By ANDREA D. OATES

Do you discern your blessings? Do you always recognize how God is answering your prayers? Do you realize how he presents the desires of your heart? Or do you honestly fail to discern what God has for you and reject it out of ignorance?

The kingdom of God is like no other way of doing things that we’ve ever known. It is in direct contrast to what we know about living in the world today: we give to receive, forgive to be forgiven, love our enemies, and pray for those that despitefully use us. In order to live a supernatural life, the super and the natural must marry.

They must meet and join in an unbreakable union to experience God’s best for us in this earth. Faith without works is dead (unproductive) because it requires more than faith alone. Faith is of the spirit and works are done in the natural. When we put into action what we are believing God for, we have positioned ourselves for the flow of God’s blessings in our lives. We have created an avenue for God to work in the earth on our behalf.

So here comes the process of receiving from God God has ordained and set in place blessings of obedience. We tap into those heavenly blessings by obeying the word of God in the earth. There is always a natural corresponding action for everything we believe God for. In the natural we pray. We believe by faith that our prayer is heard in heaven. The word says that we can be assured of this if we pray according to God’s will. We know with certainty the will of God by reading and understanding the word of God. So when we pray according to God’s will, we know that he hears us and that we receive from him what we asked for.

So, our prayer is sent up, God has heard, if it’s according to his word he responds and releases blessings (or answers) sent straight from heaven. And through much faith, patience (endurance until we receive a breakthrough), and walking in love, we stay in position to receive what we asked for. But there can still be another problem we encounter after all is said and done. The problem: discerning the blessing that God has sent from heaven. One aspect of receiving I want to touch is receiving financial blessings. It’s something that some Christians don’t really want to address. But those that are knowledgeable about the word and honest about living in this world though we are not of this world will admit that finances are important to Christians. What is also undeniable is that God has established in his word his way of providing for his people.

The kingdom of God way of accessing God’s riches in glory requires a natural act done in faith with love. His way of providing finances is through tithes and offering. We cannot deny that God is a loving God and one of the most awesome fathers that we have ever known. Every good father anticipates and prepares for the needs of his children. Our heavenly father is no different. This is the God that Jacob encountered when he was destitute. Let’s recall the account.

Jacob had a vision that changed his life. God allowed him to see how he operates. Jacob saw the kingdom of God in operation. He saw a ladder that touched the earth, which represents a connection between the natural and the spiritual. He saw angels ascending and descending on it (God’s transporters and deliverers). And he saw God at the top of it overseeing every operation. His revelation revealed that God was in control and that he was watching over him. Personally, it is truly an awesome revelation when you know that God loves you, sees you, is for you, and is in control. There is such peace in the assurance of his love. But one thing that Jacob vowed to do was tithe. He promised that if God blessed him, he would surely give him a tenth of all. Why didn’t he promise to praise him and pray often? I believe he promised to tithe because he wanted the access to heaven to stay open and operate for him. The blessing Jacob wanted was provision. And he was moved to dedicate unto God a portion of what he gave him.

And the wonderful thing is that he made the decision on his own. It wasn’t just tradition for him. It was born out of his own personal experience with God. So after the tithes and offerings are given, God promises in his word that he will open the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing that there is not room enough to receive. But is God raining down money from heaven? God’s answer can very well be a financial blessing when he causes others to give unto your bosom. But there is another level-a higher level-that I don’t want us to fail to discern. That is when God answers our prayers for financial blessings with wisdom, instructions, and witty inventions. They are higher levels of blessings because godly concepts acted upon on the earth can produce an endless flow of blessings in our lives. We can be sure of his intention for a flow of regenerating blessings because of how he set up Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. (By the way, Eden means pleasures.) He gave them seed-bearing trees! That’s an opportunity for limitless harvest. Money is the fruit of financial harvests and can lead to wealth. But the true seed of wealth and financial provision is wisdom! Proverbs declares that a fool can have money but spend all that he has (end up broke).

So as we pray, let’s not fail to discern when God gives us blessings in seed-form. Seeds look small and insignificant.

But inside it has tremendous potential. So let’s work the ideas that God gives us. And when he presents the right time and opportunity, step out and put in motion what God has put in your heart to do. And don’t despise small beginnings. Then you will see true blessings that overflow until there is no more room to receive. (Hint: When that happens, get more pots!!!) Don’t forget that we are blessed to be a blessing. And don’t misunderstand: Money is not the root of all evil, only the love of money is. Be blessed!