THE BLESSED LIFE

 

A BLESSED LIFE

“Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.”

(Psalms 32:1)

Beloved, I pray for you that, the light of God will Expose every hidden work of Darkness in your life and destroy them. This same light will expose you to every waiting Favour and Goodness of God. Anywhere you turn to; it shall be your turn to be lifted. May this month  bring forth Blessings, Comfort, Goodness and Breakthrough to your life. As cool as the day is, so shall your life be cool and free from all Calamities .You shall be like a tree Planted by the river that flourishes and cannot be moved in Jesus name, have a fruitful month as you journey to the top.

Friend, we give God all the glory and honour for His infinite mercy that endures forever. May His name be exalted forever in Jesus name (Amen). In this month of divine settlement, we shall be looking into a very sensitive topic which we have by the inspiration of the Lord, titled A Blessed Life. This topic is very sensitive because it is the strong desire of every man; the good man, the bad man and even the ugly man in character have an insatiable desire to be blessed. 

Friend, the wrong definition of blessing arose right from the fall of man at the Garden of Eden, and the devil has indeed taken advantage of our shallow understanding of blessing to deceive so many and lured them into many atrocities against mankind in the name of pursuing blessing.

Beloved, before we proceed further on this sensitive matter, we shall take an ample time to reveal the true meaning and the picture of what a blessed life is.

What is a blessing? A blessing is an act of experiencing God’s favour and protection in life which ought to be the root of a joyful life. In other words, we can say a blessed life amounts to a healthy life and peaceful living. Friends, for charity sake, blessing is different from commodities. Blessing opens the realm of invisible and unsearchable riches of God to man on earth.  A blessed man is a carrier of grace to serve the heavenly through humanity.

There is a personal discovery that shows that a rich man can transfer properties but cannot transfer blessing. Why? This shall be discussed much later in this edition.

Beloved, there are different issues that are involved before a man can be connected to blessing; but before we look into those issues, we must see blessing as generational because any blessing that is not  generational is not from God and is not worth celebrating. A generational blessing is a blessing that passed from one generation to another generation e.g. father to son etc.

Beloved, we shall by the grace of God spend some reasonable time on generational blessing because we need a better understanding to shape our behavioural patterns. Until you have a better understanding you will not be outstanding in life. In our quest for a better life, we must refuse to be defeated. In Psalm 115:12-16 the Scripture says,

“The LORD hath been mindful of us: he will bless us; he will bless the house of Israel; he will bless the house of Aaron. He will bless them that fear the LORD, both small and great. The LORD shall increase you more and more, you and your children. Ye are blessed of the LORD which made heaven and earth. The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD’s: but the earth hath he given to the children of men.”

From the above Scripture, we discover that God does give generational blessing to His children. Also Psalm 90:1-2 attests to this profound truth. This enables me to recall the life of father Abraham and how God handed him a generational blessing. Genesis 12:1-3 says,

“Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”

With reference to the above Scripture, it is pertinent to note that no man lives and dies unto himself. Your life can either constitute an obstacle to your generation or a stepping stone for people coming behind your generation. At this juncture therefore, I would like to plead with all readers of this edition that we do not live a life that will constitute a stumbling block for our children and generations after us. 

Beloved, now that we all know that blessings or curses can become generational, I will like to enjoin all of us to be extremely sensitive in the way we live our life. How?

a)      Be careful with the decisions you make

In view of this, you should be careful of the choices and decisions you make today because the decisions or choices that you make today will ultimately affect your family line for generational impact. The present situation of our lives is a reflection of the decisions or choices we made yesterday. This is the reason why we should not be casual about the issues of life otherwise we shall end up becoming a casualty of failure.

Friend, I want us to realize that every decision or choice we make today will eventually determine the destination of our future. This being the case, we need to be extra careful about our lifestyles. Genesis 27:34-37 says,

“And when Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry, and said unto his father, Bless me, even me also, O my father. And he said, Thy brother came with subtilty, and hath taken away thy blessing. And he said, Is not he rightly named Jacob? for he hath supplanted me these two times: he took away my birthright; and, behold, now he hath taken away my blessing. And he said, Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me? And Isaac answered and said unto Esau, Behold, I have made him thy lord, and all his brethren have I given to him for servants; and with corn and wine have I sustained him: and what shall I do now unto thee, my son?”

This sympathetic event about the life of Esau was as a result of a decision he took in Genesis 25:29-34 when he traded his birthright to his twin brother, Jacob for a plate of pottage (food).

