God, I Don’t See Your Power and Blessing in My Life
DO YOU WONDER WHY YOU ARE NOT PROSPERING, even though you are giving to God and serving Him? Are you pouring your life and time into your church or ministry, yet failing to see it grow in numbers and spiritual power? If you answered yes to either of these questions, it may be because of the presence of conflict and strife in your life, whether it be in your home, workplace, or ministry.
In the beginning years of our ministry, Dave and I did a lot of religious or spiritual things, but we lacked peace in our home. Everything would be fine one minute, and the next thing I knew, everyone would be mad—screaming and yelling. Or we would experience the other extreme, everyone would be deathly quiet—so cold and quiet that it was obvious feelings were hurt and wrong thoughts were running rampant.
I can remember our family arguing all the way to church on Sunday mornings, but living in pretense that all was well as soon as we saw anyone we knew. I would “fake” my way through the service, putting on my “church face” and clapping at all the right places, saying “Amen!” at the appropriate times, and pretending to pay attention to the pastor while he preached. All the while, I was planning how I would ignore Dave or the kids until they apologized to me. I certainly did not intend to go home and fix them a nice dinner. I really didn’t even plan to talk to them.
Dave and I often talked about power, prosperity, healing, and success in those days, but we did not possess those things. It was as if we were window-shopping. We could see what God said was rightfully ours, but we didn’t know how to get those blessings into our hands.
We even tried praying the prayer of agreement, because it says in Matthew 18:19, “Again I tell you, if two of you on earth agree (harmonize together, make a symphony together) about whatever [anything and everything] they may ask, it will come to pass and be done for them by My Father in heaven.”
However, even after praying this prayer, we failed to see the powerful results we had been taught that we could have. Then God revealed to us that He is not pleased or satisfied with religious sacrifices in a house full of strife. “Better is a dry morsel with quietness than a house full of feasting [on offered sacrifices] with strife” (Prov. 17:1). He is not looking for phony Christians. He wants the real thing—not just people who “talk the talk,” but those who “walk the walk.”
God responds to the prayer of agreement when it is prayed by people who agree. If Dave and I had been fighting all week, there was no power in joining hands, bowing our heads, and coming together in order to move God. The prayer of agreement is only effective when prayed by those who “harmonize together, make a symphony together.”
God told us, “Keep the strife out of your life, out of your home, and out of your ministry. Walk in integrity, and do what you do with excellence.”
Once God exposed the strife in our lives, I began to see a pattern. Not only did our family tend to get into arguments on Sunday morning while we were on our way to church, I also noticed that Dave and I would often have some kind of conflict just before a seminar where we would be ministering. It became obvious to me that Satan was stirring up dissension in order to keep us from hearing God’s Word and moving forward spiritually. He was using strife to block the anointing in my life and ministry.
Strife Blocks God’s Power
The Bible teaches us that the seed of God’s Word must be sown in a heart of peace by someone who works for and makes peace. James wrote, “And the harvest of righteousness (of conformity to God’s will in thought and deed) is [the fruit of the seed] sown in peace by those who work for and make peace [in themselves and in others, that peace which means concord, agreement, and harmony between individuals, with undisturbedness, in a peaceful mind free from fears and agitating passions and moral conflicts]” (James 3:18).
As a minister, this means that I must stay in peace myself and be a peacemaker if I desire a strong anointing flowing forth from me to help people.
As we travel and minister in various churches, I have found it interesting to note how often pastors come to church in separate cars from the rest of their families. At first, I thought this was a bit unusual, but some of them shared a twofold reason for doing so. First, many pastors like to get to the church early to pray and meditate on their sermon. And second, they want to be peaceful when they get there, and they have found that it is easier to stay peaceful if they drive by themselves.
The Bible also teaches that the enemy comes immediately after the seed is sown, hoping to steal the Word: “The sower sows the Word. The ones along the path are those who have the Word sown [in their hearts], but when they hear, Satan comes at once and [by force] takes away the message which is sown in them” (Mark 4:14–15).
God responds to the prayer of agreement when it is prayed by people who agree.
Satan is intent on stealing the Word before it takes root in us. He knows that if it takes root in our hearts, it will begin to produce good fruit. We must operate in the wisdom of God from within and show ourselves wiser than the enemy. We cannot sit by passively and allow the devil to get us so upset before we get to church that we cannot hear or retain what is being said.
Nor can we allow him to get us upset after we leave. In order to grow spiritually, we need to be able to think about the Word that has been preached and taught to us. Jesus said, “Be careful what you are hearing. The measure [of thought and study] you give [to the truth you hear] will be the measure [of virtue and knowledge] that comes back to you—and more [besides] will be given to you who hear” (Mark 4:24).
