Why God May be Holding Off on Your Blessings

Many of us go through cycles in life and complain that we aren’t receiving the blessings we desire. In this message, you’ll learn why God may be holding off on your blessings.

or more content, watch my full video, “Before You Can Be Blessed, God Will Give You These 3 Tests,” by clicking here

The next promotion, the next blessing, the next breakthrough, the next level of ministry fruitfulness, it’s all waiting for you on the other side of a divine test.
Now here’s an important note. Every believer is already blessed in the general sense.
What I’m talking about is something very specific. I’m talking about increase. I’m talking about promotion.
I’m talking about greater levels of responsibility the Lord will give to you as you pass tests.
Now he’s gonna test your stewardship.
In Luke chapter 16 verses 10 to 12, the scripture says this, whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.
So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?
And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?
Now, of course, the context is Jesus is addressing material wealth, but the principle applies universally, spiritually.
He’s talking about stewardship. He’s talking about taking care of what God has already given to you.
You might see an increase in your responsibilities.
And remember, this is more about responsibility than it is reward because when God blesses you, he gives you something to carry that you might be a blessing to others.
This is about increase. This is about greater levels of responsibility. This is about greater levels of fruitfulness.
Can God entrust to you the blessings of the next season?
Many of us go through cycles in life again and again, and then we complain about how long it’s taking in order for us to receive the blessing.
But have you ever considered this fact, that if you fail the test, you have to take it again?
So when faced with trials, when faced with obstacles, when faced with frustrating circumstances, instead of trying to rush the process, instead of saying, God, get me out of here.
I wanna be past this already. Ask him, Lord, what are you trying to teach me during this trial?
What are you trying to shape in me during this test?
Because if you keep failing the test, you’ll have to go through again and again and again these cycles of frustration.
How do you treat what he’s given to you now?
How do you treat what God has already entrusted to you?
Do you give your best, or are you waiting for some ideal situation in the future?
This is the trap that many fall into.
They, in their minds, picture this situation off in the distance, where they are where they want to be, where they’re the person they want to be in Christ, where they’re accomplishing the will of God in their lives, where there may be flowing in the ministry that God has called them to, and they picture it off in the distance.
And then they wait until that ideal circumstance presents itself for them to begin giving their best.
Well, if you don’t give your best right here and now, if you don’t apply yourself with diligence to what God has called you to do right now, If you don’t take care of what God has given you in this season, how can you expect increase for the next season?
How can you expect God to take you to higher places, give you promotions in the spirit, place upon you a greater mantle?
You’re not doing what you’re supposed to be doing right here and now.
Again, this is something that I think that we as believers have to take into consideration.
These tests, it is a test of stewardship, and this is by no means a message of condemnation.
This is one of correction, and, hopefully, it causes you to think soberly about what God has entrusted to you.
Remember, excellence is not having the best of everything. Excellence is doing the best with everything that you have.
This principle, by the way, you can see threaded all throughout the scripture, for it applies even to the revelation that God has given to you.
Look at what Matthew chapter 13 verses 11 through 13 say.
He replied, speaking of Jesus, you are permitted to understand the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but others are not.
To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge.
But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them.
That is why I use these parables for, they look, but they don’t really see.
They hear, but they don’t really listen or understand.
So Jesus spoke in parables to conceal the secrets of the kingdom of heaven.
And those secrets of the kingdom of heaven are unveiled only by revelation of the Holy Spirit. Sure.
Someone can learn the information, someone can study it intellectually, but only when you receive the revelation does that bring forth transformation, because it becomes a part of who you are.
But if you’re not faithful to obey the revelation that Christ has given to you, if you’re not faithful to obey what God has already revealed, then what little understanding you have will be taken away for you.
So will be taken away from you.
So the principle of stewardship applies even to an increase in revelation.
Think about the parable of the 10 servants, Luke chapter 19 verse 26.
Yes, the king replied, and to those who use well what they are given, even more will be given.
But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away.
Sometimes we get angry, and sometimes, sadly, we even get angry with God. We feel like he owes us something.
We feel like just because we’ve been saved for a long period of time that we should start seeing an increase in our responsibilities, an increase in the mantle, an increase in the anointing, an increase in power.
And on a side note, you, of course, have all the power and anointing that you’ll ever need.
When I talk about increase in these areas, I’m talking about your use of and access to what God has placed in your spirit because only when we obey what God has told us to do, do do we then begin to gain access what he’s already deposited in us.
So, yes, we have the anointing. Yes, we have the power. Yes, we have the mantle.
But are you living in a way that allows you to access the benefits of what God has given to you?
And so we often get frustrated. And again, as I said, we maybe sometimes get frustrated with god.
We say, lord, I’ve been serving you for x amount of years, or why does it seem like they get blessed and I don’t?
And why does it seem like they get promoted and I don’t?
Why does it seem like they get used and I don’t?
Well, the question is, what are you doing with what God has given to you right now?
What are you doing with what God has deposited in your life right now?
Do you despise the day of small beginnings?
Do you look at the mustard seed and dismiss it instead of sing it for the tree that it can become?
Do you take care of what god has given to you?
Do you actually work to increase the responsibilities that god has given to you? Or are you apathetic?
Are you tired of what god has given to you? Are you used to it?
Have you become so familiar with it now that you no longer value what he’s put into you?
This is why we need to evaluate ourselves, because often that test of stewardship takes place just before the increase, and God does indeed want to increase you.
Looking again to the scripture we see in 2nd Corinthians chapter 9 verses 6 to 11, that Paul the apostle writes to the Corinthians about their financial giving.
Now this is not a message about finances, but often the bible talks about finances in conjunction with the principle of stewardship.
