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Are You Blessed?

Read from the book of Deuteronomy:

Deuteronomy 28:1 And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:

Deuteronomy 28:2 And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God.

Deuteronomy 28:3 Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field.

Deuteronomy 28:4 Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.

Deuteronomy 28:5 Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store.

Deuteronomy 28:6 Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out.

Deuteronomy 28:7 The LORD shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways.

Deuteronomy 28:8 The LORD shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.

Deuteronomy 28:9 The LORD shall establish thee an holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, and walk in his ways.

Deuteronomy 28:10 And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the LORD; and they shall be afraid of thee.

Deuteronomy 28:11 And the LORD shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers to give thee.

Deuteronomy 28:12 The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow.

Deuteronomy 28:13 And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them:

Deuteronomy 28:14 And thou shalt not go aside from any of the words which I command thee this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.

There is not ONE SINGLE WORD anywhere in that passage that any person on the planet can claim today. Not one. Those promises were to Israel. They are NOT to the body of Christ. They are physical and earthly, not spiritual and Heavenly. They promise children, harvest, livestock, victory over enemies, rain in the land, wealth above all nations, exalted above all nations. But you were not promised any of those things.

The book of Ephesians is well worth your time to study, because in it is the fullness of God’s revelation. It contains the mystery of God’s will. If you want to know the will of God for your life, this is where you will find it. Paul wrote the Ephesian letter from Rome where he referred to himself as the "prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles." He wrote the letter to people he didn't know. People he had never met. He had only heard of their faith, as he says:

Ephesians 1:15 Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints,

Ephesians 1:16 Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;

Ephesians 1:17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:

So Paul explains to these believers, not only their position in Christ, but also their possession in Him. He knew that they would be like children, "tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive," unless they possessed the knowledge of the truth.

Paul had written to Timothy in Ephesus, and told him:

1 Timothy 2:4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

So Paul not only wanted men to be saved, receiving the gift of eternal life, but also that they grow up into Christ and become the mature Saints the Lord intended them to be. If you are ever at a loss as to what to study, or what to preach, or what to teach, read Ephesians Chapter one. Study it out. Read it over again, think about it, trace it out with other references. God wants the same for you and me as He wanted for those Ephesians.

There is a wealth of doctrinal and practical information in the book of Ephesians. If you want to know the will of the Lord in your life, you don't have to go to some old fashioned alter somewhere and seek God and pray, "Oh Lord, please show me your will. Please tell me what you want me to do. Oh, Lord, what is your will for my life." He has told you what His will for you life is. You don't have to pray about it, seek for it, seek counseling about it, seek advisors or religious leaders to tell you about it. It's all right there in chapter four, five and six. All you have to do is read it....and take it to heart.

Now these Ephesians were not Jews. They were also not the religious Gentiles Paul had previously encountered in all those synagogues he had preached in during the time of the book of Acts. These people were ALIENS. They had never been associated with Israel, the Law of Moses, Judaism, baptisms, circumcision or the promises of God. They had not feared the God of Abraham nor blessed the nation of Israel in time past. Instead they had had their own god's and goddesses. But someone had preached to them and they had believed the gospel. They had heard the "word of truth, the gospel of their salvation,” and hearing, they had trusted in Christ, and they were "sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise." In other words they were saved. They were members of the body of Christ. They are members of the SAME body, by the way, that Paul and everybody else who had believed the gospel Paul preached, were members of.

Ephesians 3:6 That the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:

Notice that they are fellow heirs, with Christ, with Paul and with all the other saints, and that they are partakers of God's promise in Christ. They are partakers of eternal life, by the gospel. Not by being religious, not by being associated with Israel. Not by any thing other than BY THE GOSPEL. And they are sealed unto the day of redemption, sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise. As in:

Ephesians 1:12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.

All the people Paul had preached to. All the Jews and Greeks in all those synagogues Paul traveled to and preached in. In other words, Paul is referring to all the people during the time period of the book of Acts who had believed Paul's message.

Ephesians 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

So these people are trusting the Lord, they are sealed with the Spirit, they are saved. Now Paul wants them to "come unto the knowledge of the truth." And the pivotal point is ALL SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS" Are you trusting the Lord, and Him alone, for salvation? Do you know that Christ died for your sins, all of them, and that he was raised again for your justification? If you have believed the gospel and trusted Christ like those Ephesians did, then read on, this is ABOUT you!

Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:

If we will study this out, prayerfully, this verse will answer a lot of questions that are crucial to our understanding of God's working in this dispensation of the grace of God. It will help us to understand, not only what God is doing, but what he is NOT doing today, it will help us to grow up, to mature, in grace. The blessings God has given to the body of Christ today are not physical, they are SPIRITUAL. A blessing is a benefit. It is a benefit by which the receiver of the benefit is enlarged and enriched. Spiritual blessings are spiritual benefits, so to speak. The blessings God has given to the church the body of Christ are SPIRITUAL and we already now have ALL OF THEM.

Now if you want to Greek it, the word spiritual comes from the Greek word PNEUMATIKOS, having to do with air. We have pneumatic tools, pneumatic tires, a lot of things having to do with air. In other words, SPIRITUAL is in the SPIRIT REALM. It carries the idea, number one of INVISIBLE. But it also carries the idea of POWER. A pneumatic cylinder 1 and 1/2 inches in diameter with 100 pounds of air pressure can throw a 350 pound man backwards across the room. I know, I have seen it happen.

In all of the bible, the word SPIRITUAL shows up a total of 27 times. Guess where in the bible? 25 out of 27 times in the bible, the word SPIRITUAL is in Paul's epistles. So with 25 times out of 27, Paul's epistles contain the spiritual things of the Lord. Now Paul also uses the word SPIRITUAL in contrast that that which is carnal, fleshly and material. Look at a few examples:

Romans 7:14 For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.

Paul is showing his complete inability to keep the law. The law is spiritual but Paul says that he is carnal. It is not possible to keep the law. The law is the measure of God's righteousness and was given to show men they need a Saviour since they cannot save themselves by doing good, or by being good.

In the next verse he is making an appeal to those "Olive tree" Gentiles who had been partaking of the root and fatness of the Olive tree. The Olive tree represents Israel, not the body of Christ. Nobody has ever been “graffed in” to the body of Christ, and nobody is in danger of being “broken off.” The whole point of the Roman letter was to establish those Gentiles in their faith. Paul did that by way of the doctrine in the Roman letter.

Romans 15:27 It hath pleased them verily; and their debtors they are. For if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister unto them in carnal things.

(The period of time represented by the book of Acts is a “time of promise” and during that period of time, Paul preached in synagogues to both Jews and (Gentiles) Greeks. The body of Christ was being formed, not a kingdom of priests. People were being saved, not through the rise of Israel, as prophesied in Hebrew scriptures, but rather, through their fall. So during that period a transition is taking place. The ministry and message of Peter and the 12 is diminishing while the ministry and message of the Apostle Paul comes to the forefront.)

Look at the carnal Corinthians:

1 Corinthians 3:1 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.:

1 Corinthians 9:11 If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things?

1 Corinthians 9:12 If others be partakers of this power over you, are not we rather? Nevertheless we have not used this power; but suffer all things, lest we should hinder the gospel of Christ.

So the gospel of Christ has nothing to do with CARNAL things does it? Not health, not wealth, not prosperity, not even emotional feelings. BUT, don't assume that because something is spiritual that it's any less real. The book of Hebrews, for instance says that FAITH is a SPIRITUAL substance:

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Now you can't see your salvation in Christ. You can't see it, feel it, or taste it. So what is the EVIDENCE of your salvation? Your faith. Faith is the very spiritual ground, like the physical ground in your front yard, the spiritual ground that you stand on. It's the substance that holds you up. You know what your faith is and that's your evidence. My evidence concerning your salvation is your testimony. The words that come out of your mouth concerning what you trust in for salvation. But be sure you remember WHOSE faith it is that holds you up. It is the faith OF Christ. Not your faith in Christ. Your faith is simply IN Christ because you trust God's word, God's testimony. But it is always the faith OF Christ that endures in your behalf, no matter how weak or strong your faith is at any particular time.

So faith is real, a real spiritual substance. Don't think that because you can't see physical evidence of faith that it is not real OR that it doesn't affect the material world. The future glorified bodies of all believers in Christ will be spiritual, as opposed to natural. We know that our bodies are not going to be spirits or apparitions or ghosts as some in religion teach. When Christ comes our vile bodies will be changed:

Philippians 3:20 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:

Philippians 3:21 Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.

