God's Circle of Blessing
What is the circle of blessing? Where does it come from? What are the blessings God has promised? What are God’s directives and how did I develop each directive? The directives are intended to deepen our relationship with Jesus and his Word. Each Directive helps us develop a closer relationship with Him. The closer the relationship the more obedient we are, and the more we Trust in God and develop a love for God that we have never had before. I began memorizing and meditating on scripture which built my faith. I quickly found trust in God to lead my life rather than my dependence on alcohol. That’s when the Lord revealed to me the directives below making up the Circle of Blessing.
Gods circle of blessing is a direct result of what I hope to teach you through my website, workbook and videos. I discovered Gods Circle of Blessing by reading, memorizing and mediating on hundreds of scriptures in God’s Word. It comes from Psalm 25:12-14 (12 Who is the man who fears the Lord [with awe-inspired reverence and worships Him with submissive wonder]? He will teach him [through His word] in the way he should choose. 13 His soul will dwell in prosperity and goodness, And his descendants will inherit the land.14 The secret [of the wise counsel] of the Lord is for those who fear Him, And He will let them know His covenant and reveal to them [through His word] its [deep, inner] meaning - Amplified Version). After reading this verse, I began to ask God what does that mean? While meditating on this passage God brought about 8 directives. These directives listed below are what we need to learn in order to place ourselves in a position to receive all the blessings the Lord has in store for us. Gods directives help us to develop an intimate relationship with Him. As we grow in Him, He will pour out his blessing on us to accomplish his will (the impossible). Every single one of us has an impossibility that we can accomplish with God. He will show us how to get there (step by step) by reading, memorizing, and meditating on Gods word. This causes us to engraft His Word in our hearts, developing a powerful prayer life, and through that, God will accomplish the impossible in our lives. What is that impossibility? God will reveal to you the calling on your life, if you submit yourself to his Word. Each directive can be fulfilled by ONE continuous daily action; reading, memorizing, and meditating on the Word of God. Lets explore these Directives; Fear the Lord, Meditate on God’s Word, Humble Yourself, Wait on the Lord, Delight Yourself in the Lord, Trust the Lord, Honor the Lord, and Love the Lord.
Fear the Lord
After reading Psalm 25:12-14 (12 Where is the man who fears the Lord? God will teach him how to choose the best.13 He shall live within God’s circle of blessing, and his children shall inherit the earth.14 Friendship with God is reserved for those who reverence him. With them alone he shares the secrets of his promises. - The Living Bible). I began to ask myself what does it mean to fear the Lord? How do I fear the Lord? Contrary to what most people think, it doesn’t mean you need to be afraid of God. After many days of meditation I began to realize what it means to Honor God. We honor God by being obedient to His Word. Often people think they Honor God by simply showing up to Church every week. However, there is so much more to it than that. For example the Fear of the Lord is also found in Psalm 112:1 (1Blessed [fortunate, prosperous, and favored by God] is the man who fears the Lord [with awe-inspired reverence and worships Him with obedience], Who delights greatly in His commandments - Amplified), which led me to Psalm 1:2 (But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And on His law [His precepts and teachings] he [habitually] meditates day and night - Amplified). In order to Fear God you need to meditate on his word. Why? Meditating on Gods word will begin to change your mind and heart, which will cause you to become obedient. Obedience is the most meaningful and effective way to show God you fear Him. How do you obey the Lord? The answer to obedience can be found in our next directive, Meditate on God’s Word.
Meditate on God's Word
I asked God how can I be obedient to You? The Lord led me to Deuteronomy 6:5-6 (5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and mind and will all your soul and with all your strength [your entire being]. 6 These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be [written] on your heart and mind - Amplified). Joshua 1:8 (sThis Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall read [and meditate on] it day and night, so that you may be careful to do [everything] in accordance with all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous and then you will be successful - Amplified) and James 1:25 (25 But he who looks carefully into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and faithfully abides by it, not having become a [careless] listener who forgets but an active doer [who obeys], he will be blessed and favored by God in what he does [in his life of obedience] - Amplified). These scriptures taught me to fill my heart with Gods Word, so I will receive it causing me to be obedient. Proverbs 2:1 (My son, if you receive my words, And treasure my commands within you). How do I receive Gods words? How do I gain knowledge and understanding of His word? The answer is simple, meditating on God’s Word fills your heart with knowledge and understanding of Him. The more of the Word that is in us, the more God can show us. When I engrafted the Word into my heart I was able to “receive” His meaning revealed by the Holy Spirit. This lead me to my next directive, Humble Yourself.
