What to do when your blessings dries up?

What to do when your blessings dries up? The Rebirth of your Blessings.

Your attitude before your dead season vs your attitude after your blessings dried up - seek God

1- Giving Is One Of The Foundational Principles For Spiritual Blessings - 2 Kings 4:8-10

2- Practice your Giving without expecting anything in return - 2 Kings 4:11-17

3- Let God handle the droughts in your blessings - 2 Kings 4:18-26

4- Tell God how you really feel - 2 Kings 4:27-28

5- Accept no substitute for the direct had of God - 2 Kings 4:29-31

6- Allow God to resurrect your blessings - 2 Kings 4:32-37

Introductions

I want to speak today regarding how we deal with the seasons of drought and death even when you are faithful. Telling someone to be positive when their blessings seems to become curse. How do we adjust our attitudes when facing the harsh realities of disappointments while being faithful.

Someone hearing me today is questioning their faith in God. You have given and served without expectations. You were just happy to surrender your all to God. In the process of serving and giving you are blessed with unexpected blessings. Then in the process of time that blessings become a curse or is dried up or dead.

What do you do when you unselfishly give to others and they turn out to be ungrateful or ignore your gift as if they are due it anyway?

What do I do?

Let me help you today in addressing this situation.

Let me make some clarifications before I get deeper in the text.

There is a biblical principle of sowing and reaping.

There is nothing wrong when you give that you are expecting a return.

You should have a distinction between your gifts, it this a gift just because of the blessings of God, is this a Gift that is part of your normal worship, is this a gift in anticipating of a deliverance.

We must be able to discern the soil (places, people, entities) that you are sowing into.

As a covenant child of God you will receive blessings just because…its all in the convenant.

You activate your covenant blessings when you perform your side of the covenant expectation.

Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (Gift, Giving)

GIFT, GIVING Favor or item bestowed on someone. Gifts were given on numerous occasions for a variety of purposes:

as dowry for a wife (Gen. 34:12);

as tribute to a military conqueror (2 Sam. 8:2);

as bribes (Exod. 23:8; Prov. 17:8; Isa. 1:23);

as rewards for faithful service and to ensure future loyalty (Dan. 2:48);

and as relief for the poor (Esther 9:22).

Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (Gift, Giving)

Since gifts might be required by custom, law, or force, modifiers are sometimes used to specify gifts given voluntarily: “willing” or freewill offerings or gifts (Exod. 35:29); free gift or gift of grace (Rom. 5:15–17; 6:23); bountiful gift not motivated by covetousness (2 Cor. 9:5).

Gifts are sometimes required by custom, law, or force, or freewill.

offerings or gifts (Exod. 35:29);

free gift or gift of grace (Rom. 5:15–17; 6:23);

bountiful gift not motivated by covetousness (2 Cor. 9:5).

Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (Gift, Giving)

Both OT and NT witness to God as the giver of every good gift (1 Chron. 29:14; James 1:17).

Human life is God’s gift (Job 1:21),

as are all things necessary for physical life: the sun for light (Jer. 31:35);

plants (Gen. 1:29) and animals for food (Gen. 9:3);

water (Num. 21:16);

clothing (Gen. 28:20);

grass for herds (Deut. 11:15);

seasonal rains for crops (Lev. 26:4);

companionship of male and female (Gen. 2:18–24; cp. 3:12);

the ability to have children (Gen. 17:16);

and sleep (Ps. 127:2).

Various human abilities are likewise given by God: the ability to work (Deut. 8:18);

artistic abilities (Exod. 31:6);

the ability to acquire learning and master communication skills (Dan. 1:17). These gifts demonstrate God’s general providence.

God is the giver of all Gifts:

Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (Gift, Giving)

God makes relationship with Himself possible by giving His people

wisdom (1 Kings 4:29),

understanding (1 Kings 3:9),

a new heart (Ezek. 36:26),

and a good Spirit to teach them (Neh. 9:20).

The NT expresses these gifts as the power to become children of God (John 1:12), justification from sin (Rom. 3:24; 5:15–17), and eternal life (John 10:28; Rom. 6:23).

Let’s now look at the story before us today and see how we can adjust our attitude when faced with the demise of your blessings.

1- Giving Is One Of The Foundational Principles For Spiritual Blessings - 2 Kings 4:8-10

2 Kings 4:8–10 NKJV

8 Now it happened one day that Elisha went to Shunem, where there was a notable woman, and she persuaded him to eat some food. So it was, as often as he passed by, he would turn in there to eat some food. 9 And she said to her husband, “Look now, I know that this is a holy man of God, who passes by us regularly. 10 Please, let us make a small upper room on the wall; and let us put a bed for him there, and a table and a chair and a lampstand; so it will be, whenever he comes to us, he can turn in there.”