So let’s consider the context. Paul is talking about money, but then let’s take a look at the principle behind what he’s addressing, which is stewardship.
2nd Corinthians chapter 9 beginning at verse 6.
Remember this, whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.
Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
And god is able to bless you abundantly so that in all things, at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
Let’s pause there for a second.
Here, the promise is not that you’ll have some of the things you need some of the time.
The promise is that you will abound. You will have all of the things you need all of the time.
Sometimes we get wants and needs mixed up, so we miss the fulfillment of this scripture Verse 9, as it is written, they have freely scattered their gifts to the poor.
Their righteousness endures forever. So now he’s talking about generosity. Verse 10.
Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase, that’s 2 fold, your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.
Verse 11, you will be enriched in every way. Why? So that you can be generous on every occasion.
And through us, your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.
So let’s take a look at a couple of things here.
He who supplies seed to the sower, what does that mean?
That means that God is the one who gave you the resources in the first place, that everything that you have ultimately belongs to God.
The clothes you wear belong to God. The place you live belongs to God.
The blankets under which you sleep, those belong to God. The food placed before you, that belongs to God.
You’re eating from his supply. You’re living from his supply.
He is the one who’s given you seed to sow, and he’s the one who increases that harvest of generosity in you.
Verse 11 promises you will be enriched in every way. But what’s the purpose of this?
So that you can be generous on every occasion.
So there we see that the increase comes, but the increase doesn’t come so that it can all go to you.
The increase comes so that you can be generous to others.
The increase comes not necessarily as a reward, but again, as a responsibility.
Now, again, Paul the apostle is talking primarily here about money.
He’s taking an offering for a specific project that he’s raising funds for.
Uh, but here he’s addressing something really important. Again, he’s talking about stewardship.
And he’s challenging the Corinthians to give, and he’s promising through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit that as they sow, they will reap.
And, again, this goes far beyond money. This is not a message about money.
But whatever you use unto the glory of God, God will increase.
So then if we withhold, well, now we’re not using that unto the glory of God and so the increase does not come.
But this applies to all different aspects of our lives.
What has God deposited in you that you are not using to bless others?
Has he given you an ability to write? Has he given you an ability to speak?
Has he given you an ability of artistic measure that you can maybe paint or do graphic design because artistic ability can be expressed in multiple different ways?
Has he given you a gift of encouragement? Are you good with people?
Has he given you the ability to bring joy and humor?
I mean, we could go on and on with these questions.
Because what we want are the trees, but what God gives us is what we want are the trees, but what god gives us are the seeds.
We say, god bless me with trees. Bless me with trees. He says, okay, here are the seeds.
Now go and be a good steward.
And so we become discouraged, and because we become discouraged, we start doing things half heartedly.
And we may claim that we’re giving our best, but are we really?
We may be going through the motions physically.
We may be commit keeping our commitments outwardly, but internally, are we diligent?
Are we really applying the mind that God gave us? Are we really applying the emotions that God gave us?
Are we really working and doing and serving with passion?
Or have we become apathetic toward the things of God because what we have right now isn’t what we want eventually?
But this is the power of stewardship, that if you take care of what God has given you now, he will give you greater levels of responsibility and increase.
He will bring promotion, greater levels of the mantle, greater levels of the anointing, greater levels of ministry, greater levels of freedom if you steward what he’s given you well.
And it comes when we least expect it. It’s exponential growth.
I’ll use our media ministry as an example.
The first several years that we were on, let’s say, YouTube, for example, The first several years were not what anyone would consider fruitful.
The livestreams, maybe 30 people would watch them. The videos maybe would get 300 views.
The channel had less than a 1000 subscribers.
And this went on year after year after year, but I determined in my heart I’m gonna preach to those few 100 subscribers like they’re a 1000000 subscribers.
I’m gonna preach to a 100 like they’re a 1000000. I’m gonna give my all to every video.
I’m gonna put my heart, and my mind, and my soul into every study that I present before the people.
I’m gonna present meals in the spirit to the best of my ability, as much as God has gifted me.
I will put my passion in it.
I will put everything I have behind it, and I will serve God’s people with joy and gladness and gratitude.
And whatever increase he brings that will come.
Well, for the first, let’s just say, 10, 15 years, there wasn’t really all that much traction.
But about about 15 or 20 years of serving, of working, of posting consistently, and our media director will tell you as my witness, we did not miss a week of content.
Every week, we put out content.
We did not miss a thing, and the growth didn’t seem to be coming. There was no acceleration.
There was no movement. There was no traction.
There was no spike that we saw coming in terms of the analytics.
We just kept serving, putting our heart and soul as unto the lord for the glory of god.
And so if you take a look at our channel, 12 years for the first million.
12 years for the first million and just a few months for the next 600,000.
What do you call that? That’s called exponential growth. It’s called acceleration.
Acceleration of growth, where you’re not just seeing growth, you are seeing the growth rate grow. That’s exponential.
To where you sow those seeds, you do the work, you put your hand to the plow, you’re diligent and faithful with what God has given to you.
And as one of my dear pastor friends says, gradually, then suddenly.
Out of seemingly nowhere, everything begins to change.
You see, when a tree is being planted, the roots have to grow long and deep, and they have to go to dark places.
And those roots will go deep into the ground before anything will ever sprout.
And that’s the truth about stewardship. The roots take a long time to grow.
And so he’ll test you with blessings, maybe like Abraham and Isaac.
He’ll give you something you think you want to see what you do with it.
He tells you maybe to give it up, or he tells you maybe to go in a different direction, or maybe he tells you to be diligent to the thing that he called you.
Whatever it is, he will test your stewardship.
If this is challenging you in any way, please let me know in the comment section.
I always enjoy reading some of the feedback.