In the light of this negative event, I will like to again advise that we should be extra careful in the decisions we make especially when we are under pressure or when we are either being praised, seduced or enticed by the devil and his agents to make certain bad decisions.

b)      Beware of your lifestyle

          Genesis 17:1-3 says, “And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly. …”

Nobody gives what he does not have; you are wired to only give what you have. Therefore, your life is truly a reflection of what you are on your inside. A man can only manifest what is inside of him. Before power can be supplied to the consumer, the power must first be generated before it can be made available to the consumer through the means of transmission. No power is transmitted without generation. This implies that what you transmit is determined by what you generate!

Beloved, the successful transmission of a generated blessing is an enormous responsibility of the father. It is instructive to note that in Bible days as well as in our contemporary time many have failed woefully in this crucial area of transmitting generational blessings unto their children. A rich man may transfer properties to his children but he may not be able to transmit blessings to them. This is to attest to the fact that a blessing can never be equated with commodities! Let us cast our minds to the fact that Eli the priest could not raise any responsible child to succeed him as priest of the Most High. Same was the case of Prophet Samuel who was a legend in prophetic ministry!

The most devastating story was that of the wisest king on earth during his time (King Solomon) who raised the most foolish son, Rehoboam to succeed him; a son who through his foolish and arrogant disposition went on to split the kingdom of Israel into two. What about Noah, a man who found and enjoyed tremendous favour in the sight of God? Any mention of his children or blessing transmitted to them by their father? All these are attestations to the fact that life itself is full of mysteries. However, we give God the glory for the life of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Abraham was a great man but he was able to pass on blessing to his generation and his grandson, Jacob became the greatest man of his time.

The stories of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob have greatly helped most of us who are fathers today, to believe that the transmission of generational blessing is possible. Otherwise, the stories of Eli, Samuel, Solomon and others would have given us the erroneous impression that it is impossible to transmit generational blessing.

Now, another vital question to ask is how do we access the blessing from God?

A)      By the Spirit of Sonship

1)       It is the spirit of sonship through Jesus Christ that attracts generational blessing. Genesis 27:1-4.

2)       It is the spirit of sonship through Jesus Christ that gives us victory over causes. Galatians 3:13-14.

 

B)     Beware of the decision or choice you make. Ruth 1:15-18.

 

Every right decision or choice we make today is to help the future to become easier and better for those coming behind us. No man lives and dies for himself. His lineage is not easily forgotten or obliterated.  Every man that is alive today shall become an ancestor to someone or a group of persons in the future. Many of us, especially in Africa, are suffering from the problems created by our ancestors who may not have known that we were living for the generations to come. Therefore, today we need to be very careful with every decision or choice we make because that decision may determine our destination and that of our children tomorrow! This is a fact we must all take to heart.

Let me share with you of a life story. Sometime ago, we went on mission outreach with a senior man of God, and after the conclusion of the program, we decided to visit one of the fathers of faith in the land (Town).The Baba was so excited to see us. And out of joy of his heart, he started sharing many events out of his experience in the past to encourage us. He said, many years ago, a particular Pastor was posted from the ministry headquarters to that local assembly where this Baba is the pioneer member and the most senior Minister at that time. After few months of resumption, The Pastor came up with negative ideas on how they can make fraudulent money from the ministry because the ministry has schools and others means of generating money. The Baba was so surprised because it happened that day, there was no money on him and his Bank accounts and there were so many financial responsibilities for him to attend. Nevertheless, The Baba refused the offers; discouraged the evil thought of the Pastor and rescued him from the pathway of destruction by telling the pastor that is better for him (Baba) to die without living any properties for his children as an inheritance than to live curses behind for his children because of accused money. He said he told the pastor that when he dies, he does not want to live any curses for his family. This godly opinion of Baba shaped my life further and l now realized that we are ancestors to our coming generation behind and whatever we do may impact on them positively or negatively. Be warned!

C)      Seek Perfect Understanding in life

Perfect understanding empowers us to fight the battles of life victoriously. Understanding helps us to know more about our genealogy or family blood line.

Friend, this is real because many of us are suffering ignorantly from what we do not know anything about. Many ministers of the gospel, even the senior ministers have different opinions about this issue of bloodline. We all know that that every man in Christ is a new creature, old things have passed away. But there is an issue that we need to consciously address with prayer and Scripture in other to obtain full and perfect deliverance. There are battles a man must fight in his life he/she can enjoy some unique settlement or inheritance from God.

