In the twelfth Chapter of Genesis, God called Abram and declares, “The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you” (Gen.12:1-3)

We derive several principles about blessings from these verses.  First of all, God is the source of blessing.  Secondly, blessings seem to be associated with God’s purposes for a location, an individual, a family line, or a nation.  Next, it seems that blessings impart the power, life, health, and prosperity that enable the object of the blessing or the person receiving the blessing to fulfill their God-given purposes.  Finally, blessings can be passed on and are activated by the words we speak as God’s priests on the earth.

In a general way, a blessing deposits the favor of God or the grace of God and the resources of heaven on whatever or whomever God determines to use to fulfill his purposes. God even blessed a day. “Therefore, God blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy” (Ex.20:11).  When God blessed the Sabbath, he apparently assigned his favor to the day and those who kept the day faithfully could make withdrawals from that favor.  God also declared that those who blessed Abraham would be blessed and that all the people on the earth would be blessed through him or through his descendants. \

That declaration applies not only to the Messiah coming through Abraham’s bloodline, but also to the contributions the Jews would make to the world.  If you research a list of Nobel Prize winners, Jewish recipients are hugely over-represented in all categories including the arts, science, and medicine.  All nations have truly been blessed by the descendants of Abraham.

Paul further refined our understanding of the descendants of Abraham under the New Covenant when he said, “Consider Abraham: ‘He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.’ Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham” (Gal.3;6-7).  By faith, we are also descendants of Abraham and the world is to be blessed through us as conduits of his grace. This truth and this job description for followers of Jesus cannot be overstated.

It is the nature of God to bless.  As his representatives on the earth, our nature should mirror his.  If God is the source of blessings, then as his children who desire to be like him, we too should be constant sources of blessing…even toward our enemies.  Jesus commands, “But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you” (Lk.627-28). A blessing is simply a prayer or declaration that directs the life-giving, enabling grace of God to rest on someone.

James pushes back on our propensity to speak death over others and sternly declares,  “All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water” (Ja.3:7-12).

James makes the point that both blessing and cursing should not come from the same mouth.  He treats it as something unnatural. Instead, we should be sources of fresh water that give life in every circumstance. Since the Holy Spirit is living water within us and his words are life, our words should direct that life toward others and their circumstances.  As his representatives, we are to be distributors of God’s grace on the earth through blessings we speak.

In 1 Peter 2, the apostle tells us that we are a holy and royal priesthood belonging to God.  One of the primary functions of the Levitical priesthood was to bestow God’s blessings on God’s people. The Lord told Moses, “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them: ‘The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.’ So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.” The priests directed the blessings of God toward Israel by speaking a blessing over them. God was poised and ready to bless, but he waited on his priests to declare the blessing before he released it, In short, regarding this blessing, God said, “I will do it when you have said it.”

Christ is a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek and that is the priesthood in which we serve. We serve under a better covenant, with a greater priesthood, lead by a great high priest who will never die. How much greater should the blessings be that we direct than those given by the Levites? As in many things, we partner with God.  There are those he is willing to bless but he waits on us to declare the blessing over them.  I don’t believe this is indiscriminate blessing, but blessing directed by the Holy Spirit.  Jesus is our model for living and serving and he did nothing without a prompting from the Father.

I believe a large part of our ministry as believers should be the giving of blessings.  As we go, perhaps, one of our daily prayers should be, “Lord, show me who you want to bless today and give me the very words for that blessing.”  The holiday season would be a perfect time to begin your ministry of blessing to those God wants to bless.

Clearly, not every obstacle in life is a demonic attack.  Jesus said that in this world we will have trouble.  But Paul also said that we should not be unaware of the devil’s schemes.  Here are some indicators that you or others may be under spiritual attack if these conditions are prolonged.  (Adapted from a teaching  by Jentezen Franklin as well as some additions of my own).

