Bible Study
Activate The Blessing
From the last part, Part 16, there are at least 3 truths we can glean from Genesis 1:28, Galatians 3:13-14, and Proverbs 10:22:
- The Blessing is an empowerment to prosper.
- The Blessing of Abraham belongs to every believer in Christ Jesus.
- The Blessing makes rich.
Considering the above truths, we shouldn’t have believers struggling to make ends meet. Every follower of Jesus Christ should naturally exhibit the hallmarks of the blessing; increase, expansion, influence, dominion, and also enjoy security/protection. The truth (from scripture) is that every Christian possessed all these things from the new-birth, but unfortunately these are not fully expressed in all of us.
Below, I share my thoughts on 5 ways we can activate and appropriate the blessing:
1. Be Conscious of the Blessing
As with every thing in the Kingdom, our words are powerful; they convey faith or unbelief, they transmit life or death (Proverbs 18:21). Faith is the kingdom’s purchasing currency and faith starts from first hearing the Word then believing it. So after becoming aware of the blessing, we need to believe that we have it, that it is ours and that it is in us for good. We believe and receive the blessing by faith.
We must proclaim the blessing on a consistent basis. Speak the blessing, confess the blessing and stay conscious of the blessing at all times. A Christian’s day-to-day conversation shouldn’t contradict his/her belief.
2. Work
Genesis 24:35 tells us how Abraham’s blessing manifested for all to see;
“The Lord has blessed my master greatly, and he has become great; and He has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male and female servants, and camels and donkeys.” Genesis 24:35 NKJV
Flocks, herds, silver, gold, silver, camels, donkeys are all outcomes/products of hard-work. In order to have herds and flocks Abraham must have reared them. He must have traded in gold and silver to possess them. The camels and donkeys certainly didn’t drop down from Heaven, they were either reared or purchased. Servants and maids provide supportive labor and these could pass as employees in a big company. These people worked for Abraham. So Abraham was busy, he set his hands to work and the blessing became visible for all to see through his works.
3. Be Generous
From our study in Part 14, looking at the life and times of Abraham, we saw that Abraham was generous, he accommodated quite a number of persons in his household, and he generally treated people with kindness and respect.
Just like Faith, Giving & Receiving is a kingdom principle. Without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6) even so, the Bible guarantees that when we give, we shall receive (Philippians 4:15; Luke 6:38).
In God shall Supply, we noted that God can miraculously supply our needs and wants but this happens at His instance. Miracles happen at God’s initiative but the Word always works when rightly applied. We may not be able to determine how or when a miracle will occur, however we can activate/initiate a giving/receiving cycle.
Some believers have become weary of the so-called ‘prosperity gospel’. This is because of abuse and sometimes a lopsided approach to its teaching. And also because of the over-emphasis it sometimes receives at the detriment of other biblical teachings. Some Christians also claim they are yet to experience a harvest that corresponds to their personal giving so far. Whatever the case, the truth remains that kingdom principles seldom change. Faith is a prerequisite to receiving from God, and giving will always result in receiving. If any of these principles is not working for someone, the problem is not with God or the principle, there may just be need for more wisdom and revelation (Ephesians 1:17-18).
Here are some ways (from scripture) we can give with an expectation to receive;
- Tithes & Offerings (Malachi 3:8,10).
- Parents (Mark 7:10-13)
- True ministers and ministries of the gospel (I Corinthians 9:14; Luke 10:8;I Timothy 5:17)
- God-ordained projects (Haggai 1:9; Haggai 1:4).
- The Poor (Luke 10:33-35; Psalms 112:9; Acts of the Apostles 9:36-41; Deuteronomy 15:7-8; Deuteronomy 15:10; Ephesians 4:28) .
- Widows (Acts of the Apostles 9:36-4; I Timothy 5:3-4
- Brethren (I John 4:20; Galatians 6:10)
- Family and relatives (I Timothy 5:8)
These are all scripturally approved avenues to give. And of course we know that giving goes beyond giving of material possessions; we can give of our time, talents or gifts.
In general, let’s do good to All men at all times as we are enabled (Luke 10:33-35, Psalms 112:9).
4. Be led by the Spirit
Be led by God to His chosen location for you. Abraham left Ur at the Lord’s command. Why would God ask Abraham to leave Ur? Couldn’t the blessing work in Ur? I believe that there’s a divinely selected place and location for impact and influence for every child of God. There’s a ‘land’ of promise where your flourishing will become obvious to all. There is a land for you to take or possess in order to express fruitfulness.
Do you remember how David began to lose focus of his purpose and became a defensive leader who had lost the trust of his people? (1 Samuel 29). In a bid to escape Saul’s pursuit and determination to kill him, David escaped to Philistia. Despite his best intentions and the trust Achish had in him, the princes of the Philistines wanted him gone from their midst. David was in the wrong location, he lost focus, he was trying to figure things out by himself, he failed to trust God. Things began to change when David turned again to the Lord for direction (chapter 30).
There’s a right location where God’s purpose for your life will be fulfilled. Be led by the Spirit to your promised land. Be led by God to make the right choices. Choices of who to marry, where to live, where to work, where to worship are key determinants of how our lives turns out.
The blessing will always manifest anywhere the presence of God is (II Samuel 6:11-12, Genesis 39:2-3,5, Genesis 30:29-30).
Be led by God to make the right investments. Kenneth E. Hagin was once asked how he became a ‘wealthy preacher’. He responded that he simply listened to and followed the Holy Spirit’s leading in his investment decisions. All the projects he got involved in prospered because he followed the leading of the Spirit.
If we believe that the blessing comes from God, then wisdom should also teach us to trust God to guide us as to how best to walk in order to experience it.
5. Persevere
Abraham didn’t suddenly become rich, wealthy and powerful. It was a progressive work with God, a progressive gathering of riches and a steady manifestation of the blessing.
Abraham believed, trusted, obeyed and followed God.
Just like our biblical heroes of old, we must exercise faith and patience…..
“that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
Hebrews 6:12 NKJV.
Praise God!!!
Well, thank you for joining me again.
Remember that you can access previous parts of this study as follows; Part 1: Study Background. Part 2: The Scope of the Christian Victory. Part 3: How Christians Gained Victory. Part 4: How Faith, Love and Hope Mix Together for Victorious Christian Living. Part 5: The Nature of God’s Love. Part 6: Characteristics of God Kind of Love. Parts 7 and 8: Winning Through Love. Part 9: How to develop our love nature. Part 10: Giving Is Not (always) Love. Part 11:Victory Through Faith: Understanding Faith. Part 12: Victory Through Faith: The Righteousness of God. Part 13: The Stimulus for Faith. Part 14: The Faith of Abraham (A). Part 15: The Faith of Abraham (B). Part 16: The Blessing of Abraham.
…………
Do not miss any part of this study series. Subscribe here to have each part delivered directly to your mailbox.
You can order the kindle and paperback copies of Grace’s book on healing ‘When the Doctor Says No’ from your local Amazon stores, and a subsidized pdf copy here.
If you’ve been blessed by this or anyother of our publication, your freewill gift helps with running and maintenance charges for the site. Give here.
Blessings & Love Always!
