Here's a tricky question for all of us, which I hope would challenge us in the way we see God and His blessings: Is God the kind of God who refuses to bless people when we don't do as He says? It seems so tempting to give a simple "yes" or "no," but maybe such an answer would be an oversimplification.

Experience can give us varying answers to this question based on what we've experienced and how we view it. One Christian might say that God's ways bring God's blessing because of how this person has seen how God provides when one complies with the tithe. Yet another person might say that God blesses regardless of our actions.

I'd like to give these three pointers that might help us shed more light on the matter.

1. Sin Is a Serious Problem That Blocks Sin

If there's one thing that can hinder the blessing of God, it's sin. Thankfully we have the answer to sin's sting and burden, and that's no less than the cross. Sadly, however, many people live a life not submitted to the power of the cross.

When we walk outside of repentance and a willingness for the Holy Spirit to work in us to remove not just the past sin but the presence of sin once and for all, we make ourselves vulnerable to sin and its hurtful consequences—one of which will include the blocking of God's blessings.

2. God Wants to Bless Us, But Sometimes We Don't Want Him to

Truth be told, God wants to bless us, but sometimes we are the ones who refuse His blessings. God's commands are not just flimsy demands but boundaries that give us protection and provision as well. It doesn't matter how much God blesses us financially if greed and discontentment plague our hearts. God is not a vindictive God that just wants to get back on us for offending Him. He is a just God who values right and punishes wrong.

3. God Blesses Based on His Faithfulness, Not Ours

The foundational truth to understanding the blessings of God is His unmerited favour given to all mankind. If we had to base God's salvation, provision, blessing and breakthrough on our own good works, we're all done for. As Ephesians 2:8-9 says, "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast."

The only reason why we are blessed is because Jesus Christ paid the full price for our sin once and for all on the cross. As we put our faith on Him and His faithfulness, not on ours, we will be blessed.