I want to talk to you today about The Hand of Blessing. In the Old Testament, when the father was up there in years and about to pass, he would call his children in and place his hand on their head. He would speak loving, faith-filled words over them. These words would help set the direction for their lives. It was called the blessing. It was so valuable, that when Jacob tricked his father Isaac into giving him the blessing that belonged to his older brother Esau, Esau wept. He knew he was at a disadvantage, his life would be limited. Isaac couldn’t believe it. He was so overwhelmed, he said “I have given the blessing, and I cannot take it back”.
In the Amplified version of the Bible it describes this blessing. When you see the word “Blessed”, many times in parentheses it says “Happy, fortunate, to be envied, prosperous”. Jesus said (Matthew 5:9), “Blessed are the peacemakers”, the Amplified says, “Blessed, happy, fortunate, to be envied, prosperous are the peacemakers”. This is the way you need to see yourself – blessed, happy, fortunate, to be envied, prosperous. See, the blessing doesn’t do you any good if you think you’re limited, you’ve been through too much, your family didn’t support you, you never get any good breaks. Limited thinking will lead to a limited life. A blessed mindset will lead to a blessed life. You may have obstacles that look too big, you don’t see how you can accomplish your dream, but the blessing on your life is more powerful than any force that tries to stop you. I know today I’m not looking at average people, I’m looking at blessed, happy, fortunate, to be envied, prosperous people.
Isaac went out in the middle of the famine, and planted his crops. His neighbors thought, “What’s wrong with this man? Doesn’t he know there’s no water, no way to water the crops, no way anything will grow”? I can hear them laughing, making fun. But verse 12 says, “That year Isaac’s crops were tremendous. He harvested a hundred times more than he planted, because the Lord blessed him”. Notice where the blessing came from. It wasn’t the water, the soil, the seed, it was because the Lord blessed him. God can favor you in a famine. He can prosper you in a pandemic. The circumstances don’t determine the blessing. All the circumstances may say, “You can’t have a harvest, there’s no water. You can’t get well, you saw the medical report. You can’t accomplish that dream, you don’t have the funds. Or you’ll never break the addiction, you’ve had it so long”. That would be true if you were the Philistines. The difference is: God has placed his hand a blessing on you. The blessing causes supernatural things to happen. God is not limited by your environment, by the economy, by how you were raised, by who’s not for you. He controls the universe. You may be in a famine, every thought says “You’re stuck, it’s not going to work out”. You keep doing the right thing, and your time is coming. Like with Isaac, God is going to show out in your life.
Don’t let what people have spoken over you keep you from your greatness. The enemy would love for you to live limited, not go after your dreams, not feel attractive, not think you can be successful. When those lies try to push you down, you need to close your eyes and imagine God’s hand of blessing on your head. This blessing is more powerful than what people have told you. It’s more powerful than lies the enemy whispers. The blessing on your life will override every negative voice that’s trying to hold you back. The only thing that can stop the blessing is if you believe the lies, if you think you’re limited, you can’t go further, you’re not that talented, “Everyone in my family struggles”. That may be true, but you’re the difference maker, you’re the one to defy the odds, you’re the one to set new standards. If you’ll have the right perspective, knowing that you’re blessed, you’re fortunate, you’re to be envied, you’re prosperous, then like Robert, God is going to show out in your life. He’ll take you further than you’ve ever imagined.
“Well, Joel, nobody would envy me, man, I’ve had a lot of bad breaks. I didn’t have a good childhood. I’m struggling with this addiction. My company let me go, this friend walked away”. That may be true, but that’s not how your story ends. The blessing on your life is not just going to make up for what went wrong, but it’s going to catapult you ahead. Nobody is going to know what you’ve been through. When they look at you, you’re going to be so blessed, so healthy, so happy, so generous, they’re going to be envious. Now, you have to do your part and live bless-minded. You can’t go around thinking you’re average, you’ve had too many bad breaks, letting negative comments talk you out of it. When you’re tempted to think that way, you need to close your eyes and see the hand of God’s blessing on your life.
The Book of Job, God said to Satan: “Have you seen my servant Job? There’s no one like him in all the land. He’s faithful, he has integrity, he doesn’t compromise”. Satan answers something that gives us great insight. He said (Job 1:9-10), “Why shouldn’t he serve you? You’ve always protected him, and his family, his home, his property. You’ve made him prosperous in everything he does”. He was saying, “You have this blessing on his life that keeps me from him”. And yes we will all have difficulties, we all go through tough times, but like with Job, the enemy cannot touch you without God’s permission. God is in control, not just of your life, he’s in control of your enemies.
Now, don’t cancel it out by living negative, thinking your problems are too big, you’re at a disadvantage – that would be true for ordinary people, I would believe that if you were average, but I know who you are. Like the patriarchs of old laid hands on their children and blessed them, the Most High God has placed his hand a blessing on your head. It’s a blessing that will cause you to go where you can’t go on your own, to overcome what seems too big, to accomplish dreams that look impossible. All through the day, just imagine that hand of blessing is on your head. “Father, thank you that I am blessed, I am happy, I am fortunate, I am to be envied, I am prosperous”. If you’ll do this, I believe and declare: like Isaac, you’re going to prosper in the famine. Like Paul, what was meant to harm you will have no effect. Like Robert, any negative words spoken over you are being broken. The blessing is overriding the curse. Freedom is coming, promotion is coming, healing, favor, abundance, the fullness of your destiny, in Jesus name. And if you receive it, can you say amen today? Amen.
