Sometimes we do things that hinder God’s blessings

Many times, we look around us and it appears that others are so much more blessed than we are. The Bible promises that we will be blessed, and it also teaches that blessings can be hindered. Take a look at some things that stand in the way of God’s blessings.

Unwillingness to surrender

James 4:7. “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

1 Thessalonians 5:17. “Pray without ceasing”

1 Peter 5:8-9. “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.”

Genesis 6:5. “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”

We see in James 4:7 above that we should submit ourselves to God. Another word for surrender is submit. In fact, Webster defines submit: To yield, resign or surrender to the power, will or authority of another [1]. When we don’t rely upon God’s guidance it is easy to get swept away into temptation.

In the same way, praying is how we stay in close fellowship with God. Paul tells us that we should pray without ceasing. Now this does not mean that we go through the day on our knees in full devotion to God. It really means that whatever we do we should make it a matter of prayer. We should just keep God’s presence in our life at the forefront, lifting up a couple words here and there throughout the day. Praying is how we talk to our Lord and Father in heaven.

And Peter is exhorting us to “be sober” which means we should keep our wits about us and remember that the enemy can so quickly bother us and cause us to do things that are not pleasing to God. Our faith in God is what should remind us to walk in the Spirit.

Never forget that there was a time in our history when the wickedness of man was so great the God destroyed all but 8 souls off of the face of the earth. That happened because people turned from the Lord and decided to do what was right in their own eyes rather than in the sight of the Lord (see also Judges 21).

Unwilling to accept His forgiveness

Ephesians 1:6-12. “To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. 7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; 8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; 9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: 10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: 11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: 12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.”

Colossians 1:12-17. “Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: 13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: 14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: 15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: 16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.”

God’s forgiveness is possessed by every believer. Paul spoke of it often and if we just pick apart these two passages from Ephesians and Colossians, we can see the benefits (blessings) of forgiveness:

• • We are accepted and loved
  • We have redemption through his blood
  • We have the forgiveness of sins
  • He has given us abundant wisdom and teaches us how to apply it to our life (prudence)
  • We have obtained an inheritance; we have been transferred (translated) into His kingdom
  • We have been delivered from the power of darkness

When you accept Jesus as your savior, you accept His forgiveness and so much more. Don’t fight it and don’t let Satan tell you that you are not forgiven. Look forward and not back.

The most famous sermon ever preached was “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” 250 years ago by Jonathan Edwards a theologian and one of the forerunners in the great religious revival known as the “Great Awakening”. In his message he speaks of God’s favor to the believers and how we can avoid the tricks of the devil. You can read his sermon and others in the book in the link below:

Unwillingness to fully obey

Romans 6:16. “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?”

To better understand this concept, we need to look at the context of Romans 6:16. In this chapter of Romans Paul is discussing how grace is not a license to continue sinning. He talks about how before grace we were servants of sin but after grace, we no longer serve sin but instead serve Christ. Though this is true and even though our sins have been fully forgiven, we still sin because we are sinners. And in this passage Paul is really speaking of sins that cause physical death rather than spiritual death. For example, even though we have everlasting life once saved, we can still choose to do things that cause premature physical death…cigarette smoking leads to lung cancer, which kills; unhealthy food choices cause health problems that often shortens our life, and drinking alcohol to excess causes liver failure and other health issues.

As believers, saved by grace, we can say, “But God be thanked, that [we] ye were the servants of sin, but [we] ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered [us] you (Romans 6:17). The blessings of longer physical life are cut short when we make choices that harm our body.

Resistance to giving as instructed

Luke 6:38. “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.”

2 Corinthians 9:7. “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.”

Galatians 6:7-8. “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.”

The Bible teaches that we should be generous in giving and that we should do it with a cheerful heart. There are other verses, when taken out of context (like Luke 6:38) that could have you to believe that God will increase to you when you give. In the context of Luke chapter 6, Jesus was speaking to His followers and teaching them how important it is to treat others as you would like to be treated. Some people give so that everyone can see how much they have given to the church or other charity. But Jesus said that we should give in secret (privately) and that the Father will reward us openly (Matthew 6:4).

With these principles in mind we can say that we should give from the abundance that we have and we should do it gladly, but this is not only giving of money, it is also giving of our time, talents and Spiritual gifts.

To hear more about Biblical giving, check out the following audio messages

What does God say about tithing or giving?

Principles of Biblical Giving – Part 1

Principles of Biblical Giving – Part 2

Principles of Biblical Giving – Part 3

Final Thoughts

Are you wondering about your blessings? Sometimes it is good to take stock of the guidance that we have in the Bible. Let God and His word be your guide as you surrender to His leadership – He is not only our Savior but He is our Lord. Stop letting the enemy try to convince you that you are not forgiven. When you accepted Jesus as your Savior that means you believe that He has forgiven all your sins. We no longer need to pay that wage of sin, which is spiritual death.

Serve God, not sin. Make healthy choices so you may physically live longer to tell others about Jesus. Finally, give gladly to the Lord from all that He has given you. Blessings will abound when you get out of the way and let God be God.

References:

[1] “Websters Dictionary 1828 – Webster’s Dictionary 1828 – Submit.” 2025. Websters Dictionary 1828. 2025. https://webstersdictionary1828.com/Dictionary/submit.

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Dr. Michael L. Williams, Head of Ministry Operations and Technology at Christianity Every Day, is a Christ-centered Author, Educator, Biblical Counselor and Advisor. He is ordained in Pastoral Ministry and formerly the founding Pastor of Selah Mountain Ministries, a church started along with his wife, Pamela Rose, after several years of pastoral experience and training in Biblical Counseling. Selah Mountain provided Biblical counseling and education to the public on how to overcome life issues Biblically on topics such as anger management, marriage, addictions, and other subjects – often referred to as mental illnesses. To learn more about Dr. Mike visit the About page.

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