God Blesses Abundantly in Judgment

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Image from The Longest Straw.

There are blessings in godly judgments--the judgment God releases through his prophets or prophetic servant. When GOD is judging you, HE is blessing you. Many would raise the eyebrows at this. Do you know how you're so blessed when God judges you? And the blessing is this---he judges you to spare you from bigger troubles. That's a powerful blessing. The judgment doesn't seem a blessing now (especially if you don't understand God) because, first, he scolds you (GOD never yells or bawls at you in anger. But HE scolds). Second, he corrects you. Third, he tells you the gloomy picture if you go on with your error. And fourth, learning often comes with pain and suffering. 



To the carnal person, judgment is NOT good. It's punishment. And carnality also makes you hate the guy used by God to pronounce the judgment. This is why a lot of folks hate preachers who hit hard against sin and so with fellow believers who seem so particular about how we live and behave and questions us on these matters, not knowing that they're used by God to check or remind us. 

You know why we hate judgment? Because it hurts the ego. Even seemingly "spiritual" believers always guard and protect their egos.

Accusers

But I'm not talking about those who are judgmental, accusers and fault-finders, who keep correcting you and looking for something wrong in you while they themselves are carnal and treat other people wrong. They use judgment to control people and abuse them.

Plain self-righteousness is a Pharisaical demon that controls the self righteous and those they abuse. They love to lecture you and preach even if you don't ask for their opinion. They try to do the Holy Spirit's job of convicting sinners, while they themselves are guilty of sin (secret sins they work hard to hide or cover up), often the sin of Pharisaical pride and self-righteousness. I'm NOT talking about them when I talk about God's servants assigned to prophesy against sin. I'm talking about those genuinely used by God to judge sin and the sinner (yup, "and the sinner.")

In both the Old and New Testaments, God always used persons---his servants---to declare his judgments. If God himself would declare the judgment, you'd simply drop dead. You won't be able to stand it. Trust me. So in his grace, he uses human beings who deeply believe in him and obey him. Most people do not understand that judgment is God's grace and love. It's a blessing.

In fact, one of the top three blessings.

The misunderstanding gets worse if you correct some church members personally and they happen to be prominent, untouchable people. Those purported to be "givers" and "supporters" and long-time members they call "elders" 😆. Whatever that means. They love this dialogue: "Don't be judgmental!" And they follow this up with: "You don't know what I'm going through!"

It's the anti-judgment spirit (or demon) that first affected Ahab and Jezebel who hated Elijah for his judgments against their reign of terror, then second, the demon that hated John the Baptist and murdered him for his judgments against the illicit affair of Herod and Herodias.

But really, these judgments were delivered prophetically so Ahab, Jezebel, Herod and Herodias could repent and turn to God and be so blessed beyond their imagination. When will people finally realize this? God blesses abundantly in judgment if only they humbly listen and repent. The judgment they hate actually comes from God, not from the servant who declares or releases it.

Do Not Judge?

But they'd quote Jesus and say, "Do not judge." Well, Jesus didn't say that it's bad to judge. He said it's not right to judge others when you're guilty of the same sin, or any sin for that matter. You first remove the huge plank of wood from your own eyes before you remove the small speck of dust from your brother's eye. 

Those who understand will say together with the Psalmist that:
I know, LORD, that your judgments (or laws) are righteous, and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me. [Psalm 119:75]
And again.... 
For when your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness. {Isaiah 26.9]

And again...

I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments. [Psalm 119.7]

For declaring God's judgments to correct erring people:

With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth. [Psalm 119.13]

And finally, see how the Psalmist loves God's judgments...

My soul breaks with longing for Your judgments at all times. [Psalm 119.20]
God's spoken Word is His judgment. Jonah said God will destroy Nineveh in 40 days unless they repented. Imagine that judgment. It probably even sounded arrogant to some carnal ears. Here was a nobody from Israel telling people in a super power country, Assyria, that they were all wrong and they were all wicked! That God was angry at them. Imagine some unknown figure going to your country and saying you're all a bunch of crooks and scammers, and God is angry with you. But they believed Jonah. So they got blessed. I wonder what would happen if Jonah is sent today to the church? Nineveh repented and was spared from sure destruction. What a BIG, BIG blessing!

Here's an Interesting Aspect of It

Now, here's the really exciting part. If you listen wholeheartedly to God's judgment and repent, sometimes nothing rewarding happens. We often expect to get rewarded for our obedience. But then, after repenting, life seems to just go on as usual or even become worse. If you've been an underdog for somebody, you go on being that even after you repent. If you've been financially broke you go on being broke after repenting. Sometimes even more broke. So it doesn't make sense. 

You thought there was reward in obedience. While you see the unrepentant and wicked go on being prosperous, rewarded and comfortable. They get more "blessed." Money and favor continue to come to them without sweat. They become the models of success and smart living. And you? They tell you how you need to serve God more to be blessed or to have faith like them---or attend their webinars to know better.

GOD's Plan for You and the Wicked Who Seems to be Blessed

Now, don't get me wrong here. Truth is, in this situation, you're more blessed than the wicked rich (even if they go on being more moneyed) and the wicked are actually condemned, though not obviously. And this is how God's judgment works---He kindof withholds blessings from the righteous and releases it gradually (or discreetly) so it won't be so obvious to the wicked. Often, God wants it to look like the righteous receive nothing so that the wicked will see no point in repenting. "What's the use of repenting if you seem to become poorer after?" they'd say. They won't heed God's judgments and instead revel in their wickedness. The wicked only "repents" if their flesh is hurt (or when their riches or treasures get affected), as in the case of King Ahab.

