“THE POWER OF A BLESSING”
Giving a blessing, speaking a blessing, changes your atmosphere. The blessing of the Lord literally neutralizes the demonic attacks, and demonic oppression.
- HOW TO KEEP YOURSELF PROTECTED FROM A DEMONIC ATTACK, AND TO A GREATER EXTENT, MAINTAINING DAY TO DAY VICTORY.
There has been a subject in the Body of Christ that we have been close to for many years, but I’ m not sure if we have totally walked in what God has intended for us. Matthew 12:43-45
The devil is always looking for a place to land. When curses fill your life, and you make fun of people, you put people down, when you cause strife, dissension, and jealousies, God won’t be present.
They enter and dwell therein. So, when a vessel is made clean by the Lord, then the temple must remain clean. If it does not then, it will be worse than at the beginning.
WHEN DELIVERANCE HAPPENS, JESUS SAID: “THE HOUSE NEEDS THE PRESENCE of THE LORD.”
John 8:32-35
Blessing – 450 x’s in the Bible; Cursing – 230x’s in the Bible
Most Christians who know the Lord, don’t understand how CURSES change the atmosphere of your home, and your heart.
ILLUS.: A blessing spoken publicly neutralizes the air. It literally begins to spiritually infuse the Air. It is like taking a Holy Ghost bottle of FEBREEZE, and the blessing removes the odors, the negative smells, the depressing discouraging smells. An atmosphere affected by complaining, speaking about the situation in a condescending tone.
ILLUS.: If you are person who always shares the most recent negative story you’ve heard. Then you will probably be the kind of person who attracts the negative, demeaning, and you will probably always reference how you have been done wrong, and people have taken advantage of you. FLIES are usually attracted to things that don’t smell very good. The FLIES OF CURSING are always attracted to those who speak
I Peter 3:9
Most people try to return a railing for a railing. An attack for an attack, a hostility for a hostility, an ambush for a ambush. Deu. 30:19
POINT: I do not feel as though we understand the Biblical significance of what it means to give blessing and the consequences of cursing.
- It is not a “blind confession” of something you cannot see.
- It is not a denial of circumstances.
- It is not mind over matter.
- It is not ignoring the reality of the moment.
“THE LORD BLESS YOU.” = [MEANS] “The Lord be with you.”
Genesis – Abraham/ Sarah.
God told Abraham: I will bless Sarah. Healing isn’t mentioned.
Genesis 17:15-16
I wonder how many people in the Kingdom don’t really need healing, but they need to be blessed. They need the blessing of God to get some things off them.
When there is a void, and there is an emptiness, the enemy will come in with a curse to fill that void.
God’s blessing will shift a person from Barrenness to fertility.
God’s blessing will shift a person from Emptiness to fulfillment.
-I wonder if speaking God’s blessings could be the cure all to restore wholeness in a family, in a relationship, in a situation, even in a church.
God designed us a certain way, and curses or cursing will keep you from what God designed you to be.
Jesus blessed His followers.: On the mount of Ascension.
Luke 24:50-51 – The last thing that Jesus did…..was Bless his followers. He felt that was important.
BLESSINGS ARE SO IMPORTANT
Ps. 129:8; Deu. 23:5 ; Matt. 5:43-45, “Love your enemies”…
You have been washed. Don’t fight your enemies, don’t try to get even with them.
- I want you to love your enemies, and bless your enemies.
ILLUS.: I pray for my enemies…that they will have things fall on them. That their tire goes flat. Many people, when they hear of something bad happening to someone will often say, “Good, they had it coming.” Laugh it up with someone else…”Did you hear what happened to so and so? Isn’t that great? YOU HAVE JUST CURSED YOUR OWN SPIRIT.
45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”
On the other hand, if people knew what it meant to say: “God bless you,” “The Lord’s blessing be upon you.” and mean it. Things don’t take on the characteristic of what you say, until you mean it.
Bless Situations or conditions – Blessing has the power to change a situation (This is important) A blessing has the power to change the situation.
ILLUS.:Jacob & Esau (Gen. 27)
Jacob wanted Esau’s blessing. Esau was always ahead of Jacob. Esau was born first, but Jacob had hold of Esau’s heel when they were born. It was as if they were linked. They were at war in the womb the Bible says. Jacob coveted the blessing of Issac; he wanted to swindle His brother out of that blessing. He wanted that blessing spoken and articulated over Him. He knew it had the power to change circumstances. `
-Jacob ran for His life from Esau. He faced some very adverse circumstances. But he invoked His blessing over His endeavors. He first asked for the “spotted” calves. They multiplied very quickly. He finally came back home after many years, and Esau who wanted to kill and murder His brother, gave a blessing to His brother Jacob.
That blessing was invoked, and it changed Jacob’s life, and it changed Esau’s life.
Blessings will change your situation, condition and circumstance.
-You can bless your children and your spouse. You can bless your condition.
-if you have something that won’t move stop cursing it. Since the fall we are really jerked inside out. Adam before the fall, he was on top, brilliant, saw things as they were, he named the animals, the vegetable kingdom.
-Since the fall, it was like Adam now had spiritual dyslexia. He was jerked the other way. We blame God, the church, the preacher, the family and the job. Except the party that is responsible. God has told us everything we need to live, He said don’t respond like that.
-If you have something that is not going right in your family, a condition, circumstance or situation. Watch it turn around. If your car is not working…don’t curse it. (You piece of junk, you never start. I wish I never bought you.)
