The dead are not in some vague spiritual limbo — Scripture places them specifically. And there are seven distinct judgments in Scripture, each with different subjects, different timing, different outcomes. This supplement makes those truths practical: How do you grieve the dead? How do you live in light of judgment?

This fact alone is enough to prove that God naturally loves you and makes abundant provision for you in this life as well as the next. He provides for the lesser creations, as you can see on every hand—so how much more will He provide for you?

Of all earthly creatures, we humans are the only ones responsible for our present state of sin and bondage, poverty and want, pain and disease. We have voluntarily submitted our domain to the devil and evil spirit forces, and we—along with them—are responsible for these conditions.

God is not responsible for them in any sense. These conditions would not curse the human race today if God could get every person to obey Him. They should not be in the life of any child of God, and they won't be, when believers come to know the truth that sets them free.

Why would God will such conditions in the lives of His own children whom He has so dearly purchased by the death of His own Son?

The Bible is very clear that sin and demon powers are what hinder you from receiving God's blessings: "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly" John 10:10.

Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God Romans 10:17. But faith is often hindered because the devil takes the word of faith out of your heart and mind before it can germinate and bring forth fruit Matthew 13:192 Corinthians 4:3-4.

The Bible also makes clear that we ourselves permit the devil to do this—otherwise it couldn't be done Matthew 13:15James 4:71 Peter 5:8-92 Corinthians 4:3-4.

There is no reasonable excuse for the unbelief in Christendom concerning this truth. Paul said, "He that spared not His own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" Romans 8:32.

The Psalmist said, "They that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing" and "No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly" Psalms 34:10Psalms 84:11. Jesus said, "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him" Matthew 7:7-11.

Many other promises plainly state that you can ask what you will and it shall be done Mark 9:23Mark 11:22-24John 14:12-15John 15:7, 16John 16:23-26.

You would think every Christian would have enough faith in God because of His promises to tackle their own problems, resist the devil, and receive the many benefits they need so much in life.

But many times, instead of believing God, people believe the devil. Instead of holding to the fact that God's promises are true, they argue against them and seek every excuse under the sun to disbelieve them. Instead of fighting the demons who seek to rob them of God's blessings, they actually cooperate with those demons in destroying faith in God.

Meanwhile, they claim they love God with their whole heart and that the devil has nothing to do with their failures. They generally lay any blame on God when they fail to get what is promised in the gospel.

They're quick to accept the idea that it's not God's will to bless them if there's the least delay or hindrance. It never seems to dawn on them that such opposition could be from the devil and not from God. Even if they mentally acknowledge this opposition as satanic, they don't put forth the least effort to defeat the powers of darkness.

They seem satisfied to do without these things—they'd rather go without than fight a little for them. On the other hand, they'll fight a good fight of unbelief and maintain a consistent faith that such blessings may not be God's will, and thus hinder the answer to their prayers.

Even when they hear many plain, simple, scriptural statements from the Word of God saying they can have the benefits of the promises, many are still hard to convince that these things are true.

Every person who professes to believe in God will agree that everyone should lay aside all arguments of unbelief and have faith that God will do what He has promised and answer prayer. Yet in spite of mentally acknowledging this fact, it seems so hard to get many of the same people to put forth the necessary effort to believe what God has promised.

It is a fact that God will always do what He has promised. It is also a fact that He requires every person to have faith that He will do what they ask of Him.

God demands the same act of unwavering faith from everyone alike. He is no respecter of persons, and He has made it very clear what each one must do to get what they desire. The one thing God requires is faith—unwavering faith Hebrews 11:5James 1:4-8.