There are some men whose fore-fathers fought for them through prayers and sacrificial living while there are others whose parents could not fight any battle for them thereby leaving them to fight for themselves.

Perfect understanding helps us to know our benefits or rights. We need perfect understanding to fight for our benefits or rights in the world we currently live in. Numbers 27:1-9 speaking of the daughters of Zelophehad and their request for a portion of their late father’s inheritance says,

“Then came the daughters of Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of Manasseh the son of Joseph:…And they stood before Moses, and before Eleazer the priest, and before the princes and all the congregation, by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, saying, Our father died in the wilderness, and he was not in the company of them that gathered themselves against the LORD in the company of Korah; but died in his own sin, and had no sons. Why should the name of our father be done away from among his family, because he hath no son? Give unto us therefore a possession among the brethren of our father. And Moses brought their cause before the LORD. And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, The daughters of Zelophehad had speak right: thou shall surely give them a possession of an inheritance among their father’s brethren; and thou shalt cause the inheritance of their father to pass unto them….”

Perfect understanding enables us to know the promises of God for His children. For Genesis 28:15 the Lord says,

“And behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places wither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.”

A major battle the enemy cannot win is the battle against the promises of God. The blessing of God can swallow causes orchestrated from any man.

Perfect understanding of the word of God enables us to focus on Jesus. Hebrews 12:1-2, Psalms 34:5 testify to this. Indeed, mankind has been created to look up to God not any man.

Perfect understanding of the word of God helps us to engage in the power of obedience and continuity. James 1:21-27. There is blessing when we imbibe the principle of doing the word of God.

Perfect understanding helps us to destroy the weapon of ignorance. There is this story told by one senior minister. He along with one other minister were on a flight and because the other man on board with him was asleep while they were serving menu, he refused to partake thinking they may ask him to pay for the meal. He therefore denied himself this benefit. But when they boarded another flight and the man he followed was awake when they were serving meals, the man collected and he himself also quickly collected and started eating because he was so hungry. Thereafter, he asked the man he followed whether he had paid for the food they collected. Another man replied and told him that everything has been paid for from their ticket fares.

So we can see that the devil works on our ignorance to deny us our benefits in Christ. Please always seek proper understanding through the scriptures (Bible) so you can enjoy your inheritance in Christ Jesus and enforce your kingdom rights.

D)     Serve God through Humanity

Beloved, there is faithfulness and commitment of God to the faithful labourer or servant. Please renew your commitment to Jesus by serving humanity. Live as a seed, don’t live for yourself!

There is a story of a woman that died. She lived for herself. She did not help anybody in the neighbourhood and no meaningful assistance rendered on her account to humanity. She was very rich and wealthy.

On the day of her burial, they dug a normal size grave of about six feet deep. And as they were about to lower corpse into the grave, the youths in the village started shouting, “It is not enough, it is not enough’ demanding that they should increase the size of the grave to accommodate all her belongings – the car, building and other personal materials that she lined up for herself while she was alive. She refused to help the needy, widows, orphans, etc. The word of God in James 1:27 says,

“Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in  their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.”

Often times, our love for God will involve giving to others. When we recognize that every gift we have is from God's hand and not something we have earned or are entitled to, we become more open to sharing our time, talents, and possessions. As we are filled with God's grace, the natural response is to share generously with others.

Dorcas was known for her compassion for the poor in her community. She was known for doing well and investing in those who had needs. Her relationship with God was not just for herself but also for the benefit of others. The death of Dorcas left her community in distress. Friends searched for Peter to see if there was something he could do.

The Widows showed him all the clothing Dorcas had made for them, gift that reminded them of her love. Gifts placed in the hand of someone in need do point to the hand of our heavenly Father, who loves us completely and generously supplies all that we need. "He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD, and that which he hath given will he pay him again."Acts 19:17.

Our culture tends to focus on accumulating wealth instead of giving to people in need. Dorcas, described as a disciple, was one who imitated the generosity of God. Show God's generous heart to someone in need this week.   

E) DO NOT LOSE HOPE

Psalm 126:1-6`

"They that sow in tears shall reap in joy" (Psalm 126:5).