Your seeming lack of blessings is a test to the wicked, to see if they'd repent even if after repenting your life seemed to get worse. But in truth, YOU ARE BLESSED, though seen only by those with eyes open to God's Spirit realms. Truly spiritual people see who is genuinely blessed and who is deceived by money, fame and earthly power.

By this the hearts of men are revealed. Will you love God's judgment even if no reward seems forthcoming or will you just love it if it brings obvious blessings? Will you listen because the judgment hurts or punishes your flesh, or will you listen because you love God despite the hurt (or even if there is no punishment forthcoming)? Humans always go by their ego and flesh cravings, not love for God. When the wicked sees that the righteous do not seem rewarded--or wickedness seems to go unpunished--they go on with their wickedness since they seem to get more blessed and get away with evil.

For instance, God has kept the rich man busy with his fortunes. Beware that your riches or money activities do not keep you busy and "occupied with gladness of heart." Riches and money are blessings from GOD, but when you begin to feel content with them and rely on them for your happiness and security, GOD may bless you more to keep you preoccupied with material things and have no quality time for him. It's a negative version of, "He will give you the desires of your heart."
"He seldom reflects on the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart," (Ecc.5). 
Paul also said God gives chronic, hardened or incorrigible sinners "over to the sinful desires of their hearts" [Romans 1.24]. He just allows them to wallow in their sins unchecked, enjoying life, letting them like that until judgment suddenly catches up with them in the end. And while they're at it, they look blessed because nothing wrong happens to them. They even get "blessed" and become rich. If they're pastors, their ministries may even grow bigger and more moneyed than others, while those truly blessed by GOD remain small and looking "poor."

I've seen wicked people enjoy riches way beyond their needs, thinking themselves blessed and favored by God, so they never search deeper into their hearts to see deep-seated wickedness there to repent from. They settle in their comfort zones, their religions (even born-again religion) and their church attendance and involvement and believe they're okay. It's a trap. 

When God sees that you are beyond repair and beyond repentance (John says there is a sin that cannot be forgiven) he blinds you with comfort zones and lots of material blessings and privileges to keep you so preoccupied, too busy with enjoyment and success to reflect on your spiritual condition deeply and truthfully. He makes you feel too "blessed" to think seriously about repentance and a genuine holy life. Thus, the more the blessings in wickedness, the more you get comfy and confident with it, the more you cling and the more you become blind. But the closer you also get to danger when final judgment comes. The more you're trapped.

If you are intimate with the JUDGE of our souls, you know how he works. You know how he judges things and how his value system operates. You'd know that his judgments are his love, and vice versa.

The righteous, on the other hand, seem to receive meager supplies of blessings---although they are truly blessed and favored in God's eyes (remember the rich man and Lazarus?)---to appear unblessed to carnal people. In this way, the wicked are dissuaded from following the example of the righteous, because the wicked gauges everything in money terms. If you do not have a lot of money, you are not blessed, you are under judgment and you do not please God. That's how they think. If you have no money, you're probably doing things in your life wrongly. That's how carnal people see it.

They say, if a church has little or no income, it is not blessed. And because rich churches are blessed financially and materially, then they must be doing the right thing. That is the blessing principle of the wicked, and that money-value mentality will lead them to a terrible final judgment. There is a way that seems right.

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Money Value System

If you correct them, they first look at your lot in life. Are you financially well off? How much money is in your bank? How big is your house? Or how big and moneyed is your ministry? How much do you make? If you have something to show, then you must be in the right track. They might listen. If you don't have anything material to show them, they won't believe a thing you say. They may be "touched" or "blessed" by the message, but they won't buy it. 

The problem is when the righteous get confused with God's judgment. And sometimes it can get crazy, like in the case of Job when he seemed accursed (when in fact God delighted in him), thinking that God hated him so much. And also Jesus when he was crucified and cried, "Why are you abandoning me?" (when in fact God was "well pleased" with him). And look at how the Psalmist Asaph put it:
But as for me, my feet had almost slipped;
I had nearly lost my foothold.
This righteous believer almost stumbled and quit when he saw the wicked so blessed and himself looking so accursed. It can happen. Even if you know God's Word and how HE blesses the righteous who believe and trust in HIM, but if you see yourself suffering in health or finances too long, you will begin to doubt yourself and think all that's happening to you is proof that GOD hates you and wants your destruction. But in spiritual reality, HE delights in you because you trust in HIM. Look at how the righteous psalmist saw the rich:
3 For I envied the arrogant
when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
4 They have no struggles;
their bodies are healthy and strong.
5 They are free from common human burdens;
they are not plagued by human ills.
6 Therefore pride is their necklace;
they clothe themselves with violence.
7 From their callous hearts comes iniquity;
their evil imaginations have no limits.
When you see people drowning in blessings yet living in sin---blinded by their comfort zones---they have signed up themselves for their dismal final judgment. They look blessed but they're not.

But look at how God blessed Job and Lazarus and Jesus in the end. And remember how the prodigal son got back his rich robe and sandals, ring and place in the family the moment he repented. He was judged by God but he was blessed when he heeded.

You are really powerfully blessed when you heed God's discipline, rebuke and judgment. These are all his love for us. And he always gives his judgments through his Word spoken by a man of God led by the Holy Spirit, and who prophetically releases it to us. God's intention, first and foremost, is to bless us abundantly.
I'm a learner, observer, a silent critic, and sometimes a writer. I love to cook.