How to Experience God's Blessings in Your Soul
By Dr. Bill Gaultiere

Time and again I've heard people cry, “God hasn't blessed me.  I ask Him for good things, but it doesn't do any good.”  Or they complain, “I try so hard to do the right things and to be a good Christian, but it just doesn't work for me.”  Others have tasted of God’s goodness and want more.  In one way or another, I think we all long for God’s favor.  So what’s the secret?  How can we experience God’s blessing in our souls?

I think the best answer is given by Jesus in the “beatitudes.”  Each beatitude begins with “Blessed are those who…”  Jesus makes it clear that God wants to bless us.  And He shows us how to experience those blessings.  But, before I explain, let me offer some words of caution.

You probably know this.  But I need to say it anyway: it isn’t easy.  Most of  us must struggle to experience the blessings we need from God.  Like Jacob of old, expect to wrestle with God in the dark and to keep struggling until you prevail if you want to take a hold of the blessings you need.  Your faith will be tested.  You’ll have to take risks.  You’ll have to think and act and relate in ways that are unappealing and unpopular.  And like Jacob you may end up walking with a limp because we receive God’s blessings best when we’re wounded.  (Genesis 32:22-32)

Is it worth it?  For many it’s not.  What they want most in life are things like health, wealth, success, popularity, and pleasures.  But the true blessings of God are all matters of the soul - emotional well-being, loving relationships, godly character, and, most of all, God Himself.  These blessings bring eternal joy and meaning.

If these are the blessings that you want and you’re willing to struggle for them then you’ll appreciate these beatitudes.  I think of them as eight steps on the path of Christian Soul Care. 

1.       Entrust Your Soul to Jesus.  “You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope.  With less of you there is more of God and His rule.” (Matthew 5:3, The Message)

No matter how hard we try we just can’t be good enough to be acceptable to God.  For instance, how many of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-7) have you violated?  Have you…

·       Looked to someone or something other than the Lord as your top priority?

·       Given your heart to something you’ve made or bought?

·       Disrespected God’s holy character with unholy words?

·       Neglected to set aside time each week to worship God?

·       Neglected to honor your parents for the good they gave you?

·       Attacked anyone with your anger?

·       Lusted after anyone who is not your spouse?

·       Taken something that doesn’t belong to you?

·       Been dishonest with someone?

·       Coveted what someone else has?

We’ve all violated many of these commandments!  So the starting point in your soul’s journey to God and His blessings is to admit to your moral bankruptcy and to ask God to forgive you.  Instead of relying on your own attempts to be good and trying to manage your life yourself turn your life over to Jesus. 

Jesus alone satisfied God’s law by living a perfect life, sacrificed His holy life on the cross for us, and then rose from the dead to conquer sin and death.  He alone can take away your badness and shame and give to you His goodness and wholeness – now and forever!  What a deal!  What greater gift could we receive than this?  Nothing.  The greatest blessing in the world is to live with the awareness that we are forgiven and graced as loved children of the King.

Reflect: “Jesus answered, `I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.’” (John 14:6, NIV)

Apply: Ask God to forgive you for your specific sins and shortcomings and confess these not only to God but also to someone you trust.  Do this regularly.

Pray: Dear God, I need you.  I can’t manage my life alone, my sins and hurts and problems are too much for me.  I believe that you came to earth in the person of Jesus Christ and that He is the answer to my need.  I believe that Jesus lived a perfect life, gave himself up to be tortured and crucified for my sins, and rose from the dead to give me abundant and eternal life.  I ask you to forgive my sins, heal my hurts, and be the Lord of my life.  Help me to trust you completely, to rely on your forgiveness and love and guidance day by day.  In Jesus’ name I pray.  Amen.

2.       Grieve Your Losses.  “You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you.  Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.” (Matthew 5:4, The Message)

We all want to be happy.  Yet striving to be happy eventually leaves us perpetually unhappy!  That’s because if we try to be happy all the time then we cover up our pain.  And hiding our hurts will leave us unknown and unloved.  It’s no wonder that the most common cause of depression is what I call “ungrieved grief.” 

·       Death of a loved one

·       Health problems

·       Failures

·       Disappointments

·       Injuries

·       Unmet childhood needs

·       Abuse

·       Life transitions 

Each of these difficulties includes loss.  To deny this sadness and isolate it from caring people causes it to back up and form a cesspool in your soul that manifests as depression.  Especially if one loss after another is not grieved and soothed.  Of course, none of us want to feel pain and sadness.  And yet when we’re honest about our sadness and reach out for care from others then we experience the comfort and renewing that our souls need.  Then we will be truly happy!

