You can listen to today's sermon here. Or read the transcript below.
God desires to bless us – but even more so He desires us to bless others.
A lifestyle of blessing causes changes in the hearts of those we bless and ourselves and blessing is not limited just to the area of materialism
Scripture talks of a restorative God who delights in bringing things back into His divine order
I Peter 3:8-9 says “Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.” This is a greater calling for all – called to bless and receive blessing.
Have you ever noticed how some people just can’t seem to pay a complement? They only seem to criticize. They speak curses with their words, not blessings. What is our normal reaction to someone who acts or talks like that? Some may want to give back to them what they dish out; some may feel sorry for them; some may judge, some may tell them they’re wrong and then some stay silent. What this verse is saying is that we should bless them. Pray for blessing in their lives no matter how much they may criticize you or speak negatively about or to you.
One expression that’s definitely a Southern one is “Bless his or her heart”. I’ve also found not everyone saying that really means what they’re saying! Saying “bless you” has become a kind of common spiritual salutation or filler with no significant meaning so the power of blessing is lost – but I want you to know the power of blessing has the power to turn lives around!
So, let’s look at blessing. In the Old Testament the Hebrew word for blessing is barak meaning “to speak the intention of God” and “to be happy with where you are”. In the New Testament it’s the word eulogia where we get the word eulogy from and it means “to speak larger or well of” or “to speak the intention or favor of God on someone”. So, true blessing spoken over someone is describing the way God sees them.
I’ve heard people talk negatively about someone and then follow it with “I’m only telling the truth” like that puts a stamp of approval on their words. I am here to tell you that when you talk negatively about someone, no matter how factual it might be you are cursing that person. The only truth needed in their lives is the truth of how God sees them. So, blessing someone who in your opinion may not deserve it is speaking life into them and their situation. You don’t even need to do it to their face. Pray blessing for someone who’s hurt you. Isn’t that what the verse says? Do NOT repay insult with insult or evil with evil.
So when we bless someone its with a prophetic insight to see the way they’re supposed to be thru God’s eyes not how they may appear at the moment saying in effect “may God’s full expectation for you be fulfilled in your life.”
Blessing has nothing to do with where people ARE – to understand that eliminates our tendency to be judge and jury of whether they’re deserving of blessing or not. It also has nothing to do with whether the recipient has the right attitude or not. It has nothing to do with how we feel and everything to do with how God wants it to be. Feelings are highly over rated. When we declare God’s intentions, we release His ability to change things from what they are into HIS desired plan. This is so opposite to our natural inclination, isn’t it? We tend to overstate the problem without stating any of God’s intended plans.
It’s a spiritual principle – whatever we sow will set a measurement of return.
Need mercy? Give mercy
Want blessing? Release blessing
Want forgiveness? Give forgiveness
Need affirmation? Give affirmation
Man’s fallen nature tends to oppose blessing. When Adam hid from God and God asked him why he was hiding Adam’s first response was to blame Eve, which was actually blaming God for giving him a woman like her. Eve, in turn, blamed her sin on the devil. Our very fallen nature is to blame others for our condition. We are either blessing or cursing. There is no neutral ground. God is the Blesser and the devil is the curser, or “the accuser of the brethren.” Rev. 12:10 says: Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Messiah. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night,
has been hurled down.”
has been hurled down.”
To understand blessing, I think we need to have an idea of what cursing someone means. Curses are not just speaking evil words over people. Here are some other ways words curse others:
1. Accusations are a curse. Most people don’t want to commit sin. The reason we might sin is because we’re under a curse and our eyes are blinded. But it is possible for someone under constant accusations to come to a place where they begin to agree with the accusations. Agreement with accusations is a yield sign for sin. I’ve heard people say that since they were accused of something all their life they might as well do it. So they then agree with the accusation, operating under it and in turn become accusers of others. Curses like “you’ll never amount to anything” or “you’re just like your daddy (meaning no good, lazy or something like that)” or even “you can’t do that” (meaning you’re not good enough, smart enough, strong enough, etc.)
2. Withholding God’s heart and intention for someone is also a curse. This goes along with what I mentioned earlier. Someone’s negative actions or attitude toward us is not even an excuse (no matter how justified we might feel) to deny them blessing.
3. It’s also a curse to speak anything contrary to God’s will or intention over someone. So, to recount someone’s failures falls into the cursing category. There are those who pride themselves on having an opinion about everything but that habit can bring us in agreement with the accuser. When speaking against someone or “voicing your opinion” you are after all, pitting your opinion against God’s.
When the heart is full of bitterness and resentment, cursing flows out of the mouth. The truth is cursing affects us more than the one we may be cursing. Ever heard someone say something like “Boy, I sure told them off”. At that moment they have entered into agreement with the cursing. We may win a battle of words but lose the entire war of living in the favor of the Lord.