Beloved, Life has many twists and turns and ups and downs. There are good and bad times, just as we have day and night. But there are instances when the bad times appear so long and tough and do not seem to have an end. At such times, one tends to despair and resign to fate, especially when all possible efforts to seek a solution have been exhausted. But no matter how long, dark, and stormy a night may seem, there will always be the break of day.

In Above scriptures in Psalm offers us hope in trouble and tears. It assures us that the times of trouble do not last. The Psalmist looks back to when the captives of Judah returned to Jerusalem following their long captivity in Babylon. They had suffered much and for so long in captivity, and suddenly, they found themselves back in their homeland, free again! This sudden turn of events appeared too good to be real to them. They seemed to be in such a sweet dream from which they did not wish to be awakened! But it was not a dream; they truly have been set free. Their long night of captivity has broken into a bright day of freedom and joy. No more sorrow; no more tears!

 No matter what we may be going through, an end is in sight. You may be experiencing hard times or gripped by sorrow. Your medical report may not give you any chance of survival. The economy and other situations in the land may appear bleak and offer no hope of reprieve. No matter the situation, don't throw hope away; don't give up in despair. The morning of joy is coming.

Keep trusting the Lord, and as you keep toiling and believing, you will strike open a spring of waters, and then, there will be an overflow of abundance and breakthrough for you! Your night will end, your tears will turn to laughter, and your long years of captivity will only become like a fleeting dream.Be Rest assured, there is hope in sight. Night, most surely, will soon turn to day.

F) AVOIDS STRIFE

"For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work." (James 3:16)

In Genesis 13:1-18, Strife is dangerous; it damages relationships and destroys homes, especially when it is allowed to linger. When Abraham took his nephew, Lot, with him to the land God promised him, he didn't think that issues would arise between them. Lot enjoyed God's blessings because of Abraham, yet he wasn't wise enough to tell his herdsmen to honour and respect Abraham's herdsmen. Despite this, Abraham didn't get offended. Instead, he settled the issue with Lot amicably. He called Lot and said, "Please, let there be no strife between us, for we are brethren." Abraham valued his relationship with God and his brotherhood with Lot above the issues they were having. He even humbled himself and asked Lot to choose where he wished to go first. Abraham understood something many people do not understand; he knew that whenever you allow strife, you give room to the devil. Avoid strife like a plague; it is a doorway to the devil.

G) DO NOT BE A CHEAT

“A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, And loving favour rather than silver and gold.” (Proverbs 22:1 KJV)

It is very certain that in your Christian walk, temptations will arise, trying to make you do what is wrong. Anyone can say ‘I am a Christian. I am born again. I am in church.’ But it is when the chips are down, and the rubber meets the road, that we will know who you are by the things you do.

There was a case where an interview was being conducted in a corporate organization and a Pastor was in charge. Two people were being interviewed and one scored higher than the other. It was obvious that the appointment would be based on merit - whoever scored higher. However, it will astound you to know, that the Pastor who was supposed to be in charge, told a panel member to deduct the score of the candidate who fared better, and add it to the score of the other one who had not fared as well. The situation was later investigated because the right candidate was not offered the job, which shocked other panel members, who rightly raised the alarm. It was confirmed that the candidate who merited the job was cheated.

Sadly, things are fast-changing and the Church of Jesus seems to be caught up in this web. Many today are after titles and positions, and not after living out their true natures and identities. Today, it is popular to be comfortable hiding under the cloak of Christianity to perpetuate evil, which should not be. People learn the lingo, but not the discipline, any wonder why our communities are the way they are. The world is in a cup of trembling and the expectation is that believers shine as light that we are, as the solution to the problems of the world. That is why Jesus asked the question, “…But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.” Matthew 5:13 (NLT)

As a Christian, you must determine for yourself not to join the crowd, because God says, “I hate robbery for an offering.” We must be sticklers for the Word, because God’s Word is true and cannot be violated. The assurance we have in living out the scriptures, is that if you take a stand for righteousness, you will not be forsaken because the righteous can never be forsaken.

G)  ACTING BY THE URGE TO BE GENEROUS

 “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” - (Hebrews 13:2)

In 2Kings 4:8-17, a Shunammite woman compelled Elisha to stop by her house for a meal as he passed through her city. She kept on entertaining the prophet at her home every time he passed by, and eventually, she and her husband built him a little room in their house so he could stay and rest during his travels. After a while, Elisha, moved by her generosity, summoned her and told her that she would soon be carrying a baby. She conceived and gave birth to a son according to the prophet's decree, all because of her hospitality.