The devil is most effective when these conditions come on us slowly so that we begin to feel that they are arising out of natural conditions. If we were to experience these things suddenly, we would probably see it as spiritual attach.  When these things creep up on us over a period of months, we begin to think it is just our “new normal” and begin to simply live with it rather than fight it.

Indicators:

1. Your spiritual passion and desires have subsided. You find yourself without the desire to read the Word, pray, worship, attend church, or even serve in your calling without any appare reason.  You are marked by apathy and indifference and can’t seem to shake it.
2. You are experiencing a season of physical and emotional exhaustion even though you are being reasonably responsible toward your health. Maybe you are experiencing lingering illnesses that are not clearly diagnosed and for which treatments have not been affective.or that treatments have not been affective
3. You are experiencing a “lack attack” in which everything is breaking down at once or one thing right after another, unexpected expenses keep draining your accounts, unexpected job loss, etc.
4. You experience constant disruptions and distractions when you try to pray.
5. You are in a prolonged season of feeling overwhelmed by your circumstances and feelings of hopelessness are beginning to creep in.
6. Old iniquities and temptations begin to surface again that you have not had to deal with for months or years. The enemy will attack from the last place he had success in your life.
7. You find yourself pulling away from godly people in your life and feel drawn to people who aren’t committed to Jesus or old friends who are not believers. You find yourself becoming cynical and critical of the church and you are having thoughts that life before Jesus was better than life with Jesus
8. You find yourself being drawn to things of the world more than things of the kingdom…not things that are sin in themselves but sports, recreation, travel, hobbies, etc. so that those things are getting much more time and attention than the Lord.

When these things are going on you should suspect that you are under demonic attack.  When you sense an attack, take action.

• Have others stand and pray with you. See Ecc.4:12 / Lev.26:7-8 / Matt. 18:19 / James 5:16
• Remember that you have been made to outlast the storm because you stand on The Rock.
• Remember who you are in Jesus. Return to confessing your identity.
• Begin to confess victory again and speak the word of God over your life.
• Exercise your authority over demons and circumstances. Luke 10:19
• Get mad at the devil not at God. God’s plan is to bless you while the enemy comes to kill, steal, and destroy.

We are looking at the “beatitudes” of Jesus that are presented in Matthew 5, the beginning of what we call the Sermon on the Mount.  Jesus declared that a number of attitudes will bring a state of blessedness to our lives. As we reflect on the passage, we realize that these, like the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5, are attributes of God that he wants to see reflected in his children.

In Matthew 5:8, Jesus declares, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”  The word translated as pure is the Greek word katharos. It means clean, unblemished, unsoiled, and so forth.  At its root, it means unadulterated or unmixed – like !00% pure olive oil. It is comprised of a single substance with no additives.  God longs for our hearts to be unmixed and to be fully set on him.  In Psalm 119, this theme comes up over and over.

         Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart.(Ps. 119:2).

         I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. (Ps. 119:10)

         You are my portion, O Lord; … I have sought your face with all my heart. (Ps. 119:57-58).

This theme of seeking God or serving God with all of our hearts or wholeheartedlycomes up over and over in scripture.  It stands opposite the idea of serving him half-heartedly. James refers to as being double-minded and says that a “double-minded msn” should not expect an answer to prayer.  I was a minister to single adults back in the day.  It wasn’t unusual to see a guy “sort of breakup” with a girl while he pursued another woman that he thought might “be the one.”  At the same time, he didn’t exactly finish the relationship with the first girl in case this second relationship didn’t work out.  He kept the first girl on a string as his backup plan. He was double-minded or half-hearted in both relationships and usually ended up loosing both girls.

Sometimes we treat God that way. We declare our hunger and love for him while still keeping one foot planted firmly in the world in case the world offers us something we think might be better than what God can offer.  How many times do believers compromise their faith for a relationship?  They do that because they believe the relationship offers more love, happiness, and security than God. How often do believers pursue career, wealth, fame or power so that their service to God and even their family is neglected?  It’s because they believe wealth or fame or career offers more for their security and happiness than God does.  While doing that, we still proclaim our love for God as we give him only the leftovers of our time and energy.

