Stop asking God to bless you!!
You need to stop asking God to bless you!! I would offer that God will bless you when he is ready to do so and if you are doing what he wants you to do. Ask God instead that what can you to that he will bless or maybe that He will show you where you are to be so that you are in the work that He is blessing.
I did not do an exhaustive search but I can only find one reference to someone saying “God bless me” and that it came to pass. That is 1 Chronicles 4:10 in the prayer of Jabez. I don’t think it is wrong to ask but most of the references to God’s blessings refer to someone asking on your behalf (intercessory prayer) or God’s reward for right actions or as a result of His love for us.
When we ask for a blessing I think we are getting ahead of ourselves a bit. It is like we are asking God to come along side us and to bless what we are doing regardless of what it is. Now you can be doing something really good but not be in His will FOR YOU!!
How do you determine God’s will for your life? What do you do while you are seeking his will? I think the answer might be “Do something, even if it’s wrong!!” God is big enough to fix a mistake that you make and I suspect that the idea of action is better than no action in most cases. We like to say we are waiting on God when in fact, God is waiting on us. You have to be wise in your actions and not do something that you know is wrong. Wrong in the sense that it violates scripture. As long it does not violate what God has already said then I think you can listen to the inner voice as to what you WANT to do.
God placed in us wants and desires for a reason. He has blessed us already with gifts and we have learned skills that He expects us to use. Sometimes we don’t even know what we are supposed to do until we start doing it. I spent 25 years writing software and working as an engineer thinking I loved it. I guess I did but I learned in the last 4 years that it is not what I love the most. Needless to say, I was surprised. Shocked in fact would be a better term. As I look back I think God was trying to tell me something about myself that I did not know but I was not listening.
There was a time I went away on vacation. I was gone for 2 weeks and when I came back to my desk in Engineering I found a note from the Sales Manager. He wanted to see me so I walked into his office. He informed me that he was moving me to sales and that I should transfer my work to another engineer. I did not ask for this nor was I excited about the ‘opportunity’. It never occurred to me that God was directing me in a path that he has gifted me in. I was the guy that all the salesmen came to get to explain the technology stuff. I was the guy that went to Japan, Mexico, Europe and Australia on sales trips. I was able to talk easily to anyone and I guess that is what Kenny saw in me but I did not see it.
I was entrenched so well in the company that I was able to keep my engineering job by insisting my boss ‘undo’ the transfer but as I look back on it I believe God was telling me it was time to start some new training. I followed my wants and desires but in the meantime did not violate God’s word willfully.
Fast forward to a few years ago and now I understand that this was my calling and that I love it. I love working with people, not computers. I can do the other things but it was not what I really love to do. My training now is harder than it would have been 17 years ago but God is redeeming the mistake I made. He is resetting my mindset in life and that is awesome.
Did he bless me while I was making my mistake? I believe he did. He provided for me financially, for my family and he blessed me in lots of other ways so even if you are doing the wrong thing He can bless you. I struggled with other things because of the willfulness I had. I had to travel all the time. I missed seeing my boys grow up and do things that I could have been home for but I was stubborn and thought I loved what I was doing. Know that I hated the travel and I felt trapped in a lot of ways but I liked the work.
Move toward what you have presented to you even if it’s not what you are comfortable with. Move toward what you like but be sensitive to the ‘cages’ you find yourself in and examine them carefully for a way out.
Two practical things you can do. One, find some time to spend with God and ask him to reveal to you what He is blessing. I don’t mean a few minutes either. Take a mental health day and go spend it ALL with God. You will be blessed if you do. Second, write down what you hear that day and then go back and look at it at least once a week. Set an alarm on your phone to remind you to do that. Don’t skip it. It can change your life.
I am going to keep coming back here too. Journal. Write down your thoughts. What you did, what you thought and how you felt. If you are ready to start I have some journals for you. Come get one but expect a call to see if you are doing it. I love accountability too.
Thanks for listening.