THE IMPORTANCE OF READING ALL THE INSTRUCTIONS

Have you ever tried to put something together yourself? They call it DIY. You receive a box and inside there are many pieces, a few screws, bolts, tools and instructions. The instructons don’t seem to make sense to you, so you use your own skills to put it together. Then you get to what you believe is the finished product only to realize that something is amiss. It doesn’t sit up right or it’s lopsided or it instantly falls apart. Then you go back to the instructions to discovery that you didn’t read all the instructions.

My sister says that God gives us tools to help us live by and receive His blessings. One of those tools is the Bible—often called basic instructions before leaving the earth, in other words the instructtor’s manual for daily living.

But have you ever thought you were using those tools correctly, and yet nothing seemed to happen? No breakthrough, no relief, no blessing in sight? I’ve been there. I wondered why.

There are scriptures that I—and many others—boldly proclaim. For example, in times of trouble I have declared Isaiah 54:17: “No weapon formed against me shall prosper.” Yet if I’m honest, there have been times when a weapon in my life did prosper.

There have been financial weapons that disrupted my blessings. I prayed, “God, please increase my bank account. Please pay this bill. Please give me money so my child can go to college.” But the money didn’t come. My account was overdrawn. My child had to leave school. I thought, What happened? I used the tools. I said the words. Why didn’t God destroy the weapon that formed?

So I went back and reread Isaiah 54:17 in the King James Version:

“No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn.This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.”

That last line stood out: This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord.Heritage means something passed down—practices or characteristics carried through generations. So I had to ask myself: What did I inherit?

Did I inherit the inability to manage my finances? Was I taught about financial literacy, saving, stocks, or investments? Honestly, no. My parents didn’t know about those things. They worked hard, through sweat and tears, to put food on the table and clothes on our backs. They gave us the best life they knew how. But that meant I inherited survival, not strategy.

So how do I defeat a weapon that was inherited? By embracing my new inheritance—the one given through God.

The verse also says this heritage belongs to the servants of the Lord. So, I had to ask myself again: Am I truly serving the Lord during this time? Am I turning to Him for relief? Am I willing to accept His answer, even if it’s not what I want?

If I believe I am serving Him, what does that service look like? Am I serving only for my purpose, or to receive something from Him? Am I serving His people even in my own trials? And maybe—just maybe—what I’m asking God for doesn’t serve His purpose for my life. Can I accept that?

I’ve prayed for things that didn’t align with God’s will, but I wanted them anyway. And then, when I got them, I prayed for Him to take them away.

That’s why we have to read all the way to the end. We can’t just quote one line and expect instant results. God is not an ATM or a genie. His Word requires depth, understanding, and relationship. When we only take a fragment of Scripture, we leave it open to misinterpretation.

Many believers quote 2 Chronicles 7:14:

“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways,then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

We love the promise—God will forgive and heal our land—but we often skip the conditions: humble yourself, pray, seek His face, and turn from wicked ways.

Humility means removing our ego and self-importance before God. Seeking His face means desiring His presence and will, not just our own wants. Turning from wicked ways doesn’t mean you have to be a monster or a criminal—it means letting go of anything in your life that does not honor God.

Wickedness shows up in everyday ways we often overlook. For example:

• Holding grudges and refusing to forgive even when God has forgiven us.

• Gossiping about others under the disguise of “concern.”

• Jealousy or envy when someone else is blessed.

• Lying or exaggerating to make ourselves look better.

• Cheating—on taxes, relationships, time, or responsibilities.

• Harboring bitterness or resentment because life didn’t go our way.

• Using manipulation or guilt to control others.

• Speaking harshly or judging others for their sins while excusing our own.

• Neglecting prayer, worship, or time with God because we’re “too busy.”

• Worrying more than we trust, as if God is not capable.

• Being unkind, impatient, or rude when no one is watching.

• Ignoring someone in need when we have the means to help.

• Refusing to apologize or admit when we are wrong.

• Living in disobedience to what God already told us to do.

• Pretending to be holy on Sunday but living contrary all week long.

• Speaking death over our own lives through negative words and disbelief.

There’s no such thing as “small wicked.” We minimize our behavior to protect our egos, but God sees the truth behind our actions and intentions. Scripture says then and only then—after we humble ourselves, pray, seek His face, and turn from wicked ways—will He hear, forgive, and heal.

Our land is sick—ruled by ego, greed, and selfish desire. Maybe it’s time to stop quoting partial scriptures if we’re not willing to walk through the full process required to receive th efull blessings of GOD.

God is not as complicated as we make Him out to be. His blessings live in the simple things.

Mark 12:30–31 reminds us:

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself.There is no commandment greater than these.”

Love. The greatest, purest, and simplest commandment. Clear and to the point, yet if we are honest, how many of us have mastered those simple instructions?