I ran across a valuable paradigm at a conference in Chicago one time.  It was the paradigm of aspirationalvalues versus actualvalues.  Aspirational values are those we aspire to have because we know we should hold and serve those values.  Actual values are the ones we actually pursue and they show up in what we do – how we actually spend our time and money or in the ways we treat other people.  The deception is in believing that our aspirational values are our actual values when they are not.  We can convince ourselves that we are loving God with all of our heart while we offer him our leftovers or keep him as our “backup” relationship in case our romance  with the world doesn’t work out.

The psalmist is clear that we will only see God’s face when we pursue him wholeheartedly with an unmixed, undiluted, or pure heart. Our wholehearted pursuit of God is what produces an unstained heart or a morally pure heart that God also desires. If we truly want to see God, then an assessment of our priorities is in order and probably some repentance.  We need to sort out our actual values over our aspirational values and make them the same thing. If we could stand back and think about what other people would assume our highest values are, based on the way we invest our time, our money, and our emotions, what would they say?  What if we asked the people who know us best what they think we actually value most based on our behaviors, what would they say if they were brutally honest? They would probably be right and most of us could stand to make some adjustments…myself included.  Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.

The second “beatitude” that Jesus spoke in his “Sermon on the Mount” (Mt.5-7) was, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted (Mt.5:4).  If we truly reflect on this promise, it is very counterintuitive. Most of us who have mourned a loss or grieved in the midst of a tragedy have not felt blessed at all. If we equate blessedness with happiness, this verse becomes even more challenging. If we make happiness rather than blessedness the measure of God’s love, then many believers will live with a sense that God betrayed them when he didn’t give them what they thought would make them happy.  We need to consider whether there is a difference.

Blessedness is, I believe, a state of peace, tranquility, or well being that comes over us when we are in the presence of God.  It is a moment when we feel his goodness touching us and know that he is caring for us no matter how dark the season.  When Moses stood on the top of Sinai, begging God to show him his glory, God agreed to show Moses his goodness.It is almost as if God is equating his glory with his goodness. Happiness seems to be about enjoying the moment when everything is going our way, while blessedness seems to be the assurance of God’s goodness which is made up of his love, care, and faithfulness for every moment.

As a pastor I have sat with many families in the midst of tragedy and crisis.  In those dark moments, I have seen the grace of God bring peace and an assurance that the sun will shine again in the hearts of those overcome by sorrow.  It truly is a peace that passes understanding. It is supernatural and it is a state of blessedness where the presence of God promises that weeping may remain for a night but joy will come in the morning (Ps.30:5; Lam.3:22-23). It is a presence that imparts hope when everything seems hopeless. It is a light shining in the darkness. It is grace that is poured out that enables God’s people to praise in the midst of sorrow.

So, how does that relate to “blessed are those who mourn?” On one level, it seems to be a promise that when we mourn we can expect the presence of God and the blessedness that comes from his presence because he is not unaware or indifferent to our pain. Jesus displayed that divine empathy when he wept at the tomb of Lazarus. Although he knew that Lazarus would step into the sunlight in just a few moments, he sensed the pain of those around him at a deep level and he was moved to tears. He felt what they were feeling. The notion of compassion is the idea that one person genuinely feels another’s pain.  Scripture is full of promises that God is close to the brokenhearted (Ps. 34:18, 147:3; Isa. 61:1).  With his closeness comes a blessedness that can only be imparted by the Holy Spirit.

On another level, I believe Jesus is also promising a blessedness for those whose hearts are tender.  Standing opposite those who mourn are those who have hardened their hearts to avoid all pain and inconvenience.  These individuals have placed such a protective coating around their hearts that they are indifferent to those in poverty, the abused, the orphan, the refugee, or the anguish of a parent whose child is enslaved to drugs. Not only do these individuals not feel the pain of others, but neither do they feel sorrow for sin in their own lives.  There is no grief in them for their failings before God.