No matter how anointed a speaker is, that anointing will have no effect on you if you’re in strife when you hear God’s Word.
Strife not only blocks spirit power, but it also blocks God’s blessings.
Strife Blocks God’s Blessing
Many believers are seeking prosperity. They go to seminars on prosperity and read books on prosperity and success. This is good, for we need to be instructed and informed, but the Bible clarifies why prosperity eludes some people. It certainly eluded our family for a long while. We had all the right head knowledge—we gave and confessed and believed—but we were also living in strife and didn’t have any idea that it was blocking our blessing. Strife kills God’s blessing and power. I’ve seen this over and over again.
I once heard the story of a Christian couple who lost everything they had in a fire. Everyone who knew them was confused by the loss, because outwardly, this couple seemed to be living the perfect Christian life. They were doing everything right.
Both of them had just graduated from a Bible college, and they were preparing to go into full-time ministry. They had a bumper sticker, a tape recorder, and sermon tapes; they wore a Jesus pin. They knew the Word and said all the right things. So, the tragedy left questions in the minds of their friends and acquaintances. How could this happen to people who were walking in faith?
You may know of similar cases. Keep in mind that we do not know what goes on behind closed doors. It remains unseen. This couple later admitted that God had been dealing with them about their marriage relationship and the dissension and conflict in their home, but they had not humbled themselves and come into obedience.
Again, a house full of sacrifices, yet with strife, does not please the Lord. This young couple may have been sacrificing to go to Bible college, but none of the offerings of their flesh were satisfactory compensation for the door they had opened to the devil through their disobedience and strife. This couple knew the right thing to do. They knew that God was telling them to resist strife and live in harmony with each other. The Lord had been dealing with them, but they had not been heeding His warnings. Therefore, the devil took advantage of the open door and brought destruction.
I knew another couple who tithed and attended church regularly, yet they had continual problems with sickness, poverty, broken appliances, and car repairs. They had no victory. After years of struggle and problems, they finally revealed in a counseling session that they had so much animosity and strife between them that they had not slept together as man and wife for years.
Conflict and strife block God’s blessings. But where there is unity, there will God command His blessings.
The Bottom Line
We have many promises in God’s Word that He will bless and prosper us. For example: “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment poured on the head, that ran down on the beard, even the beard of Aaron [the first high priest], that came down upon the collar and skirts of his garments [consecrating the whole body]. It is like the dew of [lofty] Mount Hermon and the dew that comes on the hills of Zion; for there the Lord has commanded the blessing, even life forevermore [upon the high and the lowly]” (Ps. 133:1–3).
I love this psalm. It verifies what I am trying to teach. Life is enjoyable when people live in unity and keep strife out of their lives. On the other hand, there is nothing worse than a home or relationship filled with an angry undercurrent of strife.
Perhaps that’s why unity is one of the last things Jesus talked about with His disciples before He was arrested and crucified. During the Last Supper He prayed, “That they all may be one, [just] as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be one in Us, so that the world may believe and be convinced that You have sent Me” (John 17:21).
You might be able to learn a lot about how to give your testimony or preach a sermon by going to Bible college. You might be able to give the message of salvation by memorizing Bible verses or by listening to teaching CDs while driving in your car. You might even be able to spread awareness of our Savior by wearing a Jesus pin on your clothes. However, if you do all this, yet you are living in strife rather than in unity, your life will lack spiritual power and blessing.
Many frequently live in confusion, wondering why the promises of God don’t work in their lives. The promises of God cannot just be “claimed.” They must be inherited as we enter into a “sonship” relationship with our Father. The “sons of God” are those who are “led by the Spirit of God” (Rom. 8:14–15).
If you are wondering why you aren’t experiencing more of God’s power and blessing in your life, look at your relationships. Do you have problems with your spouse, your children, your co-workers, or your fellow believers? Are you party to conflict in your church or on the job?
While it can be tempting to get ourselves off the hook by refusing to look at the “why” behind the “what” when our lives lack the things God has promised us, we must be willing to do so if we want the life God offers.
Trials come for a variety of reasons. Disobedience is one of them. You may have problems that have nothing to do with problems that have nothing to do with disobedience or strife. The devil may be simply attacking you, trying to destroy your faith. If you steadfastly resist him, you will come into a place of victory. On the other hand, it is possible that troubled relationships may be the root of your trouble.
If you are wondering why you aren’t experiencing more of God’s power and blessing in your life, look at your relationships.
You may not be able to walk in peace with every single person you know. If so, don’t be afraid that God will not be able to bless you. The Word says, “If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (Rom. 12:18). As you face the truth, learn to resist strife, and live in harmony with others, God will free you to live the life you were made to live. If you are a peacemaker, God’s blessing and power will flow to you.