Reflect: “You have collected all my tears and preserved them in your bottle!  You have recorded every one in your book.” (Psalm 56:8, TLB)

Apply: Release your tears, your sighs, and your sadness with a friend and with God and take in the comfort and care that you need.  In time you’ll feel more alive and closer to God than ever before.

Pray: Dear God, help me to trust you with my troubles, right now in prayer and day by day through developing relationships with trustworthy people in the body of Christ.  Heal the hurts in my heart and soothe the sadness in my soul.  You hear my cries and feel my pain.  You never leave me alone.  Amen. 

3.       Be Yourself.  “You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are – no more, no less.  That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought.” (Matthew 5:5, The Message)

The most destructive of all emotions is shame, feeling that you’re bad - all bad.  Perhaps nothing keeps us from God more than shame.  You feel shame when you continually do things that are wrong or harmful; when you’ve been repeatedly violated, rejected, or judged; when you turn your anger inward against yourself. 

The instinctive and destructive response to shame is to hide your true self.  There are many ways that people hide the parts of themselves they’re ashamed of:

·       Pushing them down into their unconscious

·       Projecting them onto others via faultfinding.

·       Covering them up with alcohol, drugs, sex, food, work, shopping, gambling, or another compulsion.

·       Whitewashing them with an external “ideal self.”

Hiding in shame is hiding from love and forgiveness.  It means missing out on God’s blessings!  We all long to have our bad parts forgiven, our hurt parts healed, and our good parts celebrated.  And this is what God offers us!  Our part is simply to be ourselves - expressing our true, inner selves – to God and other grace-givers.  And then to take in the gracious acceptance that we need.  This is the secret to true self-esteem.

Reflect: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.  See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139: 23-24, NIV)

Apply: Join God in celebrating your good points and forgiving your bad points.

Pray: Dear God, you look at me and you smile.  You know all of me, inside and out, and you love me.  Wow!  I can hold my head high!  I don’t need to be afraid of what other people think. Help me to be content with who I am.  Bless me with friends who will join you and I in celebrating the good in me and forgiving the bad.  Amen.

4.       Feed on God.  “You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God.  He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat.”  (Matthew 5:6, The Message)

Money.  Pleasure.  Success.  Notoriety.  Power.  Knowledge.  Self-righteousness.  These are all ways that we may try to fill the emptiness inside.  But God alone fills the deep hunger of our souls.  How?  How do you connect with God and take His goodness in?  There are so many ways.

·       Pray

·       Read the Bible as God’s words to you today

·       Confess your sins and thank God for his forgiveness

·       Praise and worship God for His goodness

·       Write a psalm to God, expressing your praise, thanks, requests, or feelings

·       Appreciate God in nature

·       Thank God for the ways He’s blessed you

·       Trust someone to be the body of Christ to you

·       Partake of Holy Communion

·       Invite God into whatever you’re doing right now

·       Be silent and alone and listen for God’s voice

·       Care for others in Jesus’ name

Continually feeding on God in these ways – both in quiet times and in spontaneous moments during the day is how we satisfy the longing of our souls.

Reflect: “O God, you are my God… my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water… Because your love is better than life… I will praise you as long as I live… My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods.” (Psalm 63:1-5)

Apply: Every day feed your soul with God by connecting with Him in one or more of these ways.

Pray:  O God it is you that I long for. You alone can satisfy the longings of my soul.  Open my eyes to see your beauty.  Open my ears to hear your voice.  Open my heart to receive your grace and truth.  Yes, you are here with me, right now, and you go with me.  Thank you.  Amen.

5.       Care for Others.  “You’re blessed when you care.  At the moment of being `care-full,’ you find yourselves cared for.” (Matthew 5:7, The Message)

What a blessing it is to reach inside your heart and find care for others.  Caring means stepping outside of your comfort zone and reaching out to offer compassion.  It means resisting selfishness and self-pity and considering others.  It means sharing what you can to help someone in need.  It means giving because you want to, not because either you should you need something yourself. 

There are so many ways that we can care:

·       Listen to a hurting heart

·       Offer a meal to the hungry

·       Visit the elderly

·       Play with a child

·       Smile at a stranger

·       Welcome visitors into your home

·       Give directions to someone who is lost

·       Help a friend in need

·       Love a family member

·       Pray for an enemy

When we express care and kindness to others they return care and kindness to us!  And we receive so much more: the joy of connecting with someone in need, the wisdom gained from stepping in another’s shoes, the meaning of making a difference for someone, and the honor of being used by God to help another – these are blessings that enrich our lives.

Reflect: “So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.  And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.” (2 Corinthians 9:7-8, NKJV)

Apply: Take inventory of your gifts, personality, time, heart, and money and then look for a job, volunteer ministry, or other opportunity to offer what you have to those in need in Jesus’ name.