Certain things can open the door to a curse. Fear is one. Severe emotional wounding is another. As I said, agreeing with accusations opens the door to a curse. Despising prophetic words is another avenue for curses. This is often overlooked today. We do not prophesy so we can say we are prophetic. Prophecy is about blessing people so for us to despise prophetic blessing as Esau despised his birthright is to despise the blessing of the Lord. Prophecy should edify or speak of the heart of Christ for His Bride.
I don’t know about you but sometimes I assume God feels the same way I do. We like to believe that God thinks the way we think. If we don’t like it, then He must not like it. Joshua had this perspective. In Joshua 5:13-14 he asked the angel of the Lord whose side the angel and his sword would stand with, assuming he’d be on Joshua’s side. The angle said that he was on neither, but he was on the Lord’s side, which stands for righteousness and the blessing of the Lord. The issue with blessing is not whether we agree with someone on how things are to be done. God is not a Democrat or Republican, a United Methodist or Church of Christ, an American, Iranian or African. He is the God of all. It is difficult to understand, sometimes, why we should bless when ungodly people do terrible things. The answer is simple: because the nature of God-likeness is to bless and not curse or enter into cursing with others who do it. It’s not a matter of taking sides.
I’ve come to realize that praying for someone to “get what they deserve” does little to change their lives. Look at Paul. In 2 Corinthians 12 he tells us how he felt unfairly treated: Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me – to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. And he has said to me, “my grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness” I think the Lord was saying “Paul, you have inside you everything necessary to deal with this enemy; don’t expect Me to come down and do the job for you.”
We do the same thing, don’t we? We bombard Heaven: “Lord, I have this ‘messenger of satan’ working on me. Could You cause fire to come down and burn them? Let them know that You love me more than You love them? Deal with them. Wake them in the middle of the night and dangle them over hell. Oh yeah, and please hurry!” And, God’s reply might be closer to “I have already put inside of you the power to bless and repel the cursing.” Knowing that our prayer might sound more like “Lord, let the joy of the Lord and the peace of God be upon them. Let them rest tonight and may they see the goodness of God upon their lives. I release the blessing of the Lord upon them”. Blessing enthrones God to His rightful place where HE can change people and situations – as only HE can do, not us. Blessing releases God’s favor and cursing puts everything on pause.
I heard a story about a pastor who drove by a topless nightclub in his neighborhood, cursing it. He would speak over the business to dry up and close up. God was on his side, right? After all God hates idolatry, fornication and who knows what else went on in there. Feeling sure he was on target the pastor went on his way and be back the next day to do it all over again. When he went back it seemed like business had increased! Day after day it seemed the more he cursed the business, the more it flourished. One day, while he was on his faithful mission to curse the nightclub the Lord spoke deep inside his heart. The Lord asked him, “Why are you cursing the people that I have given My life for – the same life that I gave for you?” The pastor realized the business wasn’t the issue but the blindness of those who patronized the place. Matthew 5:44 came to mind where we’re told “love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you” So, like someone learning a new language the pastor began to bless the owner of the club and the people inside. He could feel the pleasure of the Lord while blessing them. Within 2 weeks, the club had shut their doors without any notice. Cursing causes darkness to thrive, and blessing turns things for righteousness sake.
Nic and his team have found this to be true in Brazil, too. When they go to the streets to minister to the prostitutes and transvestites, they don’t go to curse them, criticize them or change them. They go to bless them. They hand out roses and a copy of “The Father’s Love Letter” that has blessing after blessing on it of just what Father God thinks of us – how He loves us (including the people on the street). People have left that lifestyle because of God’s love shown to them; not condemnation. Nic’s team has even been invited INTO one of the clubs by the manager to pray for the dancers and bouncers. His reason? Because after they pray for them he says there is a peace there. We might say he doesn’t deserve that peace because he’s not following God. Then we’re making ourselves better than him – do we deserve God’s peace that He gave even while we were sinners? People are asking where this peace comes from. Blessing is opening a door for God to take over lives.
God’s plan for those going to the nightclub wasn’t just for them to stop going but for them to find Him as a greater joy than the pleasures of sin. Many people can be convinced not to sin and still not find the place of enjoying their salvation from captivity. I remember when Luke got out of the state penitentiary and got a job, went to 12 step programs, and such. He had stopped doing drugs, he had stopped going to places where he could fall back into it, he stopped hanging with people who had a bad influence on him. But he wasn’t really DOING anything either. Until the day his brother blessed him by telling him he could be passionate about God. Luke had believed a lie (or a curse, if you will) that he had blown it with God. That day the curse was broken and God’s truth broke through. God was then able to move in Luke’s life in powerful ways.