2- Practice your Giving without expecting anything in return - 2 Kings 4:11-17

2 Kings 4:11–17 NKJV

11 And it happened one day that he came there, and he turned in to the upper room and lay down there. 12 Then he said to Gehazi his servant, “Call this Shunammite woman.” When he had called her, she stood before him. 13 And he said to him, “Say now to her, ‘Look, you have been concerned for us with all this care. What can I do for you? Do you want me to speak on your behalf to the king or to the commander of the army?’ ” She answered, “I dwell among my own people.” 14 So he said, “What then is to be done for her?” And Gehazi answered, “Actually, she has no son, and her husband is old.” 15 So he said, “Call her.” When he had called her, she stood in the doorway. 16 Then he said, “About this time next year you shall embrace a son.” And she said, “No, my lord. Man of God, do not lie to your maidservant!” 17 But the woman conceived, and bore a son when the appointed time had come, of which Elisha had told her.

3- Let God handle the droughts in your blessings - 2 Kings 4:18-26

2 Kings 4:18–26 NKJV

18 And the child grew. Now it happened one day that he went out to his father, to the reapers. 19 And he said to his father, “My head, my head!” So he said to a servant, “Carry him to his mother.” 20 When he had taken him and brought him to his mother, he sat on her knees till noon, and then died. 21 And she went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, shut the door upon him, and went out. 22 Then she called to her husband, and said, “Please send me one of the young men and one of the donkeys, that I may run to the man of God and come back.” 23 So he said, “Why are you going to him today? It is neither the New Moon nor the Sabbath.” And she said, “It is well.” 24 Then she saddled a donkey, and said to her servant, “Drive, and go forward; do not slacken the pace for me unless I tell you.” 25 And so she departed, and went to the man of God at Mount Carmel. So it was, when the man of God saw her afar off, that he said to his servant Gehazi, “Look, the Shunammite woman! 26 Please run now to meet her, and say to her, ‘Is it well with you? Is it well with your husband? Is it well with the child?’ ” And she answered, “It is well.”

4- Tell God how you really feel - 2 Kings 4:27-28

2 Kings 4:27–28 NKJV

27 Now when she came to the man of God at the hill, she caught him by the feet, but Gehazi came near to push her away. But the man of God said, “Let her alone; for her soul is in deep distress, and the Lord has hidden it from me, and has not told me.” 28 So she said, “Did I ask a son of my lord? Did I not say, ‘Do not deceive me’?”

5- Accept no substitute for the direct had of God - 2 Kings 4:29-31

2 Kings 4:29–31 NKJV

29 Then he said to Gehazi, “Get yourself ready, and take my staff in your hand, and be on your way. If you meet anyone, do not greet him; and if anyone greets you, do not answer him; but lay my staff on the face of the child.” 30 And the mother of the child said, “As the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you.” So he arose and followed her. 31 Now Gehazi went on ahead of them, and laid the staff on the face of the child; but there was neither voice nor hearing. Therefore he went back to meet him, and told him, saying, “The child has not awakened.”

6- Allow God to resurrect your blessings - 2 Kings 4:32-37

2 Kings 4:32–37 NKJV

32 When Elisha came into the house, there was the child, lying dead on his bed. 33 He went in therefore, shut the door behind the two of them, and prayed to the Lord. 34 And he went up and lay on the child, and put his mouth on his mouth, his eyes on his eyes, and his hands on his hands; and he stretched himself out on the child, and the flesh of the child became warm. 35 He returned and walked back and forth in the house, and again went up and stretched himself out on him; then the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes. 36 And he called Gehazi and said, “Call this Shunammite woman.” So he called her. And when she came in to him, he said, “Pick up your son.” 37 So she went in, fell at his feet, and bowed to the ground; then she picked up her son and went out.

What to do when your blessings dries up?

1- Giving Is One Of The Foundational Principles For Spiritual Blessings- 2 Kings 4:8-10

2- Practice your Giving without expecting anything in return - 2 Kings 4:11-17

3- Let God handle the droughts in your blessings - 2 Kings 4:18-26

4- Tell God how you really feel - 2 Kings 4:27-28

5- Accept no substitute for the direct had of God - 2 Kings 4:29-31

6- Allow God to resurrect your blessings - 2 Kings 4:32-37