tending toward fruitfulness.

I.       Delayed

1.      It happened in the third year of Cyrus king of Persia, under whom was the Israelites.

2.      Daniel was praying and mourning three full weeks.

3.      In the four and twentieth day of the first month, he was sitting by the side of the great river, Hiddekel

4.      An angel appeared to him and spoke:

Daniel 10: 12, 13

12 Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words.

13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia. {chief: or, first}

prince of the kingdom of Persia –

i.        the angel of darkness that represented the Persian world power, to which Israel was then subject.

ii.      This verse gives the reason why, though Daniel's "words were heard from the first day" the good angel did not come to him until more than three weeks had elapsed

5.      We understand from this incident that:

i.        Every country – geographical region – has a guarding spirit.

ii.      Jews were living as exiles under the Babylonians and later Persia.

iii.    Judea was conquered by Babylonia and later Babylonia was conquered by Persia

iv.    So the area and its people were under the guardianship of the prince of Persia

Ephesians 6:12 - For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. {flesh...: Gr. blood and flesh} {spiritual...: or, wicked spirits} {high: or, heavenly}

powers - exousia  exousia,  ex-oo-see'-ah

(in the sense of ability); privilege, i.e. (subjectively) force, capacity, competency, freedom, or (objectively) mastery (concretely, magistrate, superhuman, potentate, token of control), delegated influence:--authority, jurisdiction, liberty, power, right, strength.

6.      As long as one is under the supremacy of the evil spirit, no answer from heaven will reach him

7.      His blessings are delayed

II.    Diverted To Someone Else

Genesis 30 : 25 - 27

25 -   “And it came to pass, when Rachel had born Joseph, that Jacob said unto Laban, Send me away, that I may go unto mine own place, and to my country.

26 -   “Give me my wives and my children, for whom I have served thee, and let me go: for thou knowest my service which I have done thee.

27 -   “And Laban said unto him, I pray thee, if I have found favour in thine eyes, tarry: for I have learned by experience that the LORD hath blessed me for thy sake.

Genesis 30 : 30 - “For it was little which thou hadst before I came, and it is now increased unto a multitude; and the LORD hath blessed thee since my coming: and now when shall I provide for mine own house also?

 

Genesis 31: 36 - 42

36  And Jacob was wroth, and chided with Laban: and Jacob answered and said to Laban, What is my trespass? what is my sin, that thou hast so hotly pursued after me?

37  Whereas thou hast searched all my stuff, what hast thou found of all thy household stuff? set it here before my brethren and thy brethren, that they may judge between us both.

38  This twenty years have I been with thee; thy ewes and thy she goats have not cast their young, and the rams of thy flock have I not eaten.

39  That which was torn of beasts I brought not unto thee; I bore the loss of it; of my hand didst thou require it, whether stolen by day, or stolen by night.

40  Thus I was; in the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night; and my sleep departed from mine eyes.

41  Thus have I been twenty years in thy house; I served thee fourteen years for thy two daughters, and six years for thy cattle: and thou hast changed my wages ten times.

42  Except the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely thou hadst sent me away now empty. God hath seen mine affliction and the labor of my hands, and rebuked thee last night.

 

III.  Stolen By Your Enemy

John 10: 10 - The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

Luke 11:21 - 22   

21  When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace:

22 But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils.

IV.  Destroyed So That We Do Not Enjoy It

John 10: 10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.