Obedient Preparation Precedes Blessings:

I wanted to take this from the word, so here is a collection of what I found to be Obedient Preparation which then precedes a blessing.

Straight from the Word of God:

No water for many until ditches were dug

2 Kings 3:16-17

¹⁶ and he said, “This is what the LORD says: I will fill this valley with pools of water. ¹⁷ For this is what the LORD says: You will see neither wind nor rain, yet this valley will be filled with water, and you, your cattle and your other animals will drink.

No Oil until vessels were gathered

2 Kings 4:3-4

³ Elisha said: “Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don’t ask for just a few. ⁴ Then go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all the jars, and as each is filled, put it to one side.”

No Healing until the leper had dipped seven times

2 Kings 5:10

¹⁰ Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, “Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.”

No Messiah until the way had been prepared

Isaiah 40:3

³ A voice of one calling:
“In the wilderness prepare
the way for the LORD:
make straight in the desert
a highway for our God.

No Harvest until the ground had been broken up

Hosea 10:12

¹² Sow righteousness for yourselves,
reap the fruit of unfailing love,
and break up your unplowed ground;
for it is time to seek the LORD,
until he comes
and showers his righteousness on you.

No Reconciliation without repentance

Joel 2:12-13

¹² “Even now,” declares the LORD,
“return to me with all your heart,
with fasting and weeping and mourning.”

¹³ Rend your heart
and not your garments.
Return to the LORD your God,
for he is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and abounding in love,
and he relents from sending calamity.

No Vision without obedience

John 9:7

⁷ “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.

No Resurrection until the stone is removed

John 11:39

³⁹ “Take away the stone,” he said.

“But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”

No Entrance into heaven without cleansing

Revelation 7:13-14

¹³ Then one of the elders asked me, “These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?”

¹⁴ I answered, “Sir, you know.”

And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

Conclusion: Not what you thought… Me neither… I know this is confusing… In fact I was hoping for something a little more concrete, which lead me to do further research which will be in the next posting. Don’t you hate to be continues? I do… So I’ll try and be speedy.

So what is all this saying or what does it mean? I will further put this together again in the next posting. But for now:

It is God who has a preordained plan for us, who has given us specific steps, and who wants to see our lives matter. In each of the above examples God spoke through Circumstances, Opportunities, Wise Counsel and His Words. God’s directions or will is spelled out in His Word. We need to stop, take a look around ourselves, pray, and be in His Word. Consider the circumstances, and the opportunities that you have been given and or that you have been observing.

Ephesians 2:10

¹⁰ For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Please Stay Alert:

Matthew 24:42-44

⁴² “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. ⁴³ But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. ⁴⁴ So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

Luke 12:35-36

³⁵ “Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, ³⁶ like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him.

To be continued… I’ll try and get it out by this Friday if not sooner.

BerryBlueBerry