Humble Yourself
After learning the importance of Meditating on God’s word, The Holy Spirit showed me another directive. He revealed that once you begin to meditate on His Word, He will begin to break up the hardened heart. His Word will begin to change the way you think and act in your life by revealing your sin, weaknesses and flaws. This is very humbling. That’s why the Apostle Paul said, “O wretched man that I am.” God’s Word reveals to us His righteousness in light of our wretchedness. I was lead to Proverbs 22:4 (The reward of humility [that is, having a realistic view of one’s importance] and the [reverent, worshipful] fear of the Lord is riches, honor, and life. - Amplified). I asked God how do I humble myself? We often think of humility before the Lord of actions like kneeling down or bowing down to him. However, we humble ourselves in the same way we fear the Lord by meditating and engrafting his Word in our hearts. Humility is more than an outward expression, but is a cleansing of our inner spirit. Humility is developed over time, which lead me to the next directive, waiting on the Lord.
Wait on the Lord
God revealed the next directive in Psalm 37:34 (Wait on the Lord,And keep His way,And He shall exalt you to inherit the land - New King James Version). I asked The Holy Spirit what it means to wait on the Lord, and how to do it? How do I wait on you and keep your way? We wait in His Word, meditating day and night (Psalm 1:2), which causes obedience. God will provide the detailed directions we are waiting for as we focus our hearts and minds on Him. Our enemy always wants to discourage so we won’t accomplish the purpose God has for us. The devil wants you to quit, where God wants you to wait on him. By meditating on God’s Word you are placing yourself in a position to hear his voice and accomplish His purpose in your life. Waiting on the Lord results in learning to delight in Him. This leads us to the next directive.
Delight Yourself in the Lord
I was memorizing Psalm 37:4 (Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart - New King James Version) and asked The Holy Spirit what it mean to delight yourself in the Lord? After meditating on it the Lord reminded me of Psalm 1:2 (But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night - New King James Version). By meditating on Gods word and putting it first place in your life you find yourself delighting in the Lord. This causes us to get to know God and develop a personal relationship with him, causing us to delight in His desires and His will. Now your wants match Gods. Often times when I am delighting myself in His word, and have questions about a verse or scripture, The Holy Spirit reveals to me other scriptures I have engrafted in my heart, to explain the new scripture. If something is true in God’s word then it will align and can be tested with other scriptures. Once you develop a delight in the Lord, you will find yourself trusting in Him. This leads us to the next directive.
Trust the Lord
I read Proverbs 3:5-6 (Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths - New King James Version) and said Lord, how do I trust in you with all my heart? That was easy, He told me to fill my heart with His Word. There is only one way to trust God; to develop a close relationship with Him. You have to get to know him so well, that you trust and believe he wants the best for you. The key to building that trust is filling your heart with his word so you will believe Him, rely on Him, and cling to Him. The only way to do this is by engrafting the Word in your heart, which leads to the understanding of his word and a greater trust in Him. Psalm 147:11 (the Lord’s delight is in those who fear him, those who put their hope in his unfailing love - New Living Translation) if you think about this scripture, it refers back to the Fear of the Lord. When you understand how much he loves you and wants only the the very best for you, you will trust him beyond measure. This deep trust that you develop will lead to a desire to honor the Lord.
Honor the Lord
I was memorizing and meditating on Proverbs 3:9-10 (Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the first-fruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine - King James Version). Like many people I was always taught that this scripture meant to honor the Lord with your finances. I continued thinking and meditating on the idea of honoring the Lord with my substance. Throughout this process I was led to read the first part of Proverbs 3:1-8. I found that its primary meaning is focusing on the importance of God’s Word. Up to that point God has not mentioned finances, but directs us to honor the Lord with our substance. What is this substance? Hebrews 11:1 tells us, Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (King James Version). Where does faith come from? Romans 10:17 says, So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. You honor the Lord by honoring His Word, which builds your spiritual substance (faith). The Word supports this through Psalm 138:2 where God says he honors His Word above His own name and without faith, it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). Can this apply to finances? Yes it absolutely can! However, God is specifically highlighting the importance of building our faith by pouring the word into our mind and engrafting it in our heart. This causes our words and deeds (the first fruits of our faith) to honor God leading us the most important directive; Love the Lord.
Love the Lord
Jesus states in Matthew 22:34-40 the most important command/directive is to Love the Lord with all your heart, soul and mind. He was referencing the old testament Deuteronomy 6:5. I read this and thought, how do I love the Lord with all my heart strength and soul? God told me, read the next few verses. Deuteronomy 6:6-9 (6 “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates - New King James Version). It’s like having your football playbook from your coach. You need to carry it with you everywhere you go, read it, memorize it, and be prepared to practice it. Then when its time to play in the game you will be prepared and ready for any opposition the other team develops. Psalm 91:14 (14 Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore will I deliver him; I will set him on high, because he knows and understands My name [has a personal knowledge of My mercy, love, and kindness—trusts and relies on Me, knowing I will never forsake him, no, never].15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him). He will promote you and give you more when your heart is prepared to receive the blessing he has in store for you. If you have a personal knowledge of his mercy, love and kindness you are able to fully love the lord knowing that he will never abandon you.