Jesus is our model.  He felt compassion for the lost sheep of Israel, the widow whose only son had died, the sick, the poor, the lame, and the demon possessed. He crossed Galilee to free one man from demon possession and then returned to where he had come from. Interestingly, when the wind was just right, he could probably hear the anguished screams of the Gadarene across the lake at night in Capernaum, where Jesus often stayed. Jesus may well have been saying, “Blessed are those whose hearts can still be touched by the suffering of others.” Remember, he taught us to weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice.

This beatitude may be conveying a promise that God will bless those who express the compassion of Jesus through their own hearts, actions, and even tear ducts. As they express the heart of Jesus, the presence of Jesus will produce a state of blessedness. In a world so self-focused and too busy for the needs of others, we can quickly become the religious officials who scurried by the man beaten and left to die on the Jericho road until the Samaritan arrived. In a world of Narcissism, acute busyness, and indifference, may we never lose our capacity to mourn over sin, tragedy, and loss in our own lives or in the lives of others.

For those of us who are drawn to the supernatural manifestations of the kingdom such as healing, prophecy, and deliverance, it is easy to get so focused on the power of the kingdom that we tend to neglect foundational principles. But foundational principles support everything else and if those foundations become weak, sooner or later everything else will tumble.

A few weeks ago, a group of us were in Israel overlooking the Sea of Galilee and the hillside where it is believed that Jesus delivered his message that is now called the Sermon on the Mount. It occurred to me that many of us memorized the “blessed are’s…” years ago but have since tucked those away as elementary teachings of Jesus.  And yet, it is likely that Jesus taught the things in Matthew 5,6, and 7 over and over again so that the teachings should no be seen as elementary but rather as essential.

I also suspect that many of us have tucked away the Beatitudes because they are hard and countercultural even for Christians in America who tend to still be heavily invested in the world while we sing of heaven. In those short verses from Matthew 5:2-12, Jesus declared a state of blessedness over the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, and the persecuted.

Think about it.  Do we really believe that contentment and happiness can come to us in this world as a result of being desperate or grieving?  Will our needs really be met if we refuse to make demands on others and don’t aggressively press for our rights? How many of us truly believe that if we do hunger and thirst for righteousness we will actually become joyless Pharisees who miss out on even the permitted pleasures of this life? How about being merciful and not counting the failings of others against them or demanding that those who have wronged us get what is coming to them?  How many of us even believe that it is possible to have a pure heart this side of heaven?  In a world full of violence and demanding people won’t the peacemakers be taken advantage of and run over? And what about persecution?  Can’t we pray for the destruction of our enemies so that persecution will cease? Shouldn’t we ask God to eradicate ISIS so that believers in the Middle East will no longer be put to the sword?

These are hard questions and sometimes it is easier just not to think about them.  But if these are essential teachings we cannot ignore them…even if we are healing the sick and raising the dead. Remember, in this same sermon, Jesus warned that many will recite their resume of miracles on the day of judgment and Jesus will dismiss them as people he never knew because their hearts were far from his.

But the question still remains as to whether these promises of blessedness can operate in this world or are they only promises for comfort and blessing in the world to come after being kicked around and abused in this life? As Americans, it is hard for us to willingly submit to these teachings because they go against nearly everything we have valued in our culture. Philip Yancey spoke to this when he wrote, “The owner of the Chicago Bulls gave a compact summary of the rules governing the visible world on the occasion of Michael Jordan’s (temporary) retirement. ‘He’s living the American Dream,’ said Jerry Reinsdorf. ‘The American Dream is to reach a point in your life when you don’t have to do anything that you don’t want to do and can do everything that you want to do.’ That may be the American Dream but it decidedly is not Jesus’ dream as revealed in the Beatitudes (Philip Yancey, The Jesus I Never Knew,p.114).