After the resurrection of Christ he appeared materially numerous times, they touched him, he ate with them, he talked with them and he told them "a spirit hath not flesh and bones as ye see me have." So our glorified bodies will be like His glorious body. It will be spiritual, not carnal but celestial. In other words, our new body will be fitted for life in heavenly places. It will be spiritual, suited for life in the spirit realm. In a realm that is there, now. It's real. It exists. We simply can't see it with our physical eyes.

1 Corinthians 15:40 There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.

1 Corinthians 15:44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.

It's noteworthy that when the Lord is discussing the new birth with Nicodemus, a master of Israel, in John chapter three he uses the term "earthly" and "heavenly" rather than "fleshly" and "spiritual." But he says:

John 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

That which is born of the flesh is a man born of water, a man in his natural body. That which is born of the Spirit is a man with his vile body changed, a man in his glorified body, his spiritual body. That's why the Lord told Nicodemus he must be born again. Unless a MAN is born of water, that is, natural childbirth, and of the Spirit, he could not enter the Kingdom of God. So far there is only one man in the bible who fits that description:

Romans 1:4 And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:

John 3:13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.

So Paul says that saved people are blessed with all spiritual blessings. What are spiritual blessings? That's the question we want to address. I think there is a good answer in Ephesians chapter one. Let's read:

Ephesians 1:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

That's a spiritual blessing. To be chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world. God foreknowing that we would hear the gospel of grace committed to Paul and believe it, he determined that we should be holy and without blame. Wow, no blame. What a blessing!

Ephesians 1:5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,

The bible says we were predestined unto adoption. The adoption here is not the same as we might think of adoption today. This means being legally placed as a child of God. It means being an heir of God and joint heir with Christ. Not only that, but it was God's will and it was God's good pleasure to do that. It pleases God that you are His child.

Ephesians 1:6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

We are accepted in the beloved. The beloved is Jesus Christ and we are IN Christ and in Christ we are IN the beloved, part of the body of Christ....ACCEPTED, not rejected and no doubt about it. And it's all going to turn out to be praise to the glory of HIS GRACE.

Ephesians 1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

We are given the riches of God's grace. God's unmerited favor has resulted in the forgiveness of ALL OUR SINS. We are forgiven ALL trespasses. How? We have been redeemed through his blood. Christ died for sinners, Romans 5:6; Christ died for the ungodly, Romans 5:8; Christ died for the enemies of God, Romans 5:10. We are redeemed and we are forgiven. That's riches that money cannot buy.

Ephesians 1:8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;

The abundance of God's wisdom and God's understanding is something that has never before been available to man. Moses said the secret things belong to the Lord. But now, in Christ, God has given them to us in abundance. Moses knew nothing at all about a group of people such as you and I, all being equal and all being partakers of eternal life in Christ, by the gospel.

Ephesians 1:9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:

Only in the dispensation of Grace has God made known the mystery of His will, the secret of his plan. Moses didn't know about it, Peter, James and John were not told. The mystery of God's will, the twofold purpose of God was only made known through Paul.

Ephesians 1:10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:

There is a lot of confusion in religion about what the "all things" are, and we will save that for another time. But THINGS are thrones, dominions, principalities and powers. All things are not all people because not all people are IN Christ. But those of us who are IN Christ are going to play a big, big part in those "all things" in the fullness of times.

Ephesians 1:11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:

So IN Christ, pertaining to those ALL THINGS we have obtained an inheritance, and we were predestinated to that according to God's foreknowledge before the foundation of the world that by our free will choice we would trust in Jesus Christ alone for salvation.

Next you see a group of people who were already trusting in Christ before Paul wrote this Ephesian letter. That would be all the people Paul had preached to, all those Jews and Greeks Paul had encountered during the time period of the book of Acts.

Ephesians 1:12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.

And then you see the Ephesians to whom Paul wrote the letter, the simplicity of their salvation by the gospel, their eternal security in Christ, and the HOPE of their calling. What is true of these Ephesians is also true of you and me:

Ephesians 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

Ephesians 1:14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

Now what we have seen is a pretty good list of blessings. But that's not all spiritual blessings. As you study these things out you find more and more. You CANNOT perceive them by your five senses. You can't see them. You can't touch them. You can't smell them. You can't hear them. You cannot apprehend them by natural means. The natural man receiveth not the things of God. They are spiritually discerned.

