20 DAYS IN 2 HOURS CHALLENGE: “BLESSINGS” (Day 11)

HAS SATAN BLINDED YOU FROM ENJOYING GOD’S BLESSINGS?

BIBLE PASSAGE:
Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in Your law.
(Psalm 119:18)

MEDITATION:
There are many who assume God’s rules and guidelines for
humanity will jeopardize their happiness and destroy their joy.
Of course nothing could be further from the truth.
God’s boundaries are established not only to prevent man from
destroying himself, but also to bring happiness and joy into his life.

The problem with not being able to see the benefits
of God’s rules is that sin has blinded the eyes of man.
Take for example the Garden of Eden.
Eve failed to see all of the good things in her life
and allowed the evil one to persuade her to focus on
what she did not have (and was instructed to leave alone).

Think about how obsessed she became
with the tree that was forbidden.
Adding fuel to the fire, Satan convinced her
that God was withholding something very valuable from her.
Satan does that same thing to many of us, doesn’t he?

He distracts us from enjoying the many blessings God has given
us, and uses our sinful nature to convince us that things outside
of God’s boundaries will bring us joy and happiness.
How ludicrous to think that our Creator forgot some important things
when He crafted His guidelines for providing contentment to mankind.

It’s absurd to believe that the Creator
would not know what is needed by His creations.
If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts
to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven
give good gifts to those who ask him! (Matthew 7:11)

The Psalmist “got it”.
He knew that God’s laws were meant for his good.
As a result, he asked God to remove the blindness
created by Satan in his effort to prevent him from
seeing and understanding the benefits of God’s laws.

In order for us to “get it”,
we need to pause and appreciate the things God has given us.
We also need to read His Word and
focus on His promises for mankind.

If we follow the thought processes of Eve,
then we can expect to have similar consequences.
She and Adam lost everything
because they focused their attention on one thing.
Eve became so obsessed with something outside
of God’s boundaries that she decided to exceed
the limits He established for them.

ACTION:
Does joy and happiness seem to elude you?
Don’t blame God for the contentment you are lacking.
God created you with certain desires
and He certainly knows how to fulfill those desires.
Instead of taking control and doing what you think
is right, spend time getting closer to the Lord and
learning to appreciate how you have been blessed.

Have you ever heard someone make a statement like,
“I’m going to be happy no matter what it takes”?
That is an example of someone who has turned
their back on God and His laws, in order to pursue
joy and happiness using their own ideas and guidelines.

This was a bad decision for Eve
and it is a bad choice for anyone else.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for knowing me better than
I know myself. You created me and You know what will
bring me joy and happiness. Forgive me if I have allowed
Satan to mislead me into believing there are other things
outside of your blessings that will provide me with contentment.
As the Psalmist asked, I pray that You will open my eyes so
that I can see and fully enjoy Your blessings. Help me to read
the Scriptures daily so that my eyes will be opened and I will
see the glories of Your wondrous love. You know I want to be
happy; I know I want to be happy; You know what will make
me happy; help me to draw closer to You and have faith and
trust in You to provide me with happiness. Keep me from
ignoring Your guidelines and seeking happiness on my own.
Close my ears to the voices from Satan which try to convince
me that I am right when creating my own guidelines as I
pursue happiness, while disregarding Your laws.”

20 Day Challenge – Day 1:
https://utvolwoody.wordpress.com/2021/06/07/20-days-in-2-hours-challenge-blessings-day-1/

20 Day Challenge – Day 2:
https://utvolwoody.wordpress.com/2021/06/08/20-days-in-2-hours-challenge-blessings-day-2/

20 Day Challenge – Day 3:
https://utvolwoody.wordpress.com/2021/06/09/20-days-in-2-hours-challenge-blessings-day-3/

20 Day Challenge – Day 4:
https://utvolwoody.wordpress.com/2021/06/10/20-days-in-2-hours-challenge-blessings-day-4/

20 Day Challenge – Day 5:
https://utvolwoody.wordpress.com/2021/06/11/20-days-in-2-hours-challenge-blessings-day-5/

20 Day Challenge – Day 6:
https://utvolwoody.wordpress.com/2021/06/12/20-days-in-2-hours-challenge-blessings-day-6/

20 Day Challenge – Day 7
https://utvolwoody.wordpress.com/2021/06/13/20-days-in-2-hours-challenge-blessings-day-7/

20 Day Challenge – Day 8
https://utvolwoody.wordpress.com/2021/06/14/20-days-in-2-hours-challenge-blessings-day-8/

20 Day Challenge – Day 9
https://utvolwoody.wordpress.com/2021/06/15/20-days-in-2-hours-challenge-blessings-day-9/

20 Day Challenge – Day 10
https://utvolwoody.wordpress.com/2021/06/16/20-days-in-2-hours-challenge-blessings-day-10/