Because many of us share the American Dream, it is hard to take the Beatitudes seriously for life here and now. However, Jesus lived that life and changed the world.  The values and attitudes of the Beatitudes and the remainder of the Sermon on the Mount or foundational for everything else we do.  If we build great ministries without these proper foundations, the weight of those ministries will cause everything to crumble.  Because of that and because I need a refresher, I want to spend the next few blogs exploring the Beatitudes as well as other parts of the Sermon on the Mount.  I hope you will join me for this refresher course in essentials.

Since the beginning, God’s representatives on the earth – his sons and daughters – have always been given the mission of establishing a godly or heavenly culture on the earth. Jesus reaffirmed that principle when he taught us to pray, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” What we need to understand is that through Christ, the Father is now restoring us to the position he always intended his children to possess.  “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit” (2 Cor. 3:18).  As God reigns, we too have been given the authority to reign.

As believers, however, most of us do not understand the position and the authority we have been granted in Christ. We tend to see ourselves as mere men and women who differ from the unsaved only in that our sins are forgiven. The psalmist said, “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he” (Prov.23:5, KJV).  What we believe about ourselves typically defines our lives.  A positive, biblical view of ourselves and our abilities opens doors for achievement while a negative view of ourselves and our abilities sets limits on what we accomplish because we will not attempt to achieve more than we believe about our own capacities. The truth is that we walk in much more authority than we perceive and our words carry much more weight than we imagine. 

One of the enemy’s primary strategies is to convince God’s children that even though they are saved and forgiven, they are still worthless, incompetent, weak, broken, powerless and, in many ways, displeasing to their Father.  He convinces them that the wholeness, joy, competence, and glory promised to them is only available after the funeral. Spirits of accusation, condemnation,  rejection, and shame and work tirelessly to keep God’s children from walking in their true identity.

Many Christians are limited by the belief that although they are saved, they are disqualified from doing anything significant in the kingdom of God. They see themselves as prisoners rather than princes and orphans rather than royalty in the household of God.  They have no perception of themselves as highly loved and favored and sense no authority or power in their lives at all. They are literally in bondage to shame and rejection and their shattered identity keeps them from fulfilling a destiny that has already been bought and paid for by the blood of Jesus.

Since they feel that they have no standing, no power, and no authority they believe that their words have no more significance than they do. Therefore, they are typically careless with their words and certainly do not use their words and authority to bless others or resist the evil one.  Our words reveal our hearts.  Jesus said,”Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Mt.12:34). What we believe about who we are and who Jesus is determines our words to a great extent. If you are angry, bitter, insecure, wounded, fearful, feel victimized, and so forth, your words will reflect the beliefs that underlie your self-image. They will be negative, pessimistic, accusing, critical, and demeaning – towards others or yourself.

We have been redeemed to reign and our words carry great power for good or for bad.  They have prophetic power so that the words we speak will begin to create that future for us or for others. Remember the sobering words of Jesus when he said, “But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned” (Jn.12:34). Thankfully, even our words are under the blood of Christ, but the verse tells us how serious God is about our words.  If he is that serious, then we should be as well. James tells us, “With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be” (Ja.3:9-10). Make up your mind to be a blessing and to speak blessings. Ask the Holy Spirit to help.  You matter greatly and so do your words.  Direct their power wisely.

The Book of Genesis reveals God’s original intent for his creation. His intent was to endow mankind with heavenly authority by which men and women would rule the earth on their Father’s behalf. If you carefully scan the language of the first two chapters of Genesis you will see that purpose confirmed. God gave Adam, Eve, and their descendants a mandate. He commanded them not just to be fruitful and multiply but to also rule overthe earth and subdueit (Gen.1:28).  To subdue something is to take dominion or establish authority over that thing. David declared that God crowned man with glory and honor and set him to rule overall the works of His hands (Ps.8:5-6).  Mankind, as represented in Adam and Eve, was crowned so that those made in God’s image might rule over the earth.

