Blessings could be defined as the origin of favors and graces or even as an instrument of blessing.
Genesis 12:2-3
“I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a source of blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse those who curse you, and all the families of the earth will be blessed in you.
From this verse, we can see that the Lord does not only want to bless us, but He wants us to bless all the people around us. He wants our blessing to have an impact. He wants to bless us so that we can bless in our turn.
He said to Abram: the families of the earth will be blessed in you as if to say, you are the source from which I will bless the world. Abram’s blessing is not limited only to his family or his friends, but it influences the whole earth to this day. All who come out of Abram are blessed, as are all who connect with him.
Galatians 3:16
“Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his seed. It is not said to the posterities, as if it were several, but as it is only one….”
So, how can we be a source of blessing for those around us? I believe Abram was so blessed and even became the repository of blessing because he obeyed.
Genesis 12:1; 4
“The Lord said to Abram, Depart from your country, from your fatherland, and from your father’s house, into the land which I will show you. .. Abram departed, as the Lord had told him…”
Abram did as the Lord told him without looking at anything, only trusting the voice He had heard. As He tells us, Obedience to God is what makes us a source of blessing to those around us.
Imagine someone who acts by doing the exact opposite of what God tells him. We are sure that this person will not have the same impact. Abram’s whole life was marked by obedience to God, from his departure from his home to a country he did not know to when the Lord asked him to sacrifice Isaac.
The Lord Jesus also was a model of obedience in all things. Obedience includes death to self and self-surrender. That is, nothing matters more than doing the will of God. Jesus’ obedience led to Him having the highest name. In His name today, how many times we are blessed, saved, healed, set free. The name of Jesus is the most precious thing we have.
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There is also another cause behind our obedience, and that must be love. We obey God because we love Him. But also, when we think about the impact it can have on the people around us, there is no reason not to let the Lord direct our lives. Like Father Abraham or the Lord Jesus, who only accomplished the will of the Father, let us allow ourselves to be led by the Lord.
Philippians 2:8-10
“He humbled Himself, making Himself obedient unto death, even unto death on the cross. Wherefore also God exalted Him sovereignly and gave Him the name which is above every name, That in the name of Jesus every knee should bow in the heavens, on the earth, and under the earth.
Are God’s blessings only spiritual?
The word blessing comes from the Hebrew “Berakah,” which means: prosperity, gift, praise of God, treaty of peace. We can then define the blessing as a grace, a favor granted to men. From this definition, we can conclude that God is the source of blessing. Some people separate spiritual blessings from earthly blessings. Others, however, believe that all blessings are spiritual.
Which of these two thoughts is correct? Are there spiritual blessings and others earthly? To remove this ambiguity, we need to question the thought of God, the very source of blessing.
God is the source of blessing.
Genesis 1:27-28
“And God created man in His image (…) He created them male and female. And God blesses them; and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth…”
In these verses, we notice the sequence of events: creation-blessing-ministry. We see then that the blessing precedes the beginning of any work.
Indeed, the semicolon (;), which separates the verb to bless from the missions and the gifts that God makes after that to man, quite simply shows that the blessing such as God has conceived it belongs to the spiritual domain.
Ephesians 1.3
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.
All blessings come from a divine source, even those that are essentially useful for our earthly well-being, such as material and financial possessions, solid health, or a fulfilled and stable family. To bless a person is to put him in the conditions necessary for his development and for the accomplishment of his mission on earth.
Many biblical characters who had received the full blessing of God did not enjoy the material possessions that could testify to their position as blessed by God in the eyes of men.
Take, for example, the case of Mary, mother of Jesus, who had been blessed among all women (Luke 1:42), but who was not a socially rich woman. She was the wife of Joseph the carpenter, a man of modest means. The apostle Paul carried within him a thorn for which he had prayed three times to the Lord, but the Lord’s answer was, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is fulfilled in your weakness.”This circumstance was a blessing to him in that he could experience God’s grace every day, despite this weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).
We understand from the above that the blessing does not necessarily rhyme with material wealth, although these are a physical representation of the blessing.
The Bible says in Proverbs 10:22, “The blessing of the Lord is what enriches, and He adds no pain to it.” Blessing is, therefore, a prerogative of God, and those who are called His children are privileged to have it and enjoy it to the full. If, then, the blessing is within the competence of God, what about men who enjoy enormous riches in this world, while despising the authority of God in their lives? Is there any other form of blessing that does not come from God?
Does the devil who is the prince of this century use another way to suggest that there is any blessing that is not that of God?
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Can Satan bless?
First of all, we must understand that God “makes His sun rise on the wicked and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” Matthew 5.45. He has established certain principles in this world, and whoever respects them will benefit from the blessing that results therefrom.
This is the case, for example, of the principle of sowing and reaping; whoever sows will reap what he has sown; whether Christian or pagan. God is Just, and He gives to each according to his work. The devil has no power that is not given to him (Luke 4:6); he is a liar and a great falsifier of God’s prowess (Exodus 7:8-13).
He makes the animal man believe that he himself is the author of his blessing through his life choices. Some go so far as to sign pacts with him to benefit from his “graces.” But the outcome of this unbelief leads them to physical and spiritual death. Satan has no power to bless, contrary to what he leads people to believe.
He just takes advantage of the greed and ignorance that are in man to give him, for his loss, the stolen riches. And unfortunately, he even manages to seduce the children of God, who fail to enjoy the riches of the Father.
What can prevent us from enjoying the blessing?
Several obstacles stand in the way of the full development of God’s children as far as blessings are concerned:
- Sin (Deuteronomy 28:15-69).
A life of sin automatically leads a child of God away from the source of blessing. He is exposed on the devil’s ground and works for his account, even though he remains a child of God. His iniquities distance him from God, and he himself becomes an obstacle to his own blessing. This is why, being elected of God, we must strengthen ourselves in Christ and walk in sanctification to not agree with the devil.
- Ignorance.
Hosea 4:6 “My people perish for lack of knowledge….”
Proverbs 19:2 “Likewise lack of knowledge in a soul is not a good thing…”
If one is not aware of being a son of a King, one cannot, in any case, enjoy the privileges of a prince.
A child of God must take the time to read the Word to know and enter into his inheritance. Otherwise, he will be like this poor man who does not know his hut is built on a gold deposit. We are encouraged to read the Bible to learn more. Let’s not open our doors to laziness to give the devil a chance.
- Laziness.
Proverbs 12:27 (KJV): “The Sloth does not roast his game….”
Therefore, let us strive to leave laziness behind us and run straight to the conquest of our game to fully enjoy it and give glory to the One who offers it to us by His Grace.
Finally, we remember that all blessings are spiritual and come only from God. Satan has only forged blessings that he offers to men to destroy their souls. Therefore, we have the responsibility to know and enter into our blessings found in Christ in heavenly places.
