Peggy Joyce Ruth

Blessings come as a result of obedience. The world chases after material blessings, prestige, and fame, which keep us in a state of strife. But God's blessings don't come from pursuing the blessing. They come from pursuing and believing God. It is better to believe God first and then receive the blessing. If we need the blessing before we believe, our faith will be inconsistent and scattered. But if we learn to believe and obey God, the blessings will come from behind us and overtake us.

It's not how we start that counts. It's how we run and finish the race that matters. God has a proper time for everything. And our faithfulness to God matters even when it looks like God is not answering our prayers. God has created a time for everything under the sun. Certain things will never work in life until we seek God and get in His timing.

Are you not reaching for the higher things in God because you never realized you have been given a choice? Many times we think things have already been determined by God. But in truth, He is waiting for us to make a choice, and then He will help us get to the higher place by faith.

It's our choice where we want to be with God, but we have to determine in our hearts to reach to the highest point. You won't get to the highest point accidentally. It takes intentionally believing God to reach the highest point on the measuring stick of faith in each area of life.

Every good and perfect gift comes from above, but it is how far we reach out in faith that determines what we receive. There is a measuring stick that determines how successful we will be in different areas of faith. Don't expect God to move you to a place you are not reaching for in faith.