The Bible is clear on the fact that God is good and desires things to be well with us. But our lives many times don’t seem to match up with this truth. Why is this?
First let’s establish the fact from Scripture that God desires good for every person. Then we will look at some other scriptures that show why your life might not be as full of blessing and the good things of God.
God Wants Good for You
Isaiah 30:18 – Therefore the Lord longs to be gracious to you, and therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you. For the Lord is a God of justice; How blessed are all those who long for Him.
3 John 2 – Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.
Psalm 35:27 – Let them shout for joy and rejoice, who favor my vindication; and let them say continually, the Lord be magnified, Who delights in the prosperity of His servant.
John 10:10 (AMP) – The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).
1 John 3:8 (AMP) – …The reason the Son of God was made manifest (visible) was to undo (destroy, loosen, and dissolve) the works the devil [has done].
Isaiah 48:17-18 (AMP) – Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: I am the Lord your God, Who teaches you to profit, Who leads you in the way that you should go. Oh, that you had hearkened to My commandments! Then your peace and prosperity would have been like a flowing river, and your righteousness [the holiness and purity of the nation] like the [abundant] waves of the sea.
Luke 12:32 w/Romans 14:17 – Do not be seized with alarm and struck with fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom! For the kingdom of God is …righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Ephesians 1:6, 11, 18 (Living) – Now all praise to God for his wonderful kindness to us and his favor that he has poured out upon us because we belong to his dearly loved Son. Moreover, because of what Christ has done, we have become gifts to God that he delights in, for as part of God’s sovereign plan we were chosen from the beginning to be his, and all things happen just as he decided long ago. I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can see something of the future he has called you to share. I want you to realize that God has been made rich because we who are Christ’s have been given to him!
James 1:16-17 – Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.
Summary of the above scriptures:
- The Lord longs to be gracious to you. He waits on high to have compassion on you.
- He desires above all your health, well-being and prosperity.
- He delights in the prosperity (well-being, things to be well for) of His servants.
- Jesus desires that we live abundantly; that is one of the reasons He came.
- He came to destroy, to loosen and dissolve all of the works of the enemy in our lives.
- He is the Lord who teaches you to profit , who leads you in the way you should go. O that you would pay attention! Then your prosperity would be like a river, and your success like the waves of the sea…
- The Father’s good pleasure is that we enjoy His kingdom of righteousness, peace and joy.
- Moreover, because of what Christ has done we have become gifts to God that He delights in… I want you to realize that God has been made rich because we who are Christ’s have been given Him!
- God is the Author of good gifts. He is always giving without change or variation.
Bosworth – The Compassion of the Lord
The word “willing” is tame to fully express God’s merciful attitude toward us. He delights in mercy. For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to show Himself strong in behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him.
“By this we see that He is eager to pour His blessings out in great profusion upon all who make it possible for Him to do so. He is ever hunting for openings to gratify His benevolent heart. He is looking for someone to show Himself strong in behalf of. If we want to please God, we should remove the obstacles out of the way of the exercise of His benevolence. He exists forever in a state of entire consecration to pour forth blessing upon his creatures whenever they make it possible. Suppose the vast Pacific Ocean were elevated high above us. Then conceive of its pressure into every crevice to find an outlet through which it might pour its ocean tides over all the earth and you have a picture of God’s benevolent attitude toward us. Not only is God able but He is willing to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think. It would be better to doubt God’s ability that n His willingness.”
According to Your Faith
God has freely provided all that you could ever need or even desire. He longs to be gracious to you. He delights in your well-being. He wants things to be well with you. He wants you as His child to enjoy the best He has to offer. He desires that you enjoy all the wonderful things He has provided to the full, to live His abundant life every day of your life.
His mercy is so longing to get into our lives and concerns that it is like the pressure of the ocean getting in wherever He can.
