BLESSED ARE THE POOR IN SPIRIT

MATTHEW 5:3 (NLT) "God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for Him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs"

So I woke up this morning with a little sign that showed I was quite low on the Word and it was the spirit of fear. Fear of the unknown and fear of becoming what I fear...and as I walked the distance between my room and bathroom, I remembered this scripture and felt an overwhelming peace. So it was a no-brainer on whether or not to share.

"God blesses those who are poor AND REALIZE their NEED for Him...."

Here's the thing, God desires to bless His creation. In fact, God BLESSED His creation in the beginning. He gave man dominion over everything that was on the face of the earth, blessed woman with the ability to procreate along with man, put the dread of man within every beast of the earth and it was even His Breath that gave man life. So, it is clear that man (the human race) was blessed from the beginning but here, Jesus talks about a different kind of "Blessing". Here, Jesus talks about a "KINGDOM OF GOD" type of blessing.

If you have heard this scripture at any point in your life, it has probably sounded something like this : "Blessed are the poor in Spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of God" but I particularly love this translation because it specifically explains what the phrase "poor in spirit" means. It says "GOD blesses those who are POOR AND REALIZE their NEED for Him...."

In other words, it is not Good to be without God, it is not enough to just know about God and it is highly profitable to REALIZE your need for Him! The key words here are REALIZE and NEED. In other words, BECOME FULLY AWARE OF YOUR DEPENDENCE ON GOD AS A FACT!!! Understand that whatever good you are and will ever become is SOLELY because of God - it had nothing to do with your human abilities. You studied hard does not always mean that you will pass the test and you have a great resume does not necessarily mean that you'll get the job. Those things are great to do and have but in the end, the Bible says, "Every good and perfect gift is from above, from the Father of lights in whom there is no variation nor shadow of turning" (James 1:17). In the End, it is God who crowns every effort with success. Therefore God blesses those who are poor and REALIZE their NEED for Him. It's not just enough to understand that you sorta need God but to understand that you need God as a FACT of life. That is, to understand it like science, to have a knowing of it as the truth, to know that you know deep down in your knower that you need God and without Him, you have nothing.

Let's understand something, the type of need this verse talks about is an ABSOLUTE dependence on God. It's understanding that GOD IS the very air you breathe. It's not just thinking you may need God to help you on something but REALIZING you need God everyday, every time, every where and on every thing. It is BELIEVING that you need God and nothing else. This type of need causes you to chase after God relentlessly. It is this need for God that causes you to go in search of His truths just so you can FIND Him. Hence, the second part of that scripture.

"....For the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs"

Understand this, the realization of your need for God will always deliver to you the place of God. David in Psalm 63:1 says "...my soul thirsts for you, my flesh longs for you..." and later in verse 8 he says, "my soul follows close behind you, your right hand upholds me." You see, this desperation for God causes you to follow God and no doubt, God leads you to the place of His dwelling - far above the problems, currents and tides of this world. There's really nothing like realizing your need for God. He promotes you from the natural level to the supernatural. He blesses you with the joy and pleasures of His presence.

There's an old song i know and the words are just as simple as this verse is. It simply says:

I have no power of my own

I have no power of my own

I confess to You, Holy Spirit of the Lord

I have no power of my own

More than anything in this world, more than money, fame, power, glory or any kind of worldly achievement, WE need God. You and I NEED God. We cannot do without Him and it's a pity that so many are without Him. The Bible says "...for in Him we live, breathe and have our being" (Acts 7:28) so there is no life without Him and if you are without Him, yes, you're a zombie - a living dead because there is absolutely no life without God. I need Him, You need Him, the whole world needs Him and Jesus is the ONLY way to Him. So, get with it. I'm not asking you to become a christian (in today's sense of the word), I'm advising you to become a follower of the Way to God.