When "doing good" is self centered.

You know it is astonishing to me that believers of all denominations, varying maturity and levels of faith seem to try to earn God's favor after Salvation. I am certainly guilty of this. As an unbeliever we came to God for salvation. We knew we needed his mercy and grace to save us. We humbled ourselves and asked for Salvation believing fully it would be granted not based on anything we did because we were a sinner undeserving of salvation. It was by God's grace that we were saved.

Now that we are saved we slip back and fall into the mode of trying to earn our health, our prosperity, the grace of God, and the blessings of God. We condemn ourselves and let that keep us from approaching God in righteousness fully expecting His blessings in our lives.

I am here to say that we always need his grace. We never walk in perfection, and He will always show his mercy to us. We need to stop slipping into the mode of trying to earn His blessing. Our health, our prosperity, the blessing of God is there for us in the completed work of Christ, just like our salvation. If we came to an understanding that all these things have already been done through Christ we would stop relying on ourselves.

The fact is that when we say things like, you know I am doing all the right things, going to church, paying my tithe, studying the word, and praying I just can't understand why I am still sick or still struggling to pay the bills, we are relying on ourselves. That isn't faith. That is self reliance on all the "good" you are doing.

Stop relying on yourself for the blessings of God to manifest in your life. Start relying on the finished work of Christ at the cross. The same finished work that saved you is the same finished work that provided the blessing for you. Start approaching God in the righteousness that He sees you as, and start putting your faith in the fact that God is merciful and faithful to provide whatever it is you need because it has already BEEN DONE.