“Because Of THE BLESSING” Part 3

 “The Origin of THE BLESSING”

Genesis 1

     The word “bless” has many definitions, one of which is found in Webster’s Dictionary. To bless means to hallow, to consecrate, to invoke divine care upon or to confer prosperity upon, all of which reveal a measure of truth. But the closest definition I have found to the original Hebrew meaning is the empowerment to prosper, excel and increase in life. The word “bless”  or “blessing” has been used in numerous ways throughout history. People have sought to buy blessings, beg for blessings or even work to obtain blessings from God. And unfortunately, the Bible-based concept of “blessing” someone has been reduced to a word we say after a person sneezes or just as a nice catchy word used in passing by both Christians and non-Christians alike. But what makes this subject so relevant to us today is the fact (truth) that as  born-again believers our success, well being and prosperity are connected to our understanding and application of THE BLESSING to our lives; that is, if we intent to receive all that God has planned for us.

     The concept “to bless” is rooted in the Bible, beginning in the book of Genesis, also known as, the book of beginnings. The term is first recorded in Genesis 1:21-22 when God spoke His blessing over the animal kingdom.  

 ²¹And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

²²And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.  

With this understanding we can clearly see that the thought of blessing others was not the idea or message thought up by some prosperity preacher out to work a game on people; nor was it the theological interpretation of ecclesiastical clergymen. Quite the contrary. The thought, however, was born out of the heart, mind and mouth of God Almighty himself; for His purpose and His glory. The God who created the world and holds sovereign dominion over the heavens and the earth simply spoke His desired plan of good on all of His creation.     

     After God created the earth and blessed the animal kingdom, the Bible says that God created man in his own image (Genesis 1:26-28). 

²⁶And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.  

27So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them” (Genesis 1:26-27). And the very first words to ring in the ears and spirit of man were, “And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth” (Genesis 1:28).

          In Genesis 9:1-3, God pronounced the same blessing upon Noah and his sons that he had originally spoken into Adam’s life. But the Bible goes on to say that, like Adam, Noah and two of his sons disqualified themselves also because of sin. However, the good news for you and me is that God’s sovereign desire to bless His children is greater than our ability to mess it up. THE BLESSING works in spite of our mess-ups, and is seen in the fact that neither Adam, Noah nor his sons could cause God’s Blessing plan to be stopped or to fail. Thanks be to God for His great love towards us, amen! Thank God He never said, “I’m done with these busters.” But God moved on until he found a man who would do the one thing that he most desired; obey Him. God wants us to believe that He is a God of His WORD. That man who believed God was Abram, who later became Abraham, The Father of Faith, the father of many nations and the friend of God.

Remember, you are BLESSED!!!

Kenneth Dunlap

Evangelist

“Because of THE BLESSING” Part 2

 Genesis 26:1-3

         Welcome to this week’s edition of THE BLESSING Report. Today we will continue in our devotional series entitled, “Because of THE BLESSING.” The bible says that after the death of his wife, Sarah, Abraham continued to be fruitful in every area of his life, including producing six more sons well into his old age. WOW, what a blessing! Now in Genesis 26:1-3 we begin to see THE BLESSING working in the life of Abraham’s son, Isaac. We see Isaac, the son of promise, living during a time of great famine. And like most people, he was tempted to lean on the arm of flesh -the help of man- to resolve his problem. But there was a divine solution just waiting to explode like a ticking bomb. It was the same blessing that God had declared to Isaac’s father, Abraham.  THE BLESSING would empower Isaac to prosper just like it had for Abraham. Now let’s look a little closer at THE BLESSING at work.

         Isaac began to look at his circumstances and was considering a second option just in case things didn’t work out…I’m sure we can all relate to Isaac’s crisis. However, the God who cannot lie had already promised Abraham that his seed would be blessed; not may be blessed; not could be blessed, but shall BE BLESSED.  And though there was a famine in the land, God spoke to Isaac and gave him a “Rhema” WORD for his situation. He instructed Isaac not to go down to Egypt, but to remain in Gerar where THE BLESSING of Abraham would cause him to have a favorable outcome (prosper). The promise that God gave Isaac in Genesis 26:3 was both a reward and a reminder; “I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father.” So Isaac obeyed God and sowed, or in today’s language, planted in that land and prospered. When those around him were drying up, folding up and getting up out of Gerar, Isaac walked in THE BLESSING of Abraham. The bible says in Genesis 26:12-16 that the Lord blessed him, he became great, went forward, received a hundred times as much as he had planted, and the philistines envied him. In other words, those who pitied his past eventually envied his future. The same blessing that God promised Abraham was working in the life of his son, so much so that every time Isaac’s enemies tried to steal his wells God blessed him with another. THE BLESSING was in operation so much so that finally Isaac could say in verse 22, “…the Lord hath made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.” Isaac learned that you don’t have to fight, brown nose or toot your own horn; you just have to have faith in God, and that the same blessing will work for you today.