Pray: Dear God, help me to see what I have to give and to offer it to others with a caring heart.  Help me to see their needs and to feel their pains.  Help me care as you care for me.  Amen.

6.       Worship God, Inside-Out.  “You’re blessed when you get your inside world – your mind and heart – put right.  Then you can see God in the outside world.”  (Matthew 5:8, The Message)

If God’s blessings are elusive to you then probably you have a distorted image of God.  You may have projected onto God unresolved painful characteristics of your father or mother, or someone else you looked up to, or your own self.  Here are a few examples:

·       Statue God: you feel detached from God and on your own.

·       Perfectionist Parent: you can’t be good enough for God.

·       Angry Judge: you feel criticized and condemned by God.

·       Party Pooper: you feel depressed and discouraged by God. 

·       Heavenly Tease: just when it seems God is blessing you it all falls apart.

·       Pushy Salesman: you feel pressured to do God’s will, but it doesn’t seem good for you.

·       Marshmallow God: it seems that God lets you be mistreated.

·       Magic Genie: you feel that God has to give you what you want if you do the right things.

How can you experience the Real God who loves you?  How do you put your inside world right so that you can see God in the outside world?  By bringing your inner self and feelings into relationship with someone you trust and respect and learning to receive forgiveness for your sins, healing for your hurts, and grace for your needs.  When you experience care in these ways from someone you can see and touch and hear then it’s not such a stretch of faith to experience care from the true God of love. 

Reflect:  “No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.” (1 John 4:12)

Apply:  Talk to God about your struggles to feel His love and then seek Him in this area.  Meditate on a healing image of God from the Bible, like Forgiving Father (Luke 16), Good Shepherd (Psalm 23), or Mother Bird (Psalm 91).  Or simply pray to Jesus as your Friend, Helper, Healer, or Savior.  Then thank God for the specific ways He shows you His love in the Bible, in Jesus, and in the people who you love and are loved by.

Pray:  Dear God help me to see your goodness and loving kindness in people and places unexpected.  Help me to give and to receive your healing touch.  Amen.

7.       Stay in Community.  “You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight.  That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family.” (Matthew 5:9, The Message)

We need each other.  Just to manage life we need at least one soul mate who we share our deepest needs and longings with.  To thrive we also need to belong to a family or community in which God is present.  And yet for many people anger problems, fears of intimacy or rejection, and unresolved conflicts weaken or destroy these precious relationships. 

In conflicts it’s so easy to lose our tempers, to find fault with others, to expect that they should change, or just to give up altogether and isolate.  But this never solves anything.  To get along with others we need to:

Reflect: “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another.  Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”  (Colossians 3:12-13)

Apply:  Whenever you’re angry with someone don’t react angrily by saying or doing something that is hurtful and only intensifies the conflict.  Instead, stop and think so that you can calmly verbalize your feelings (not your perceptions of the other) and ask for what you need.  Then try to understand the other’s feelings and apologize for any wrong on your part.   

Pray: Dear God, help me to give compassion and grace and forgiveness to others just as you have given these to me.  Amen.

8.       Persevere in Hard Times.  “You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution.  The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s kingdom.”  (Matthew 5:10, The Message)

Even when we’re committed to God and we’re doing what’s right we will experience pain, injustice, and hardship.  Often, it’s because of our Christian faith that we suffer.  In these times some people develop a negative attitude and get angry with God or turn away from Him altogether.  To them it all seems so unfair.  God seems far away and His blessings seem unreachable.  Others persevere through these hard times maintaining a positive attitude and trust in God.

Our response in times of suffering and persecution is what defines our faith.  The challenges are many.  Do you…

·        Express your faith and values even when it means being criticized or ridiculed?

·        Identify yourself as a Christian even when it means losing an opportunity?

·        Do you decline financial or personal gain if it means compromising your values?

·        Stand up for what is right in a group that’s doing what is wrong?

·        Continue to love God and do good even though you’re suffering?

If we persevere in these difficult times as Jacob did (the one who wrestled with God until he prevailed) and we keep working these beatitudes into our hearts and lives then God’s blessings will come our way.  We’ll stand tall as children of the King!

Reflect:  “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.  Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (James 1:2-4)

Apply:  Discipline yourself to thank God in the midst of difficult times. Renew your trust in the Lord and ask Him to work good in you through this struggle.

Pray:  Dear God, you are always loving and always with me even if I don’t feel this way at times.  Help me to trust you in hard times and to cooperate with the healing and growing you’re doing in me.  I am proud to be a Christian and I will stand up for Jesus and what is right no matter what the cost.  Amen.

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