The only way you are going to know about your spiritual blessings, all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ, is to READ ABOUT THEM in the bible. You cannot go to some religious show, and get goose bumps, and get spiritual blessings. They are spiritual, they are not natural. They are spiritual, they are not carnal.

That's why you are told to study. Study to shew thyself approved unto God. Only by studying, only by comparing spiritual things with spiritual, can the Holy Spirit, who wrote the book, illuminate the word of God to the believer who will believe the word, not correct the word, not question the word, but simply believe it. God is faithful and able to perform that which he has promised. Only with the eye of FAITH can we see the spiritual things that are freely given to us by God.

Now there is a difference between spiritual and physical blessings. There is a difference between Israel and the body of Christ. Israel is God's earthly people. The body of Christ is God's heavenly people. The church is not Israel and Israel is not the church. When people get it mixed up they mess up. God is not dealing with Israel today. If you are trying to claim blessings, and covenants and promises God made to Israel, then you are a crook. You are a thief. You are trying to steal something that doesn't belong to you. There is a total contrast between the physical blessings God promised to Israel and the spiritual blessings God has given to the body of Christ.

It will be good if we are sure what is for us and what is for Israel. What is for Heaven and what is for Earth. What God is doing today, and what he is NOT doing today. Today God is not dealing with physical blessings in an earthly setting. In time past He did. In the future, after the Rapture of the church, He will. Today that is not what's happening. In time past it was. Under the Law of Moses, Israel was promised blessings IF they performed. If they failed they were promised curses. Moses, moved by the Holy Spirit, listed numerous blessings for Israel when they entered the promised land under Joshua: For instance, they were promised a bunch of children, a good harvest, and a lot of cows and sheep:

Deuteronomy 28:4 Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.

They were promised victory over their enemies: Why? Because Israel's enemies were the enemies of God. Their enemies were idolaters who had turned away from God:

Deuteronomy 28:7 The LORD shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways.

They were promised rain for their crops in the land, and they were promised great wealth:

Deuteronomy 28:12 The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow.

They would be the head and not the tail:

Deuteronomy 28:13 And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them:

Now, honestly, can you look around you and really say that you can see those things going on with any particular group of people in any land today? There is not ONE SINGLE WORD anywhere in that passage that any person on the planet can claim today. Not one. Those promises were to Israel. They are NOT to the body of Christ. They are physical and earthly, not spiritual and Heavenly. They promise children, harvest, livestock, victory over enemies, rain in the land, wealth above all nations, exalted above all nations.

Note the physical character of those blessings. Not only were they material, experienced by the physical body, but they were conditional. It all depended on OBEDIANCE. If they PERFORMED they got the blessings, but if not, they got the CURSES. Please understand that ONLY in the age of grace is salvation by grace through faith. Theirs was always BY WORKS through faith and don't let anybody try to convince you otherwise. They had to DO in order to BE:

Deuteronomy 28:15 But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:

Deuteronomy 28:16 Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field.

Deuteronomy 28:17 Cursed shall be thy basket and thy store.

Deuteronomy 28:18 Cursed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy land, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.

Deuteronomy 28:19 Cursed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and cursed shalt thou be when thou goest out.

And on and on it goes. Blessings and curses. It was CONDITIONAL. But not so today. Believers today are members of the church, the body of Christ. As a member of the body of Christ you are IN Christ. You shouldn't attempt to claim promises and blessings which belong to Israel. If you as a believer, happen to have, or perhaps earned, a good supply of this world's good, or goods, thank God for it. Use it wisely, for God's glory and other’s good. God has not promised the earth, or it's wealth, to you. You are not promised physical, but spiritual blessings, and YOU ALREADY HAVE THEM.

As a believer, God gives us ALL SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS.. It may be difficult for some people to understand, but God has not withheld ANYTHING beneficial for our spiritual life. People who have the means love to give gifts to their children. God the Father has bestowed upon us the exceeding riches of His grace. Spiritual blessings are in HEAVENLY PLACES, not earthly. Paul uses that term, heavenly places, five times in the book of Ephesians. It explains the present location of Jesus Christ in His exalted position...far above all. But it also describes something else: The seats of authority of evil principalities and powers (as in fallen angels). And God calls on us to do battle with them, having on the whole armour of God.