Sometimes, when the appointed time for your miracle comes, you will suddenly have a very strong urge to be really generous and hospitable. You will desire to be a blessing to people even more than before. Today's memory verse says that you should be mindful to entertain strangers as you may be entertaining angels without knowing it. The reason for this is that God can send an angel to deliver your miracle, and that angel can come in the form of a human being. If you are hospitable to the angel, you will get the miracle.

In Genesis 18:1-14, Abraham saw three men passing in front of his tent, and he invited them to eat, wash their feet, and rest a little. After they had eaten, one of the men asked him about Sarah and told him that she would give birth to a son. Their barrenness of many years ended that day because Abraham suddenly felt the urge to be generous to complete strangers.

When you start feeling an urge to be more generous than you've ever been, please don't resist it. God might be trying to push you to do something that will launch you into your miracle. It must have been difficult for the widow of Zarephath to give Elijah the last meal meant for her and her son. Ordinarily, a generous mother will say something like, "I can do without eating, but I cannot give you my son's meal." However, she felt the urge to be unusually generous, and she didn't resist it. In return, she had enough food for herself and her son throughout the famine.

Beloved, when you feel a strong urge to give, do not resist it; you might just be launching yourself into your next level. May God reward your kindness and hospitality towards others with abundant testimonies far beyond the imaginations of your heart and all that you are asking Him for, in Jesus' name. When you feel a strong urge to be generous, take action; do not push it aside.

F) BE DILIGENT, LIFE IS A CHALLENGE

 “The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: but the slothful shall be under tribute.” - (Proverbs 12:24)

In Ecclesiastes 12:1-7 (KJV) An author once said, "Life is a challenge; meet it." I would even go further to say, "Rise above it." Nowadays, however, many young people are seeking a 'soft life'; there is nothing like a soft life. A teacher once taught that every human being brought a pillow into this world, which must be used before we leave. If some people choose not to use the pillow when they are young, they will definitely use it when they are old. According to the teacher, that pillow represents hardship.

If young people choose to put aside pleasures and go through the hardship of discipline to study, work hard, and nurture the right relationships in their youth, they will enjoy their old age. However, if they choose to party and play around in their youth, when they are old, they will either be lonely or have no choice but to work hard to make ends meet. What a teacher called a pillow is what the Bible calls 'the yoke' in Lamentations 3:27:

It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth. Note that the Scripture above does not say 'a yoke', but 'the yoke'. In other words, every individual has a yoke, and it is good for that person to bear it in his or her youth. People who don't want to bear the yoke in their youth are lazy people.

Some people are born into royal families, but they may never have the opportunity to rule if they are lazy. Who, then, is qualified to rule? Anyone who wants to rule must be ready for hard work. Those who want to rule must be ready to bear the yoke in their youth. If you want to live a soft life in your youth, then you are not ready to rule. Ruling is hard work, and it is only the diligent that will bear rule. There is no easy road to success; the fact that a fellow was born by a successful person does not mean that the person will succeed in life.

If you are a youth and you want to reign in life, shun laziness and pleasures. You must also remember your creator in the days of your youth before the difficult days come (Ecclesiastes 12:1). You don't own your life; take up your cross and follow Jesus so that it can be well with you all the days of your life. Those who rules and reigns in life are those who are diligent.

 

PRAYER FOR THE BLESSING OF GOD

1, Father, I ask that you deliver me from any form of poverty mentality. I receive the right mentality for supernatural wealth explosion as I give myself to Your Word, Lord in Jesus’ Name.

2 God, help me develop a diligent attitude in all that I do.

3. Every power that does not want my glory to manifest, die, in the name of Jesus.

4. The Goliath of my father's house that says my glory will not rise be buried, in the name of Jesus.

5. Every obstacle to my greatness, vanish by fire, in the name of Jesus.

6. Any power stubbornly sitting on my glory, die, in the name of Jesus.

7. Whether the devil likes it or not, my glory shall manifest, in the name of Jesus.

8. Powers assigned to stop my light from shining, die, in the name of Jesus.

9. Every foundational power assigned to kill my glory, be destroyed, in the name of Jesus

10. Demotion, stagnation, and death assigned against my glory, die, in the name of Jesus.

11. O God, arise and let the world know that you are my God, in the name of Jesus.

12. Lord, help me to care for others with the love that you show me. Help me to give willingly with a cheerful heart as you have given to me. In Jesus name Amen.