The Holy Spirit is leading me to repeat part of what I said last week. When Jesus repeated himself, it was the same as saying, Hey! Pay attention here! This is important! Let’s return to John 14:10-13,


10 Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.
11 Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake.
12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

No doubt we’ve all read these verses and got a bit excited at first, but then our mind kicks in and says, “Yeah, right! If that was so, we’d all be able to write our own ticket through life.” But don’t you ever wonder, “What if He said was TRUE?” What then are YOU missing out on? “Hmmmm. Never really thought about it like that.” Most people don’t.

What if? We’ve all asked this question. What if you go through life refusing God’s blessings? What if you spent your life struggling over things you didn’t have to? God doesn’t MAKE you receive His blessings, you know. Receiving from God is always optional. It’s “yea and amen” on His part, but what about on YOUR part? With all this talk on TV about “getting all you’re entitled to”, maybe it’s time for me to step up and tell God’s people to have a hard look at your “belief” system. Perhaps you’re selling the BLESSING far short. The BLESSING is for God’s children, not for the devil’s crew.

The LORD prompted me to read John 14:24, which says, He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.

Going back to John 12:12-13, you need to understand this fully: God through Jesus was duplicating Himself on earth. Jesus was duplicating Himself through His disciples. The disciples preached what Jesus had taught them, thereby duplicating themselves through the preaching of the Gospel. YOU heard the Gospel and believed (hopefully), and down to this very hour, God is duplicating Himself through those who believe His Word and receive Him. Simple as that!

Now, let me point out again, the BLESSING is for God’s children, not the devil’s people. If you go back and read Deuteronomy 28:1-14, you will see what the BLESSING is:
1 And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:
2 And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God.
3 Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field.
4 Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.
5 Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store.
6 Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out.
7 The LORD shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways.
8 The LORD shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
9 The LORD shall establish thee an holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, and walk in his ways.
10 And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the LORD; and they shall be afraid of thee.
11 And the LORD shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers to give thee.
12 The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow.
13 And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them:
14 And thou shalt not go aside from any of the words which I command thee this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.

Yeah, I know, I’ve told you this before, and I’m telling you again: PAY ATTENTION!!
Right after these 14 verses are 53 VERSES OF CURSES FOR NOT OBEYING GOD!

15 But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:
16 Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field.
……and so on down to and including verse 68. That’s a high price to pay for not taking God at His Word and obeying Him, but as I said before, God set a CHOICE before you, whether to be BLESSED or CURSED!

You don’t have to go through life with a long face, being beaten up by every devil coming down the pike! You don’t have to live below the standard which God outlined in these verses! If you do, IT’S YOUR CHOICE, NOT GOD’S! Let me repeat: IT’S YOUR CHOICE, NOT GOD’S!

I’ve met so many beat up, defeated, depressed, sick and broke Christians, who insist it’s God’s will that they live that way. REALLY?

When Jesus sent His disciples out to preach, He sent them WITH PROVISION! Let’s read Matthew 10:5-15, remembering, Jesus sent them out to duplicate His Father on this earth, and He is sending YOU to duplicate Himself on this earth.
5 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:
6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
7 And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.
8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.
9 Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses,
10 Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat.
11 And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, enquire who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go thence.
12 And when ye come into an house, salute it.
13 And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you.
14 And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.
15 Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.
16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.

Remember what Jesus told them in John 14:12-13. We don’t receive unless we ask. Provision is a need, and although it is written that God knows what we need, even before we ask, WE ARE STILL INSTRUCTED TO ASK!

Now, if it’s up to me to ask, or possibly do without, I’m going to ASK! If it’s MY CHOICE whether to obey God and be BLESSED, or to disobey and be CURSED, I’m going to OBEY!

Going now into John 15:1-12,
1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
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.
8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.
10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.
11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.

Did you notice verses 7 and 8? “ASK WHAT YE WILL, AND IT SHALL BE DONE UNTO YOU”. But if you refuse the BLESSING, you will be unfruitful. If you refuse the BLESSING, you are ungrateful and disobedient. The BLESSING is help for you to spread the Gospel and make more disciples, who in turn will multiply the BLESSING to others! It isn’t all about YOU, but YOU are a necessary link in the chain, and any chain is only as strong as its weakest link. So what do you do? ASK AND RECEIVE THE BLESSING!