Doing the word brings blessing! By James Lantz   

             The Lord is telling us in the Epistle of James that when we do what he has instructed us to do in his word, that he will cause blessing to come on us. I remember hearing one of our children’s friends say to them, you are the luckiest person I know, I said, it is not luck, it is the blessing of the Lord! It is impossible for you or I to be a doer of the word of God and not receive the blessing, because God watches over his word to preform it. You will need to persevere and continue doing the word in order to obtain the promise. Don’t throw away your faith because your faith is what brings you the victory. You need patience to endure because you receive the promise after you have done the will of God. The greek word translated blessed in the following text also means to be fortunate, well off, and happy. In other words, things will go well for us. We (and those in our house) will go to heaven instead of hell, we will receive the Holy Spirit to help us through life, we will be healed, and we will prosper! Jesus said that those who love him will keep his words and that he will manifest (show up, answer our prayers) himself to us.  James 1:21-25  Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass (mirror): for he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty (word), and continueth, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.  Remember, our spirit is made righteous the very moment we make Jesus the Lord of our life. However, our souls (mind, will, and emotions) are saved through the process of seeing God’s word, hearing what God is saying, and then doing what he said to do. This process is ongoing throughout our life, however no meaningful progress will take place without comitment and diligence to do the word. This blessing that comes on us when we do what God says is the same blessing that God gave man in the very beginning. The very first words recorded that God spoke to Adam and Eve was the blessing!  Gen. 1:28  And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.  It has always been the will of God for his man to be blessed and always will be. Adam sinned and lost the blessing but God moved in immediately to bring the blessing back. Immediately after the flood God spoke his blessing on Noah and his sons.  Gen. 9:1  And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.  Abraham and David understood that this blessing was not something they earned but was a gift that became theirs through believing God. The keeping of the word of God is not something that we do in order to obtain God’s favor but rather what we do because we love God who has put his favor on the word (Jesus). The blessing is on Jesus and everyone who gives themselves to him.  Rom.  5:1&2 amp. Therefore, since we are justified – acquitted, declared righteous, and given a right standing with God – through faith, let us (grasp the fact that we) have (the peace of reconciliation) to hold and to enjoy, peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed One. Through him also we have (our) access (entrance, introduction) by faith into this grace – state of God’s favor – in which we (firmly and safely) stand. And let us rejoice and exalt in our hope of experiencing and enjoying the glory of God.   God has put the judgement for sin on Jesus so that we could be freed from the curse and experience the blessing of God through him.  Gal. 3:13&14  Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree: that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.   We do not walk in all of the blessing of God just because we (our spirit) are saved. Now that we are saved God expects us to cooperate with him and to begin to think in line with the blessing. Remember James said, lay apart all filthiness and abundance of wickedness and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to cause you to think like a child of God, giving you the will to serve God, and bringing stability to your emotions. The word of God is alive and powerful, sharper than a two edged sword, separating the soul from the spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Stop doing things contrary to the will (word) of God and receive the life changing word of God. Paul exhorts us in his letter to the Romans on how we are to walk in the blessing of God. We are to present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, this being our reasonable service. We are not to be conformed to the ways of this world, but rather transformed by thinking like God thinks and walking out his good and acceptable and perfect will. (see Rom. 12:1&2)  We have James and Paul both testifying that the person who does the word will be blessed. Let’s get a couple more witnesses so this will be forever established in you.  Psalms 1:1-3  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. 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.  Luke records the words of our Lord and Master in the parable of the sower sows the word. The word of God was sown on four types of people. Those who had a hard heart, those who had some softness but no foundation, those who had a good heart at first but became distracted, and those with a good heart who were faithful to receive the blessing.  Luke 8:15  But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.  John will be our fifth witness so we can clinch this fact that when we do what God says we will be blessed (fortunate, well off, and happy).  Rev. 1:3  Blessed is he that readeth and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things (doing the word) which are written therein: for the time is at hand.   A happy person is one who is free from pain and enjoying life. A lot of the pain we suffered has been brought on by our own poor decisions. God’s righteous (right) way of doing things will work out well for us as we obey him. A lot of people want to be rich. God is not against us being rich, he is against us being coveteous. Another way of saying this is, thou shalt have no other gods before me. Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things (food, drink, clothes) shall be added unto you. How many people do you know that are more interested in the  kingdom of God and doing things right than they are in their own things? Probably not to many, but you and I can be that person and prosper (healthy, wealthy, and wise).  Pro. 10:22  The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.  Ps. 112:1-3  Praise ye the Lord, Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, that delighteth greatly in his commandments (his word). His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed. Wealth and riches shall be in his house: and his righteousness endureth forever.  The blessing of the Lord will work in your life as you submit to serving the Lord. It’s a whole different plan than what the devil offers. The devil’s plan is that you are responsible for making yourself rich, you need to tramp on others in order to climb the ladder of success, and when you need healing or a miracle you are limited to the natural things of this world. God’s plan is for you to get in your place (your God appointed place) and do what you were created for. I know this sounds strange to the unrenewed mind but God has a specific place for each of us in his body (church).  1 Cor. 12:18 But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.  I am aware that it is not always comfortable in the place that God has planted us, but it will be the place where our blessing is. 

• Abraham left his homeland and started toward the place that God would show him. That place was where his blessing was. You have to step out and do what God shows you and as you do you will get more light. God will lead you into your place of blessing and it is wonderful to experience his peace and blessing.

• Rahab did not seem to be the one that God would pick, but she believed that God would accept her, and he did!

  Our first step toward God is repentance from dead works and faith toward God. Repentance means to have a godly sorrow for our sin and to change to doing what God says. Rahab left the way of darkness and walked in the light.

• Joseph did the word of the Lord as he had been taught. He continued to keep his atitude right as he served his master with all diligence. He endured the false accusations and life in prison believing the word of the Lord. The favor of the Lord promoted him again and again. He kept his mind on the promise as he joyfully served the Lord! We will win the prize in the same way Joseph did, by joyfully believing.

• The woman healed from the issue of blood spent all she had trying to get help from the doctors. Her help was not available through the doctors but the annointing of God can do anything. When she heard that the annointing of God was flowing from Jesus so strong that people were receiving healing just touching his clothes she acted. For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. She came in the press behind and touched his garment. Immediately the flow of her blood stopped and she felt in her body that she was healed. (see Mark 5)

     Like this woman, you can take these four steps and receive whatever you desire from the Lord!

1.    Say it!              (say what you are going to do or what you are going to receive)

2.   Do it!                 (do the thing that you have decreed)

3.   Receive it!         (receive by faith and it will manifest)

4.   Tell it!               (Tell what God has done for you so that He will be glorified) 

Haggai 1:8  Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the Lord.