The Reward for Obedience: Deuteronomy 28 and God's Blessing for Believers

In the natural, with the world's economic system collapsing and the struggle of ordinary people, it can seem there is no hope.

But, for Christian believers in Jesus Christ, obedience is the key which unlocks the blessings of God.

In Deuteronomy 28, Moses writes about God's promises for blessings in connection with obeying His word. Additionally, Moses also presents curses for disobedience.

From the beginning of this chapter, Moses states in no uncertain words that heeding the Word of God and all His commandments is how these blessings are activated in your life.

"If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully keep all his commands that I am giving you today," he said, "the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the world."

Furthermore, Moses warns that after receiving the Word, you cannot disregard it without losing connection to God and His blessings. This includes following other gods or creating idols out of today's modern conveniences, including money, technology and goods.

As previously stated, obedience is required to receive all that God has for you. An abundance of overflow cannot be made if your heart and soul do not receive Jesus as your personal savior.

Whether you are a new Christian or an old believer not seeing God's blessings in your life at this moment, ask yourself these questions:

• Am I in bondage to any sins?
• Am I obedient to God in the area of tithing?
• Am I harboring unforgiveness?

In 1 John 1:6, the Apostle John says "we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness." Because we know there is no darkness in our Creator, we must be honest with ourselves and whether or not we are following God's commandments.

We know His thoughts and commands by getting into the Bible and studying them for ourselves. If you will take the time to prayerfully get in the Word and then live those directions in our lives, the blessing--and all it contains--is yours!

We can know this for a fact because, as Ephesians 3:16-17 reveals, "Christ will make his home in your hearts...[and] Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong."

In short, when Jesus comes into your heart, you can't help but see blessings and favor. It is impossible to fail because God cannot and will not fail us as we seek after Him.

Two areas of great importance in this walk of faith include tithing, which is giving the first 10 percent of our income to the church; and in forgiving others.

Malachi 3:9 reveals that when we fail to tithe, we are stealing from God and are therefore CURSED. However, on the flip side, the tenth verse reveals blessings in line with those found in Deuteronomy 28:

"Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it."

On the same token, curse can come onto a person who has not forgiven someone of a transgression. Oftentimes, that unforgiveness can be so deeply ingrained, we don't even realize it is there.

Matthew 6:15 reveals "if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins." Without His forgiveness, we are not saved and cannot seek any of the blessings promised to us.

If you struggle with obedience in these areas or others, pray about them and share your struggles with a Christian friend, pastor or counselor. They can help you get back on track and start seeing all of God's favor and blessings come to fruition in your own life.