Steven Furtick - Why You Can't Receive The Blessing?

Watch
Audio
Donate

TOPICS: Blessing

This is an excerpt from: Unblock It

All this time, I thought it was something else blocking me. All this time, I thought it was somebody else blocking me. What if the only thing blocking you is just a question? You can get mad at me. That's fine. What if the barrier was your own belief? Your belief that God can do it, your belief that he can use you, your belief that he's bigger. What if the real barrier is your belief? Paul seems to say that if your faith increases, nothing can stop the gospel. If you have enough faith, if you believe big enough, there is absolutely nothing that can stop the purpose of God, but you have to unblock it. The purpose of God cannot be stopped, but your unbelief can block it from operating in your life.

Do you hear this? This is heavy. The plan of God cannot be stopped, but you can block it from being activated in your life because you won't believe it. The provision of God cannot be stopped. God is more than enough. He's Jehovah-Jireh. He's always a provider. He's always sufficient. He's always more than enough, but your unbelief can block it. The power of God cannot be stopped. If you don't believe me, ask that stone that had an assignment to keep Jesus in that tomb. They thought they had blocked him, but they found out when the Word of God comes forth… Nothing can stop the purpose of God except our unbelief. What the stone couldn't do your hardened heart can: keep Jesus locked in.

Touch somebody and say, "Unblock it". God has been trying to deliver his word to you. He has been trying to get his purpose through you. He has been trying to get his plan accomplished in your life, but you have to unblock it. Now I understand why Paul was frustrated. He saw all these people who could be reached and a complacent church at Corinth who had already been reached themselves but had now stopped reaching. In his best pastoral tone, Paul says, "I want you to grow up so the gospel can go forth".

I understand Paul's frustration. I really do. I get frustrated with myself, because I know there's so much more God could do in me, but I block it. Do you do it? I block God all the time. I'm not saying I'm bigger than God, and I'm not saying he can't knock me over and do what he wants to do through somebody else, but I block him from doing it through me. I know there are times where God wants to encourage somebody, but I block him from working through me, because I'm too stuck on myself. I hate that feeling. I know there are times where God wants to use me to lift the atmosphere of a room, but I don't do it, because I come in and let the atmosphere of the room set my internal temperature. I hate it.

I know there are times when I come to church and God gives me an opportunity to praise him, but I'm so self-conscious I won't lift my hands, because I'm so worried about what other people think about me. If I would just open my mouth and sing "hallelujah" even off-key to the Lord, it would unblock the joy of the Lord. "In his presence is the fullness of…" Come on, UC. Come on, Lake Norman. Come on, Ballantyne. If you would open up your mouth and praise God, the presence of God would flow to you. Unblock it! Praise unblocks the blessing of God in your life. I wonder would you give him praise right now for his faithfulness, for his goodness, for his grace. Praise unblocks the glory of God. It opens up the airwaves. It opens you up to receive the blessing of God.

This is why God was frustrated in the book of Malachi. The word of the Lord had gone forth, but the people had blocked it. God has been pushed to his limit with his people, not because he has stopped loving them but because there's so much he wants to bless them with, but they keep blocking him from blessing them. He begs them. "Unblock me," he says in Malachi 3:10. "Unblock me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse. Bring me what is mine. When you bring it, there will be food in my house. Put me to the test, and see if I will not open the floodgates". Something is blocking the people from the blessing of God. It is their refusal to put God first. He said, "But if you would unblock me, I would bless you. I would open the windows of heaven. There's no shortage of supply, but you keep blocking me. There's no shortage of joy, but you keep blocking me".

There is no limit to how many people we can reach if we would stop blocking God. If more than 23 percent of the church would tithe, there would be no limit to how many campuses we could build, but every week when that word goes forth, that offering time, we just keep blocking God. "I'll do that other stuff. I'll lift my hands extra high". "I want to pour out a blessing until there is no more need". One translation says you won't have room enough to receive it. Remove the block; receive the blessing. God doesn't want you to be blocked. It's the worst thing in the world to love somebody and they won't receive it.

Have you ever tried to love somebody and they wouldn't receive it? Have you ever tried to help somebody and they wouldn't receive it? Have you ever tried to encourage somebody, but no matter what you said they wouldn't receive it? They were blocked. God says, "I've been trying to get some things to you. I've been trying to do some things in you. I've been trying to push back the boundaries and blow apart your box of what you think life can be, but you keep blocking me because you won't believe".

If you would just come to him in childlike faith and open your heart and open your life, I believe in this season God is unblocking some things. I believe there are some blessings God is going to unblock in your family and in your life, some blessings, some borders, some boundaries God is going to push back and pour out a blessing that you won't have room to receive it. I don't know if you believe this kind of preaching. You can block me if you want to, but if you receive it and if you believe that he's able to do immeasurably more than you… Come on, unblock it right now. When you clap your hands, you unblock your pride. Unblock your heart. Give God praise in this place.

God is trying to unblock your heart. Unblock it. Unblock your heart. Stop trying to have this one part of your life that you won't let God in on. Unblock it. Stop trying to go through all the stuff that you like that God speaks to you, but when you come to that one thing that challenges you, you block it. Unblock it. Stop being so prideful and not letting people help you, the very people God sent to help you. You keep on trying to be so self-sufficient. God is trying to answer your prayer, but you keep blocking it. Unblock it.

This is not just an offering. This is an unblocking. This is a season for you to receive from the Lord. It's not just what you're going to give; it's what he wants to pour into your heart. I want to pray for you where you stand right now. I feel the presence of God in this place, and I feel that the Word has gone forth with clarity and even that God has spoken some things through me that I didn't even say but he said to you through what I did say. I believe he knows exactly where those blockages are, exactly where those places are.

It's frustrating to your Father when he has so much to give but you don't give him enough room. God is enlarging you now. He wants to enlarge your heart. He wants to enlarge your vision. He wants to enlarge your perspective. He wants to enlarge your world. The world of the generous gets larger and larger. The world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller. We don't put God in a box; we put ourselves in a box, and we can't receive what he has to give, but this is a season to take the lid off. That's what happens under an open heaven in the presence of God. The presence of God is in this place.

With your heads bowed and your eyes closed, I want to pray for that place in your heart, that priority in your heart, that thing in your heart you need to give over to God. It very well may be the financial part. It very well may be a relational issue. It may be something you need to surrender to God or a place where you need to be authentic where you've been fake. God knows what's blocking you. It would be a shame for you to have so much to give but be blocked. Writer's block is nothing compared to believer's block. When believers get blocked, the gospel doesn't go forth and the purpose of God isn't fulfilled through your life. There's so much God wants to do through you, but you have to let him in. You can only let him in with open hands and an open heart. Would you lift your hands to heaven right now? Repeat this after me.

Father God, I open my heart. I want your will to be done and your kingdom to come in my life, in my family, on my job, in my school. Let it come, God. God, I release everything in my heart that has been blocking your blessings. You can have all of me. Have your way. You can have all of me. Have your way. I surrender all in this moment. All that I have is yours. All that I am is yours. Everything I hope to be is yours.

God, we believe you for miracles in this season. We believe you under an open heaven for your blessing to come forth in this season. We will not be blocked. The gospel will go forth. We are your children. We are your church. Your kingdom has come. Your will shall be done. We give you the praise under an open heaven. Pour out your Spirit. Pour out your power. O Lord our God, let it fall right now. Fall fresh, Holy Spirit. Have your way, Lord God, in Jesus' name.