God’s original intent, then, was to create man, give him the position of a son or a daughter of the King, and then to place “his children” on the earth to rule as their Father’s representatives.  Ancient kings often gave their grown children territory to rule as lesser kings who were still subject to “the great king.”  Even in the days of Jesus, King Herod only ruled over Judea at the pleasure of Caesar. He was granted his rulershipas “king” as long as he represented the interests of Caesar well.  When it came to actual sons and daughters, the idea was to train them to rule just as their father would rule if he were present. They were his representatives who ruled their territories with his permission and authority.  At his death, one of his heirs would then be prepared to rule the greater kingdom as his or her father would have ruled it and to finish the works and campaigns their father had begun.

Of course, our Father will never die, but he still gave Adam, Eve, and their descendants authority to rule over this planet in his name and to carry out his directives. The intent was that man, in close communion with the Father, would rule just as the Father would rule. I imagine that God spoke to Adam and Eve of such things during their evening walks in the Garden of Eden in the same way that Jesus often spoke about the Kingdom of God when he walked with his disciples.

While on this earth, Jesus perfectly represented God in his character and purposes.  In the gospel of John, we find these two quotes. “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does” (Jn.5:19),  and  “For I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it” (Jn.12:49).  These two quotes embody the idea of a representative who re-presents the one who sent him.  In essence Jesus assured us that he did and said what the Father would do and say if he were physically present on the earth.  He summed it up when he told Philip, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (Jn.14:9). Ultimately, we want to be able to say, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Son.”

Because we represent Jesus on this planet, we should speak only as he would speak in any given situation.  Even our words should be submitted to the direction the Holy Spirit.  Because our words have authority to mobilize the spiritual realm, as we speak we will be setting things in motion that will either support the purposes of God or resist the purposes of God.  We will either be aligned with Christ or with Satan.  In many cases our words will either constitute blessings or curses.

In Ephesians 4:29, Paul instructed the church to let no unwholesome talk come out of their mouths but only that which is good for building others up.  The word unwholesomemeans anything that promotes death, weakness, or decay.  If we demean, speak failure, or speak disaster over others, then we have sinned. James is clear that we should only be sources of blessing and never a source of cursing…even regarding our enemies.

A curse is any language that carries a sentiment that does not affirm, build up, or encourage another person. It is a sentiment that embodies judgment and condemnation.  John tells us that Jesus did not come into the world to condemn the world but that the world through him might be saved (John 3:16-17). Salvation imparts life. Our words must do the same in every circumstance.  So we are to discipline ourselves to make every word a blessing.  Yes…even at home behind closed doors.

I believe that we need to increase our grasp on who we are in Christ. As ambassadors or representatives of Jesus, we must be able to re-present him to the world. That is why Jesus said that those who had faith in him would not only do the works that he had been doing but even greater things, (Jn.14). For us to do what he did, we must walk in the same authority he walked in. As we walk in that authority, our words carry a great deal of weight in heaven.

Because of our authority, our words can direct the favor of heaven. That is encouraging to me. To direct the favor of heaven is to bless. When Jesus sent out the twelve and later the seventy-two, he directed them to release their peace whenever they entered a home. The idea of that was to speak the blessing of shalom over the house. Shalom is the favor and prosperity of God in all things that touch our lives. Jesus was giving them the authority to direct the blessings of heaven.

I believe such a heavenly response to our words comes when we know who we are and when we believe by faith that God honors the authority he has given us to represent him. Of course, as stewards of the blessings of heaven, our Father would want us to be intentional and Spirit-led about those we bless. As we bless, we convey life because the tongue has the power of life. How critical is our awareness of this this truth? Priests bestow the blessings of God. In our role as priests, those around us need His blessings. Our children, our spouses, our families, our church, our leaders, and so forth need God’s blessings. James reminds us that we “have not because we ask not.” Perhaps, some don’t have because we do not ask or bless on their behalf.

Blessings are part of the fiber of the Christian life because they reflect the heart of God. Priests represent God to men and so, once again, we are his representatives who are called to rule as he would rule and also to bless as he would bless. There are nearly 600 expressions of the word “bless” in the New Testament alone. And remember, we are not just to bless those we love and enjoy, but even those who would do us harm.