Another way we withhold blessing – or curse instead of blessing is by taking up an offense. Our tongue – our vehicle for speech – has taken many of us down the wrong path. But it’s also the one thing we need for the release of the blessing! Oftentimes our vain imaginations cause offense. We hear someone make a comment (and we only hear part of it or we hear the “report” of it) and we think “well, I never! How dare they say that, or imply that . .” – you fill in the blanks. We imagine all kinds of offenses and then in turn curse the one we think was offending. Taking up an offense if one of the most selfish things we can do.
When offended we hold grudges. I saw a sign this week that said “Holding a grudge is like letting someone live rent free in your head.” Offenses are not given – they are taken. Taking up an offense is not what God intends for us. It’s another opportunity to return good or blessing for evil. What the enemy (not the person) intended for evil, we can turn to good by giving God’s blessing. It’s easy to honor and respect those who honor and respect us. In fact, we can even brag about that, can’t we? Is that the only time God asks us to honor – when we are honored? Showing honor and respect for those undeserving gives us power. Sheri Silk, a woman in ministry in California says her father was one who controlled through fear. She was scared to death of him. He ruled the home with intimidation and physical abuse. She talks about honoring and respecting him now and how that has given her power in their relationship – power to bless and not curse him. Scripture tells us to love those who hurt us. It does not mean that we set ourselves up to be hurt again. It does equate us with the power of forgiveness shown on the cross through Jesus, though. That same power that raised Jesus from the dead is at work in those who believe! So, if God can raise Jesus from the dead, can he also give you the power necessary to love those who hurt you?
I remember a woman in our first church who loved to smile sweetly to your face and then put the knife in your back with her gossip and tongue-wagging behind your back. I would complain to the Lord (and sometimes to Frank) about her treatment. There were times her words brought me to tears. I learned that she had been a pastor’s wife and that surprised me! Then I learned that her husband had left her, telling her he didn’t love her. He left the ministry too. So, she was a bitter woman. She didn’t live out the Scripture that teaches respect for pastors or those in leadership because of the offense or curse she took up when her husband left. The Lord impressed on me that I should start blessing her. I became hard of hearing and ignored him for a while. He asked me, why do you hold on to the bad things longer than you hold on to the blessing? So, I let go of the offenses and began to pray blessing on her life – for her life to be blessed the way God intended it to be. It’s amazing how differently she looked to me when I began to do that. She no longer had horns but looked like another woman like me, loved by Father God.
Ever notice that it takes more compliments to counteract one negative thought? We empower whatever we set our hearts to mediate on. If we focus on an offense we’ve taken we empower that negative mindset. To meditate on God’s Word is to give it power in our lives! Lying awake at night thinking about what people said or did empowers the curse. We were created by God. God is love so we were created or designed to be people who grow in response to love since love was what first touched us.
Remember God likes being our Protector and Provider. Unless He is the One who captures our hearts as our main Source and Supplier of our life and provision, there will be a vacuum that will be filled by something else. God is the ultimate Blesser; there is no one else that compares. I’ve talked about blessing others but I want us to also look at blessing ourselves. Declare over yourself that you are a child of God who lacks for nothing and will see good days in the land of the living. Blessing what is weak in you through speaking God’s intentions will provide opportunities to get free. That blockage is not there to keep you from success, it is there as an opportunity for conquest! We are more than conquerors through Him who loves us and gave His life for us!
It can be difficult to bless ourselves because of our distorted views of God. Frank has preached on this so I’m not going in that here but I’d like you just close your eyes in a moment and ask God a question. The answer may not be in words but He may reveal it through what you sense, feel or hear.
So just ask Him: “Father God, what lies have I believed about you?”. Write down what you sensed, felt or heard.
Now close your eyes and ask him this question: “Father God, what truth do you want me to know about You?” (wait). Now write that down.
I would encourage you to do that often. You can expand it to ask it about Jesus and Holy Spirit too. Truth will be revealed and you’ll be free and open to receiving blessings from Perfect Love.
Prayer:
Lord, we bless this household of faith here at Forest Grove. We thank You for the power to bless. We choose to be on the mountain of blessing and declare the blessing of the Lord over Your church. We thank You for this church, for its place in the community. We bless Joelton and may we be a light here. Whatever we do, let us express the love of Christ. Let the power of blessing come through our mouths this week, on the job, in our families and with our friends. Let our hands be instruments of blessing and our mouth be life. We thank You for the gift of God You have given us to bless and break the curse. Amen.
During the closing hymn I have some Scripture blessings for you. I’d like to invite you to exchange the lie or lies you’ve believed that have cursed you for one of the blessings God has for you. If you’d like to receive blessing today, just come up and pick up a paper from one of the baskets at the front. Don’t look for the one you want, God will make sure you get the one that’s just right for your situation today. sa
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