If all this is true, why do so few of us enjoy the fullness of His provision? He taught me in the past that it is mainly because we don’t fully expect to. We receive and enjoy the things God has provided according to our actual faith, what we really believe in our inmost heart. God is limited concerning us by what we know and what we actually believe – no matter how much good He has provided and wants us to enjoy, no matter how much compassion He feels for us where we are. That is why He sent Jesus and His Word.
Any bit of doubt will cause a leakage in these things getting to us. Any bit of wavering. To enjoy the fullness of His provision, we must become fully persuaded of Him and of His promises. We must reach that full assurance of faith.
To just make a decision to believe God is the beginning, and we will receive according to our actual level of faith. Llittle faith does receive, but it receives little results. It takes great faith to receive consistently great results.
So use what faith you have and increase it by studying the Word and spending time with the Lord and using it regularly. Let His Word and presence change what you think and believe in the depths of your heart. Then you too can have the great results you hear of in others. He has provided for your full and complete victory. He has given us everything pertaining to live and godliness through the knowledge of Him, through His exceeding great and precious promises.
If you want your faith to work well, take the time to build the foundation. Take the time to remove all of the obstacles out of your thought and believing processes so that you can actually believe without any hindrance. Study the Word on the nature of God and the promises of God until it sinks in and replaces all of the other things that have been in your heart that have hindered you from living God’s best. However much you have done this, however much your mind has been actually renewed, will be the degree that you will receive and enjoy of His provisions.
Mark 4:24 (Amp) – And He said to them, 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.
There are a great deal of scriptures showing this law of you receiving according to your faith, that the blessings you receive and enjoy and according to something you do.
Scriptures on Proportional Blessings:
3 John 2 – Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.
Psalm 33:22 – Let Your mercy and loving-kindness, O Lord, be upon us, in proportion to our waiting and hoping for You.
Matthew 9:28-29 –…Do you believe that I am able to do this? According to your faith, let it be to you…
Mark 9:23 – If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.
Matthew 15:28 – O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire…
Matthew 14:30-31 – But when he perceived and felt the strong wind, he was frightened, and as he began to sink, he cried out, Lord, save me [from death]! Instantly Jesus reached out His hand and caught and held him, saying to him, O you of little faith, why did you doubt? This seems to imply that the doubt caused him to sink. According to His faith, he began to walk successfully on the water. When doubt entered it punctured the power of his faith, and he began to sink. Doubt will always do this. But though his faith wasn’t perfect, he is one of the few mortal men who have actually walked on water.
Matthew 17:19-20 – Then the disciples came to Jesus and asked privately, why could we not drive it out? He said to them, because of the littleness of your faith [that is, your lack of firmly relying trust]. For truly I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, move from here to yonder place, and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.
Nothing is impossible to true faith. All things are possible to God and to the one who believes. All things you believe are possible to you. As much as your actual faith is as much as you touch the power of God to whom all things are possible – and accordingly it is as much as you will live and enjoy – regardless of the will of God for you. You don’t receive according to the will of God for you; you receive according to your faith or expectation.
Romans 12:2 – And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.. You will be able to live and enjoy the full will of God for your life according to how much your mind is renewed, how much you actually think and believe like God. If you don’t believe in healing, you won’t enjoy his healing provisions. If you don’t believe He will meet your needs, you will go without. So it is worth your time and effort to renew your mind to true faith – to learn to think like God does in every area of life, to learn and accept how good His perfect will actually is for you.
Matthew 21:21-22 – And Jesus answered them, truly I say to you, if you have faith (a firm relying trust) and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, be taken up and cast into the sea, it will be done. And whatever you ask for in prayer, having faith and [really] believing, you will receive.
Mark 11:22-24 – …Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, be removed and be cast into the sea, and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them and you will have them.
Acts 6:8 – And Stephen, full of faith and power did great wonders and signs among the people. The amount you can do for God will be limited by your true faith.
In conclusion, if you want ot enjoy more of the good things and blessings God desires for you, learn to truly believe in the goodness of God and expect Him to do and be for you exactly what He says in His word. (Look at my article “How to Know God” to see more on how to do this.