Paul had many enemies who would have happily killed him if given the chance. But he declared, “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse…Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord. On the contrary: ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Rom. 12:13-14:1).

Not every expression of shalom will come to rest on a person. God will determine that, not us. However, we are to be a constant source of life or blessing to those around us. If nothing else, our life giving speech in every circumstance should mark us as a unique people who also represent a God whose first impulse is always to bless. In addition, one of the great benefits of blessing even our enemies is that, like forgiveness, blessing others keeps our hearts from becoming hard, embittered, and alienated from the heart of God. Not only that, but with whatever judgment we judge, we shall be judged. If we judge others worthy of God’s blessings, those blessings will return to us as well.

Blessings come in all forms and fashions but are always expressions of good will and positive outcomes for those we bless. We are told that the kindness of God leads men to repentance so his kindness expressed through our blessings, even toward those outside of his will, can draw those men to God.

Not only should we speak blessings over others but also over ourselves. Our words release the blessings of God and we need the favor and prosperity of God in our lives as much as others do. I have a friend who lost a grown son to a tragic accident a number of years ago. As people would ask him how he was doing after his loss, he chose to reply that he was richly blessed. He just turned 96, and still lives in his own home in good health. I believe the blessing he speaks over himself several times a day has contributed to his long life and health.

The familiar passage from Proverbs declares that “the tongue has the power of life and death, and those that love it will eat its fruit.” In other words, if we love cursing others, then we will eventually taste the curses we have spoken over others. If we love to bless, we will eventually taste the blessings we have extended to others. Blessing others, then, is a great investment. May we all be sources of fresh water to those around us and, in doing so, be that much more like our Father in heaven.

The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.   James 3:6.

In his letter to believing Jews, James devoted twelve uninterrupted verses to the tongue and the evils of ungoverned words. Our words are powerful and significant. Our Father’s words created an entire universe. We are made in his image and have been given authority by Jesus himself. Our words matter and they have consequences. The phrase that caught my attention in the verse above was “it (the tongue) corrupts the whole person.” The word translated as corrupts also means stains or defiles. The idea of corruption is linked to death and decay. Our own words, then, can trigger spiritual, emotional, and even physiological processes that defile us, stain us, and sow seeds of death and decay within us.

Listen to what Caroline Leaf says about the impact that our choices and even words can have on us physiologically. “Epigenetics is essentially the pathway by which our body takes a signal from the external world (food, events, circumstances) and internal environments (thoughts) and turns them into a set of chemical, electromagnetic, and quantum instructions for our genes. Thus, through our thought and lifestyle choices we can create either a very healthy or very toxic environment around our cells” (Caroline Leaf, Think and Eat Yourself Smart, Baker Books, p.147). Words are external expressions of our thoughts and have tremendous impact on even our physiology. She goes on to say that toxic thoughts, words, food, relationships, etc. throw off our biochemistry and compromise the health of our bodies and our brains and we become much more susceptible to disease (death and decay).

In addition, other research around the world has documented the effects of words at a molecular level. Dr. Masaru Emoto, a Japanese researcher, has discovered that crystals formed in frozen water reveal changes when specific concentrated thoughts and words are directed toward them. He found that water from clear springs and water that has been exposed to loving words shows brilliant, complex, and colorful snowflake patterns. In contrast, water exposed to negative thoughts and words forms incomplete, asymmetrical patterns with dull colors. We all know the proverb that says the tongue has the power of life and death. Science is now confirming that truth as not just figurative language but literal.

Our words, coupled with faith, are the primary arsenal we possess for spiritual warfare. With words we command healing. With words we drive out demons. With words we pray and direct heaven’s power to specific situations. With their words the prophets declared the word of God over men and nations and in doing so released that word to fulfill its purpose. With words storms have been silenced and the dead have been raised.