          Like Isaac, your circumstances don’t determine your blessing, but THE BLESSING will change your circumstances. You may be in the city, the country or some distant land, but the blessing has been programmed from heaven to release the power on earth that enables you to prosper, excel and increase. I see God performing the oath in your life; can you see it? Expect God’s pronounced blessing over your life to empower you this week. Now, whose report will you believe?

May The BLESSING be yours!           

Kenneth Dunlap

Evangelist

“Because Of THE BLESSING” Part 1

Genesis 24:1 

     Our Blessing Report this week highlights the life of Abraham as found in Genesis 24:1. By this point in Abraham’s life, he had experienced the faithfulness and goodness of the Almighty God of Heaven and Earth. The bible declares, “And Abraham was old, and well stricken in age: and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things.” The God who had spoken to him many years earlier in Genesis 12:1-3 declared him BLESSED, through what I call a blessing encounter; “And I will make of thee a great nation, 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.” Because of THE BLESSING, Abraham experienced the quality of life that God destined that he should have in the earth. Because of THE BLESSING, no matter where he went he prospered; even in times of great famine, which represents recession, downsizing and hard times, THE BLESSING of God upon his life caused him to excel, increase and prosper. Because of THE BLESSING upon his life, no matter what he did an unexplainable success seemed to always produce a winning outcome for him and his family. THE BLESSING caused him to defeat all of his enemies. THE BLESSING caused him to overcome the world’s system, which always has earthly limitations. My point in highlighting these examples in Abraham’s life is so that we can begin to see ourselves as Abraham’s seed. And because of what Jesus did on the cross, that same blessing belongs to every believer, Abraham’s seed (Galatians 3:8-14).
     THE BLESSING that empowered Abraham to prosper financially, to have children well pass the normal age for childbearing, to become the heir of the world, and to usher in the lineage which brought the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ, now belongs to all that will receive it. THE BLESSING is not dead, nor did it cease to exist after the death of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; No, a thousand times No! This is the inheritance that belongs to you and me today; NOW, and in our generation. The good news is that you don’t have to take the devils tricks or lies anymore, but that you have a covenant right to the promise made to Abraham. What God did for Abraham, He is also ready and willing to do for you. You can walk in the same blessing today. Like Abraham, we must believe that it is our covenant birthright to enjoy the quality of life that God planned for His children. I see your poverty being turned into prosperity. I see your sickness being turned into good health. I see your frustrations being turned into celebrations, in Jesus name! Now whose report will you believe?

BE BLESSED!

Kenneth Dunlap
Evangelist

THE BELIEVER’S BLESSING REPORT

 The Blessing of Abraham

“A WORD from God for those troubled by this current financial recession.”

 (Galatians 3:13-14 KJV)

13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:

14That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

          My lovely wife, Genola, and I would like to take a moment to welcome you to The Believer’s Blessing Report, a weekly devotional to aid you in your spiritual growth. The purpose of this ministry tool is to empower your faith, equip you with life-changing bible information and enable you to appropriate the blood bought covenant rights and privileges that belong to every believer who has been made the spiritual seed of Abraham through faith in  Jesus Christ. The Believer’s Blessing Report is for everyone who may be weary, frustrated or discouraged because of the current financial recession in America and throughout the nations of the earth. Always remember that there is good news contained in the WORD of God for every believer!

            The bible declares in Proverbs 10:22 that, “The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.” As I read these divine words my spirit begins to shout and leap for joy. You may ask why? And it’s because I know that this promise belongs to me…hallelujah!!! It belongs to everyone who will believe and receive it with simple childlike faith. The bible say’s, “The blessing of the LORD,” not the blessing of man, not the blessing of the democratic or republican party, not the blessing of Bank of America, not the blessing of the factory, not the blessing of any certain company or business, but “The Blessing of the LORD it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.” What a WORD!

           Our key scriptures, Galatians 3:13-14, gives peace to all who will meditate on them rather than on what is being said in the news. Whose report will you believe? I WILL BELIEVE THE REPORT OF THE LORD! You’ve got to remember who and whose you are. “And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:29). Christ became a curse for us so that The BLESSING could be restored to every believer. That’s powerful! My precious friend, the bible declares that God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34-35). And just as He called Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3 and made a covenant promise of blessing to him, if you are Christ’s, it now belongs to you. Now that’s good news! So to those of you who have been made the seed of Abraham by faith in Christ, rise up and possess The BLESSING today!      

Be BLESSED!!!

Kenneth Dunlap