By faith, the children of Israel defeated their enemies, even giants in the land. So we, the body of Christ should also occupy, by faith, our inheritance in heavenly places. Remember that the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, they are spiritual. They are MIGHTY through God to the pulling down of (spiritual) strongholds. The rulers of darkness of this world don't like us knowing and understanding this spiritual warfare. And they want to deceive, distract and discourage believers from their God given heritage. Now Jesus Christ is the head of all principality and power, and God has provided us with weapons for our warfare. That's why we are told to put on the whole armour of God:

Ephesians 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

Ephesians 6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

Ephesians 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Ephesians 6:13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Ephesians 6:14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

Ephesians 6:15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

Ephesians 6:16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

Ephesians 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

Ephesians 6:18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

Now our position is IN CHRIST, being made one with Him through the baptizing work of the Holy Spirit, as in 1 Corinthians 12:13, Ephesians 4:4 and 5, and this position, this standing, is perfect and cannot be altered. That means that our spiritual blessings also, are positional and secure. You have them, you cannot lose them, any more than you can lose your salvation, and God doesn't take them away. God has reckoned us dead to the world and hid with Christ, in God. Now when God hides something in Himself, nobody can find it. They can't get to it to steal it or take it away. He will never be robbed of his inheritance, purchased with HIS own blood..

We were BLESSED the moment we TRUSTED IN CHRIST. All of our spiritual blessings are in Christ. So the question is, when did you get in Christ? And the answer to that is, the moment you believed the gospel and trusted in Christ. You are trusting the finished cross work of Christ alone for salvation, right? Now the verse says that God "hath blessed us." Therefore, all spiritual blessings is present tense for the believer. We already have them and we have all of them. The brand new believer in Christ is just as rich IN HIM as the oldest Saint. You will never have any more spiritual blessings, now, or in the life to come, than ALL SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS which we received the moment we believed.

Now can that really be true? Well go back to the verse. If we could acquire by our performance, by our devotion, by our good works, any more than what the verse says, then the verse wouldn't be true. Let God be true and every man.......a what? Liar! The hard part, the reason people have such a hard time accepting this, or going around trying to feel something, or experience something, is that they don't understand what is a spiritual blessing and because they are always scrambling around trying to find some evidence of it. Preachers who depend on celebrities, or entertainment, or on putting on a show in order to keep the crowd, obviously have some other motive than teaching sound bible doctrine.

You cannot take the spiritual blessings out of our STANDING in Christ and make them conditional. In other words you haven't lost any of your spiritual blessings in Christ just because you think your performance at any given time wasn’t up to par. You also haven’t lost any of your spiritual blessings because of feelings. There is not a single verse in the bible which says, “feel on the Lord Jesus Christ.” Too many people try to walk by feelings rather than by faith. A believers faith should be in the facts, not in the way he happens to feel about it at any given time. The words of the Lord are pure words and when you take the pure words and you put interpretations or meanings on them which the bible doesn’t say, you are being an interpreter, not a believer. Simply take the words at face value. If things go good, or if you happen to feel good on a given day, you didn't receive another spiritual blessing. ALL means all. It includes everything and it excludes nothing. On the other hand, if things don’t go good, or if you happen not to feel good, at any given time, that doesn’t mean you have lost any blessings.

People spend way to much time trying to gain, or to attain what they already have in Christ. What's already freely given to them by grace. Look at the Charismatic confusion that's all around you. Charismatic, Pentecostal, or Holiness groups teach "second blessing." In other words, there is a baptism of the Holy Spirit, or Holy Ghost, sometimes "with fire" after salvation and it results in instant spiritual maturity and in some cases it even eradicates the sin nature. Or so they claim. If you understand Ephesians 1:3 YOU KNOW that there cannot be any such thing as “second blessing.” There is only the coming unto the knowledge of the truth of the BLESSINGS you got the instant you trusted the Lord. But, that requires STUDY, and who does that?

God commended his love toward us in that when we were yet without strength, Christ died for the ungodly. Much more then, being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. So the kind of blessings God has given to the church, the body of Christ, is Spiritual blessings. We now have, as a present possession, all of them. We received them all up front, the moment we trusted in Christ. Spiritual blessings are located in heavenly places in Christ. God gives them, and he gives ALL OF THEM to ALL who trust in Christ. They are permanent, good for all eternity.

Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Ephesians 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.