All of that is amazing but we must also remember that words establish curses. Jesus cursed the fig tree and it died over night. Joshua declared a curse over anyone who would rebuild the walls and gates of Jericho and many years later we are told that the sons of a man who did rebuild the gates of Jericho died because of Joshua’s curse. With our careless words we can curse others and ourselves with real consequences. In his letter to believing Jews, James went on to instruct these men and women to be a people who disciplined themselves to speak only blessings over others (both friends and enemies) and over themselves.   As believers who also walk in the authority of Christ, we must do the same. It makes a difference in every dimension of our lives and the lives of those to whom we are connected. that has been exposed

This is the third part of a short series on our capacity in Christ to impart life and blessings to others through our words. I want to say again that because, as believers, we have been given authority to represent or re-present Jesus to the world, our words are much more than sentiments hoping that God will be kind to someone. Our words literally direct the power of heaven because we have been commissioned to go and do what Jesus did. Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it” (Jn.14:12-14).

Jesus modeled the life that every believer is capable of living by the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus came to reveal the Father to us. Remember when he told Philip that if anyone had seen Jesus he or she had seen the Father. That is the definition of representation. The question then is simply how did Jesus operate as a representative of the Father while he was on the earth in the flesh. We know he lived a perfect life and loved everyone. But most of his representation was accomplished through his words as he directed the power of heaven.

When he said, “Be healed,” the power of heaven was released into a person’s body and God’s will was done on earth, in that body, as it is in heaven. He released the freedom of heaven by his words when he commanded demons to “Come out!” He overcame untimely death with his words when he commanded the dead to “Come forth.” He stilled storms that were putting lives at risk when he declared, “Peace, be still.” The words of the Son of Man who was representing the Father directed the power of heaven. Jesus had been given a commission by the Father. He spoke of that commission when he said, “The Spirit of the sovereign Lord is upon be because he has anointed me to preach good news …bind up the broken hearted…set captives free” (Luke 4). Where there is an anointing there has already been an appointing or a commissioning. God doesn’t commission men and women without giving them authority and power to carry out the assignment. Jesus understood his authority and the Father’s willingness to back him up and so he fulfilled his commission, primarily through the words he spoke – prayers, declarations, and commands.

We are now the representatives of Jesus and have been given a commission to go and make disciples of all nations. Jesus has commissioned us to go and do what he did in his public ministry as the Son of Man. We too are to heal, to bless, to set free, to calm the storms of life, and so forth just as he did. Like Jesus, we will do most of that through our words as we direct the power of heaven and the presence of God into the lives and situations of others.

Now…like all things in the kingdom, our words must be accompanied by faith in order to move heaven. We should have faith in the authority of our words because of what Jesus has done for us and because the very presence of God lives in us as the Holy Spirit. Peter tells us, “Whoever speaks must do so as one speaking the very words of God” (1 Pet. 4:11). Peter’s command suggests that our words should be purposeful and intentional and that we should be aware of the authority attached to them. When we say to someone, “The Lord bless you,” we should fully expect a blessing to be released to that person because we have directed that blessing. When we say, “Be healed,” we should fully expect the power of the Spirit to be released and for healing to occur because we have directed that healing. When we command, “Come out,” we should fully expect the angels of God to enforce our command because our words direct the power of heaven.

If the tongue has the power of life and death and we are to be dispensers of life, then we can expect God to make good on our representation of his Son as we administer his grace to those we encounter. This position is, of course, a great privilege and a great responsibility. We should not be a people who are careless with words or a people who feel that our words are merely sentiments. We are to be intentional dispensers of life – God’s love and blessings – in this world and he has appointed us and anointed us to do so. When we speak, we must speak as we believe Jesus would speak in that situation and have faith that the Father will move to re-present his son through us. Have faith that he will and see what happens. Our words of faith that reproduce what Jesus did while he was on this earth bring glory to both the Son and the Father and all of heaven is poised to do just that. Speak life and expect heaven to move. Be blessed as you bless others.