February 20th, 2024
Last week, we talked about the irrevocable blessing of God on a believer’s life. His blessing has been made available to us by the blood of Jesus. However, as in everything, God gives us a choice. Absolutely nothing has the power to remove or hinder the blessing of God on your life, except your own choices. Abraham was blessed because he was in covenant with God and lived in total surrender. God told Abraham in Genesis 22:15,
“…because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you.”
It was Abraham’s obedience, intimacy, and surrender that God blessed. The blessing of God is always tied to our covenant with God! He makes it very clear that living in blessing is our choice! Deuteronomy 28:1-2 says,
“If you faithfully obey the voice of the LORD your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the LORD your God.”
Deuteronomy 11:26-28 confirms this saying,
“See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse: the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you today, and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside from the way that I am commanding you today, to go after other gods that you have not known.”
There is great reward in keeping God’s word and this isn’t just an Old Testament truth. Jesus said in Luke 11:28,
“Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”
However, as we saw above, there are also consequences for not keeping His Word. The wages of sin is death and choosing to walk outside of God’s goodness and protection will impact your life now and in eternity! Deuteronomy 28 is a powerful chapter in the Word of God that expresses the power of His blessing. We see in it that the blessing touches everything. I’d encourage you to read all of Deuteronomy 28, if you haven’t. Deuteronomy 28:12 says,
“The LORD will open to you his good treasury, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hands. And you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow.”
The blessing is on “all the work of our hands.” That means when we carry God’s blessing, we have the power to bless everything we touch!
The blessing of God is for you and your family. Deuteronomy 28:11 says,
“The LORD will make you abound in prosperity, in the fruit of your womb and in the fruit of your livestock and in the fruit of your ground, within the land that the LORD swore to your fathers to give you.”
God’s blessing is always for the generations after you, which we see demonstrated in the life of Abraham! Psalm 37:35-36 confirms this saying,
“I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, or his children begging for bread. He is ever lending generously, and his children become a blessing.”
The blessing of God is a spiritual blessing. Ephesians 1:3 says,
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.
However, those blessings are for you physically, emotionally, and financially. They are for you and your family and everyone you touch. When Abraham was blessed, he had long life and health, a miraculous son, descendants he couldn’t number, and great wealth and prosperity. He became a nation of his own. That’s the blessing of which we can partake! Galatians 3:13-14 says,
“In Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.’
When God blessed someone in the Bible, there was always a demonstration of that blessing in their lives. It wasn’t only spiritual! In the Old Testament, the Ark of the Covenant, which carried and represented the presence of God, was left at the house of Obed-Edom. He and his household were supernaturally blessed simply because the Ark was there! 2 Samuel 6:11-12 says,
‘The ark of the LORD remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months, and the LORD blessed Obed-edom and all his household. And it was told King David, “The LORD has blessed the household of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God.” So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom to the city of David with rejoicing.’
The Bible teaches that we are now temples, carrying God’s presence, just as the Ark of the Covenant carried God’s presence then. Do we live with the revelation that everywhere we go is blessed just because of what we carry?
It's important to note from this story that it was not because of anything they did. We don’t “buy” the blessing of God with our obedience or good works. In surrender, we align ourselves with our Father, who delights to bless His children, just like He always has. God blesses, because He is good and in His presence is blessing that breaks every curse!
As we abide in Jesus, in covenant with God, we are blessed, whether we feel like it or not. We must align our hearts, minds, and words with that truth, because what we say has power. We have the power to negate God’s blessing in our lives by what we say! James gave a sharp rebuke about the importance of speaking blessing and life. James 3:9-12 says,
With [the tongue] we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.”
What we say carries the power to bless and curse! What a gift and a responsibility that God has given us. We must ensure only fresh water, the life and blessing of God, is pouring from our lips! I encourage you to start right now and pray this powerful blessing from Numbers 6:24-27 over you and your family:
‘May Jehovah bless you and keep you; May Jehovah make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; May Jehovah lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
“So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.”’
“…because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you.”
It was Abraham’s obedience, intimacy, and surrender that God blessed. The blessing of God is always tied to our covenant with God! He makes it very clear that living in blessing is our choice! Deuteronomy 28:1-2 says,
“If you faithfully obey the voice of the LORD your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the LORD your God.”
Deuteronomy 11:26-28 confirms this saying,
“See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse: the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you today, and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside from the way that I am commanding you today, to go after other gods that you have not known.”
There is great reward in keeping God’s word and this isn’t just an Old Testament truth. Jesus said in Luke 11:28,
“Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”
However, as we saw above, there are also consequences for not keeping His Word. The wages of sin is death and choosing to walk outside of God’s goodness and protection will impact your life now and in eternity! Deuteronomy 28 is a powerful chapter in the Word of God that expresses the power of His blessing. We see in it that the blessing touches everything. I’d encourage you to read all of Deuteronomy 28, if you haven’t. Deuteronomy 28:12 says,
“The LORD will open to you his good treasury, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hands. And you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow.”
The blessing is on “all the work of our hands.” That means when we carry God’s blessing, we have the power to bless everything we touch!
The blessing of God is for you and your family. Deuteronomy 28:11 says,
“The LORD will make you abound in prosperity, in the fruit of your womb and in the fruit of your livestock and in the fruit of your ground, within the land that the LORD swore to your fathers to give you.”
God’s blessing is always for the generations after you, which we see demonstrated in the life of Abraham! Psalm 37:35-36 confirms this saying,
“I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, or his children begging for bread. He is ever lending generously, and his children become a blessing.”
The blessing of God is a spiritual blessing. Ephesians 1:3 says,
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.
However, those blessings are for you physically, emotionally, and financially. They are for you and your family and everyone you touch. When Abraham was blessed, he had long life and health, a miraculous son, descendants he couldn’t number, and great wealth and prosperity. He became a nation of his own. That’s the blessing of which we can partake! Galatians 3:13-14 says,
“In Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.’
When God blessed someone in the Bible, there was always a demonstration of that blessing in their lives. It wasn’t only spiritual! In the Old Testament, the Ark of the Covenant, which carried and represented the presence of God, was left at the house of Obed-Edom. He and his household were supernaturally blessed simply because the Ark was there! 2 Samuel 6:11-12 says,
‘The ark of the LORD remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months, and the LORD blessed Obed-edom and all his household. And it was told King David, “The LORD has blessed the household of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God.” So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom to the city of David with rejoicing.’
The Bible teaches that we are now temples, carrying God’s presence, just as the Ark of the Covenant carried God’s presence then. Do we live with the revelation that everywhere we go is blessed just because of what we carry?
It's important to note from this story that it was not because of anything they did. We don’t “buy” the blessing of God with our obedience or good works. In surrender, we align ourselves with our Father, who delights to bless His children, just like He always has. God blesses, because He is good and in His presence is blessing that breaks every curse!
As we abide in Jesus, in covenant with God, we are blessed, whether we feel like it or not. We must align our hearts, minds, and words with that truth, because what we say has power. We have the power to negate God’s blessing in our lives by what we say! James gave a sharp rebuke about the importance of speaking blessing and life. James 3:9-12 says,
With [the tongue] we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.”
What we say carries the power to bless and curse! What a gift and a responsibility that God has given us. We must ensure only fresh water, the life and blessing of God, is pouring from our lips! I encourage you to start right now and pray this powerful blessing from Numbers 6:24-27 over you and your family:
‘May Jehovah bless you and keep you; May Jehovah make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; May Jehovah lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
“So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.”’
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