How To Get Blessed In This Economy

How To Get Blessed In This Economy

By Rev. Johnny Lee Clary


Rev. Johnny Lee Clary is one of the leading advocates for racial unity in the United States and has appeared on countless television and radio shows such as The Billy Graham Radio show, Fox News, Morris Cerullo, Oprah, Morton Downey Jr., Rolanda Watts, Geraldo, Sally Jesse Raphael, Jerry Springer, Ricki Lake, Queen Latifah, Montel Williams, Phil Donahue, A&E Investigative Reports, ABC World News Tonight, Bertrice Berry, The Today Show, A Current Affair, The 700 Club, and Kenneth Copeland's TV show. He has also been a regular guest on TBN's Praise The Lord show and has been featured in America's top newspapers and magazines, including a seven page feature story in Charisma magazine in April 1999, Moody Magazine, Guidepost Magazine (Sept. 1998), Kenneth Copeland's Believer's Voice of Victory magazine, as well as appearances on TV programs in Australia, England, Holland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Sweden, and Wales.

You have heard it said, “These are times that try men’s souls.” Yes times are bad all over the world with the economic crisis however, I can’t help but think about how in the nearly twenty years I have been a preacher, I have sat under sermon after sermon of “Give and it shall be given to you,” or “Blessed are those that give.” And you know what? They were the truth. The problem is I see so many these days that taught that philosophy or followed it now getting all worried saying “We are gonna go broke,” or making confessions like “We are all going to end up in the poorhouse.” What does that say for what they taught for all those years? Where is that great faith? Charisma Magazine has even published articles discouraging people from giving and said that churches need to worry because it’s only going to get worse for them.

I guess there really are times that try men’s souls because we are learning where people’s faith really is when times are rough. I mean it is easy to praise God on a mountaintop but can you still praise Him when you seem to be down in the “valley of the shadow? “

It sort of reminds me of many years ago when I was a younger man and I was in a gang fight. We had all kinds of people with us that were saying, “Yeah let’s mess those punks up, we got your back,” but when the opposition showed up for the fight and the going got tough, the not-so-tough got going! In other words, it was just me and a few friends who had to fight the hordes while our so-called “back-up” ran away. I won’t tell you what happened to them once we healed up from our injuries and hunted them down but it wasn’t pretty!

It is easy to talk the talk but when circumstances arrives, can we walk the walk? We need to be reminded of what God’s word says.

Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah:
Leave here,
turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine,
east of the Jordan.
You will drink from the brook,
and I have ordered the ravens to feed you there.
(I Kings 17:2-4)

Our steps are ordered by the Lord when we are saved and dedicate our entire life to Him. The steps of the righteous are ordered by the Lord. (Psalm 37:23) Righteousness means right standing with God. If you are living for God and obeying Him, he will order your steps. I don’t know what you think, but the God that I serve would never order the steps of His children into depression, disaster, and financial ruin, when they obey Him and love Him. My God has plans to prosper me. (Jeremiah 29:11) Now either you believe that or you don’t. God does not lie. (Numbers 23:19) He promises to supply all of our needs! ( Philippians 4:19) God ordered the steps of Elijah to his place where he received his blessing! God does not show favoritism. (Acts 10:34) What he did for Elijah he will do for you! Your blessing comes from God and NOT the government or some pork-barreled stimulus package. I realize that many people are expecting Obama to deliver the promises that he made of sunshine. lollipops, and rainbows everywhere, which has not happened yet ( well maybe the rainbows if you count “gay rights” ) and don’t hold your breath waiting on him! God is my source and He should be your source too when it comes to finances. After all, God owns the world’s wealth and not the Devil! (Haggai 2:8; Psalm 50:10)

You need to put your faith out there each day and believe that God is setting up the right opportunities and He is bringing the right people across your path to help you get ahead and stay ahead in life. The key though is to remember though that you have to obey His word and be obedient to Him if you want the blessings! (Deuteronomy 28)

You wouldn’t pay someone you hired to work for you if they didn’t do the job! My nephew and niece and their son were in a counseling session with a secular therapist the other day. His son complained that his dad was on him all the time about not cleaning up the kitchen which is the job he was assigned to do. His father told the therapist that he has to get on his son every day because he always leaves things undone, like the dishes not being put up or not wiping up the flour on the counter or cleaning the stove. The therapist told my nephew that she saw the fault in him! She said "What is wrong with you getting up off your rear end and going in there and cleaning up what your son does not do and applauding him and praising him for the 60% - 80% of the work he did do?" I know, I am just as shocked as you are! Of course I would never go to a secular therapist anyway! I told my nephew that is the trouble with the world is these idiotic secular people with their degrees in psychology that are tearing down the family unit! I told him that the next time he speaks to that therapist ask her if her boss applauds her and gives her praises if she only does 60-80% of the work her boss told her to do, and if her boss comes in and does the work she doesn’t? If people in the workforce do not do the job they are hired to do, then they are fired and rightfully so. Only a psycho would dole out advise like that therapist did! That is telling the kid that he only has to do whatever work he feels like doing, and anyone who listens to such hogwash will end up on the welfare rolls or the skid row flophouses, if not prison.

Therefore God’s blessings are dependent on not only your faith, but your obedience and expectancy! Let’s obey God, put our faith in Him and live expecting a blessing!