"Is the seed yet in the barn? yea, as yet the vine, and the fig tree, and the pomegranate, and the olive tree, hath not brought forth: from this day will I bless you." Haggai 2:19 KJV
When we want to know who God is, you need not look too far but into the words of life. Look unto Christ Jesus who is a direct image of God's person. If God is called a good shepherd therefore God must be a good God.
The reason why God gives good things is because He is good. When God gives he would do so lavishly and freely without withholding anything back. Psalm 48 says God is beautiful for all situation and Mark 7:37 the word says that God has done all things well.
The blessings of God lifts up His people. There is a phase in life when man is lifted above his brethren and another phase when man is lifted far higher unto a global level. "The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it. Proverbs 10:22 KJV"
In the beginning God blessed man Gen 1:28; after the flood the first thing God did was to bless mankind through Noah and his family. God kept speaking His blessings into the life of His children.
In 1 Chronicles 4:10 Jabez asked for God's blessing and he got it. The blessings of God didn't change the name of Jabez but instead changed his life so much so that his name became a symbol of blessing.
The four things that God's blessing do
- Places your life in the forward direction 2 Samuel 3:1 Ex. 14:15
- Puts a hedge of protection around your life Numbers 23:23 Psalm 23
- Amplifies your efforts Prov 10:22. What may seem difficult becomes easy for the blessed
- It affects every area of your life
Who is qualified to be blessed?
Every child of God who believes in and accepts Christ is entitled to the blessings of God. Ezekiel 47 spoke about the different levels of blessings of God. Why is it that we are all believers but we enjoy God's blessings differently? The level of our relationship with God determines the level of God's blessing operating in our life.
God's blessing is there and available to us all, however the blessings we receive is hinged on the level of and power that works in us. To enjoy God's blessings there are 3 triggers.....
- The first trigger for blessing is the lifestyle of man. Ps 119:1&59, Ps50:3. Draw near to God that he may draw near to you. The way we live our life is the first trigger to the kind of blessings that are available to us. Our lifestyle denotes our interests, opinions, behaviours, and behavioural orientations.
- Honour to your parents, to the elders. Ex 20:12 is the first command with a promise. Don't wait to honour your parents do it on time. In Gen 27 Isaac ask the son he loved to make him a meal so that he can bless him but Jacob honoured his father by bringing the meal and brought it on time. Honour your parents but do this while they are alive and with you.
- The people we walk with determines our level of blessing. 1 Sam 10:10. We must be selective about who we allow in our space. Be mindful of who your friend is. To overcome you must do load shedding of friends you move with. If it doesn't bless you do away with it. As good as Joseph was in the interpretation somebody had to recommend him. Our relationships can make or break us.
God's blessing brings acceptability. When a man is blessed he would be good enough and his qualification and gifts would open space of acceptability to him. "Let our lord now command thy servants, which are before thee, to seek out a man, who is a cunning player on an harp: and it shall come to pass, when the evil spirit from God is upon thee, that he shall play with his hand, and thou shalt be well." 1 Samuel 16:16. Joseph was a dreamer and his dreams opened a door to him. He was brought out of the prison to interpret the dream of Pharaoh but ended up as been accepted into a position of the Prime Minister of Egypt.
"Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Ephesians 3:20". Let God know that area of your life where you need his blessings.