*We want to criticize our children, criticize our circumstance, criticize our jobs, our ministries. If you continue doing that then you will reap that coming back to you. *Parents today look at their children and say, “You’re the dumbest thing I have ever seen.”, “You’ll never amount to anything.”
-“I wish I never had you, get out of my sight.”
Instead say: “God has blessed you with us, you’re a beautiful child, and you have talents that no one else has, and You have more + than you have – and I just bless you in the name of Jesus. May you be blessed as you catch the bus, may you be blessed as you go to school, you are a child of mine, and I release God’s best in your life.
I release the HS in your life. Be blessed when you catch the bus, be blessed at school. May you not get with the wrong crowd. In the name of Jesus.
-Start blessing your situation, not cursing it. Bless your children.
-Teachers, bless your classroom, bless that child you can’t help. Don’t deliver railing.
WE NEED TO CURSE THE STERILITY, AND BLESS THE FRUIT THAT GOD WANTS TO BRING FORTH.
-If you can’t sing except to carry a tune in a bucket, ask God to bless your bucket!
-If you don’t like the preacher, don’t criticize, say, “Lord bless Him with you.”
I Peter 3:8-9
Sometimes the world has better manners than the church. Not rendering evil for evil. Fred gives me a hard time; I’ll give Him a hard time.
-We stand there and give railing for railing….God doesn’t call us to do that…..
-You curse something, then you will reap cursing. It is a spiritual law.
-If you get involved and send evil, then you will receive evil back.
LOOK:
“Not evil for evil.”
“But contra-wise blessing, you know that ye are called.”
“You are called to inherit a blessing.”
*God has called us not to do evil for evil, but God has called us to do good even when people do us bad.
James 3:14-16 (AMP) “For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder [unrest, rebellion] and every evil thing and morally degrading practice.
-These attitudes come from a life of cursing. Maybe it happened to you, but you will need to turn it around.
Look at Jesus, when they railed against Him, they came at Him like dogs.
Psalms, that “they came at Him like dogs.” “Gnawing, biting.” They blindfolded Him, they hit Him. Vinegar. Jesus continued to bless them.
ILLUS.: Like our children getting in a fight. Teach them to bless, they will be disarmed.
“Not evil for evil, not railing for railing, for thereunto have you been called.”
*You have been called to inherit a blessing.
–We are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation.
-One of the reasons we are not being blessed is because we are returning evil for evil, meanness for meanness, agitation for agitation.
-God said be contrary, “The opposite.” Bless your enemies, do good to those who persecute you. Bless them, release a blessing that will come back also to you.
ILLUS.: Seeds…Can’t harvest that. (spiritual law)
-If you curse then you will reap cursing. You neighbor may have cursed you, but just because you’re a Christian doesn’t mean that you will be blessed. If you returned railing for railing, then you will suffer “curses” also.
-I’ve seen Christians try to stand on the word and claim victory, claim to be an overcomer after returning evil for evil. It doesn’t work. Bless those that persecute you.
-IN GEN. 49 Jacob lined his children up.
Much as Jacob “blessed” his 9 sons; he gathered the 9 boys and spoke as “Israel.” His name was changed.
He spoke upon those boys “blessings”; He annunciated the power of God to bless those boys in their lives particular areas that He would chose. He chose to bless them, their offspring, their tribes to be blessed in various/ and sundry ways with the other tribes.
*Blessings were very important back then……God wants us to hunger for His blessings, and hunger to bless others as well.
Q: “What does bless mean?” It means 5 things:
THERE ARE 5 MEANINGS WHEN SPEAKING A BLESSING.
1. GOD BLESS YOU = “GOD MAKE YOU WHOLE.” God, bless you means = “God make you whole.” IT ALSO MEANS TO MAKE HOLY. To use your words to make someone whole. Some people need to hear things to make someone whole. God bless you is “God make you whole.” Jesus: “Be thou made every whit whole.”
2. GOD BLESS YOU = “GOD GIVE YOU DIVINE FAVOR.” God give you favor for your situation. Favor in your circumstance. God, give you favor in your condition. Blessing can and will change circumstances, and situations and conditions. It is not a wish, a good feeling, but it is a blessing from your heart. ILLUS.: Deal with the heart. Some people don’t want others blessed.
3. GOD BLESS YOU = “MEANS TO WISH A PERSON WELL.” “Wellness” To speak well of. To wish them well. *Send them on a trip…..God wish you well. ILLUS.: Bid people well, GODSPEED as they went.
4. GOD BLESS YOU = “TO MAKE HAPPY. GOD MAKE YOU HAPPY,” Instead of being sad, downhearted, perplexed. God make you to be happy and prosper you. Proverbs 10:22
5. GOD BLESS YOU = “TO GLADDEN, GLORIFY OR TO PRAISE.” God bless you= “God make you whole, God give you favor, God make you well, God make you prosperous, God make you glad. Jesus was anointed, because he was blessed. He was anointed with the oil of gladness. It means to glorify through the situation.
-If there be any virtue, if there be any praise, then think on these things. Think on the blessings of life. Think on what God has blessed you with. In everything that you do, and everything that you say. In everything that you feel. In every prayer that is offered. In every thought…then blessings……..
3 THINGS YOU CAN BLESS:
- Situation, circumstance or condition
- A person
- God
Psalm 103:4-5
*God is going to ask many of you to put into practice what you heard today. If you want to inherit a blessing then you will have to invoke, practice and begin some new measures to line your life up with the word of God.
Your criticizing, your nagging, your negative attitudes, will need to change if your your life will take a new turn.
You determine what you want from God.