Two common misconceptions about God are that he, 1-is a killjoy who doesn’t want us to have good things, 2- he wants us to be prosperous in this life. Both misconceptions can be problematic. If a person thinks God is some kind of stern old man withholding the goodies, who would want to come to God if that were true. If a person buys into the prosperity gospel, disappointment can set in when the realization sinks in that what is being taught doesn’t work for everyone.

We are sojourners in this life. We are not exempt from problems. We are, however, given beautiful promises. They are ours in the here and now, but we will not fully realize them until we are in heaven. As Hebrews 11 says:
All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
Even though what we long for is in the future, we can remind ourselves of truths, so we do not lose heart. Ephesians chapter 1 has many wonderful truths. If we remind ourselves of these truths, they are affirmations that are based on God and his power, not on ourselves. The difference is an affirmation based on God is eternally certain because God has all power and fleeting affirmations are based on temporary things that can fade away.
With that in mind, let’s look at the truths we can use for affirmations from Ephesians 1 starting with verse 3:
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ
A word to focus on here is- EVERY. God holds nothing back from us. He blesses us in the heavenly realms with EVERY spiritual blessing. He is not some stern old man holding back on us.
The blessings are for us now in this life. Jesus promised to always be with us in Matthew 28:
And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.
We can have fellowship with God now. We can experience his presence now. Yes, we will experience that fully in heaven, but his presence is for us in the here and now too. We can say to ourselves, “I am blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms” because it is based on God and can never be taken away.
Tomorrow we will look at another spiritual blessing from Ephesians 1.
Thank you for reading. God Bless.
Because God created JOY, I think it is up to Him how and when we experience it! We just have to abide in Him to be enjoy all He has for us in this life and the next!!
So thankful for His blessings and His presence…now and in eternity!🙌
You are one of those blessings little sister 🙂
What a wonderful word of encouragement, Matt! Thanks so much for sharing!
Thank you Craig. How are you?
I’m hanging in there. My wife and I have been going through a bit of a rough patch for the last few months with health issues, but praise the Lord He upholds us in our trials, understands our weaknesses, and makes use of them for our good. Kind of like a meat tenderizer, LOL. It doesn’t feel good to the meat, but it does make it tender. 🙂
If it makes us more loving and more compassionate toward others, then Jesus will be more glorified in our lives. Ultimately our time here is short and our opportunities to glorify the Lord in our sufferings are few and we should be thankful for them, but as you know such an attitude is only possible by grace through the Holy Spirit.
I think it helps a lot to keep our focus on others. You are most fortunate to have been placed where you can use your natural giftings to help others in Jesus’ name. That’s a beautiful thing. May the Lord bless you!
Prayed for you and your wife. Our time is indeed short in this life. But it is a blessing to share Jesus with others.
Thank you, Matt. You are right, to glorify the Lord by sharing Him with others is such a wonderful blessing!
Thank you for this wonderful word from Ephesians 1.