Put Your Umbrella Down

“You were created to be blessed.”

By Erin Lamb

Praise for Spiritual Blessings in Christ (Ephesians 1:3-10)

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love He predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will— to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the One He loves. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that He lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, He made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.

You and I were created by God to be blessed. In Christ we are blessed and highly favored. Do you believe that? Deep in your heart do you believe that you have access to everything that Jesus paid to give you?

What we believe we empower. If we do not believe we are blessed, loved, cherished, set apart, favored, accepted, forgiven, and the apple of God’s eye, then we are essentially standing under the downpour of God’s love with an umbrella. Yes! We stand under a waterfall of God’s goodness, love, mercy and grace with an umbrella of unbelief blocking us from receiving. We see others dancing in the waterfall of His goodness and we are often upset. Where is my blessing? Why do they have joy or (fill in the blank)? Often it’s because they threw their umbrella down.

I have noticed that joyful people don’t have less problems. They simply trust God to work out their problems. They do their part and know God will do His part.

I have noticed that people who believe they are blessed, are blessed. People who believe that the world is out to get them and God doesn’t care, seem to have circumstances that validate their beliefs. What we believe is powerful. How we view God and ourselves will determine our actions. Our belief doesn’t stop God from being God. His love is still raining down, day after day, hour after hour. We, however, miss the opportunity to bask in it if we refuse to believe it’s for us.

We are His children. We are His beloved children. He has amazing plans for our lives. He doesn’t want to give us junk. He wants us filled to overflow so we ooze out the blessings of God. What a great representation of His Glory. When people can look at God’s kids and say, “They are blessed (filled with joy, love, peace, abundance, and hope) in the midst of a crumbling society, God must be better than we think.” I am not talking about monetary blessing or a prosperity message. Certainly, God wants to bless us with finances, but that is not the only indication of being blessed. We are truly blessed when we know who we are in Him, accept His love and purpose for our lives, and when we overflow with the fruits of His spirit! Then not only are we blessed, but anyone who comes into contact with us is blessed. Where His Spirit is, there is life and life more abundantly.

So here’s my prayer for us.

“Father I pray that every day we wake up looking into Your eyes as our mirror. May our view of You be transformed into the true likeness of who You are. Abba remove any obstacles to believing that You are good, we are loved, and You have great plans for our lives. Fill us to overflow. More love, more faith, and more hope in You. In Jesus mighty name, Amen.”

 

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