The Power of Blessing - Part 4

The Power of Blessing - Part FOUR

As we focus on the 7 Stages of Blessing, we have reached the 3rd stage, namely Birth.

At Conception (1) the question is: "Am I welcome in this world?" During Pregnancy (2) the question to be answered is: "Is there a safe place for me in the world?"  Now, at Birth (3), the question is: "Will my needs be met in this world?"

When a gentleman named Simeon blessed 8 day old Jesus in Luke 2:34, it says: "Then Simeon blessed them and said, 'This child is destined to...'" What amazing words! Every child is destined to be and to do. In fact, Mary the mother of Jesus and Mary's cousin Elizabeth had blessed Jesus while unborn in the womb. Then a couple of seniors, Simeon and Anna blessed Jesus days after his birth, speaking identity and destiny over infant Jesus.

Why? Why was Jesus blessed as an infant? Why should any newborn be blessed? At the moment a child is born, all five senses are active (unless there is a limitation) and billions of brain cells are processing information. Additionally, the unseen spirit of a baby is alive and active. Life questions continue to be reinforced: Am I welcome? Is there a safe place for me? Will my needs be met? As a child is touched and held and fed and spoken to, physical and emotional needs for belonging and acceptance are being met. These are foundational for emotional health later in life - scripture and science agree on this point!

A child is given a name or names at birth. Names are deeply bound to a person's identity. Just as Jesus' name was given to Him to life-purpose His identity and destiny as "God who saves," so to the names of newborns at birth. The gift of a name is part of blessing.

A Blessing on a Newborn may look like this:

* We bless you as you enter this world. You are our deeply loved daughter/son.

* We bless the day of your birth. May you always know that your needs will be met through God's resources.

* We bless your gender. You were created to become a wo/man according to God's design.

* We bless your birth order in the family you were given. May the timing of your arrival and the relationships with family members and friends be used by God to shape you according to God's will.

* We bless your spiritual journey. May you be spiritually protected from harm and deception and may you be surrounded by a faith community that will help you grow in deep relationship with God.

* We bless your emotional and cognitive growth as you begin to process the world around you. May your ears and eyes be guarded by those who care for you until you can make good choices.

* We bless your name. May God lead your life and may your name be suited to your identity and destiny. May God's purpose for your name be revealed and fulfilled as you grow.

The Power of Blessing - Part 3

The Power of Blessing - Part THREE

We are continuing to focus on the 7 Stages of Blessing. At Conception, the question to be answered is: "Am I welcome in this world?" During Pregnancy the question is: "Is there a safe place for me in the world?"

Mothers have the special honour of being co-creators with God as a little being - who is an eternal soul - is formed within her. The baby in it's mother's womb needs to feel that "I am in a safe place and that there are people who love me and welcome me into the world."

Psalm 139:13-16 in the Message says: "Lord You formed me in my mother's womb. Body and soul, I am marvellously made. You know me inside and out, You know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Like an open book, You watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before You." (Also see Luke 1:26-56, the story of Mary & Elizabeth and their pre-born childrens' interaction and blessing as recorded by Dr. Luke.)

A Blessing on a Pre-born Child may look like this:

* We bless your pre-born days. You are being uniquely crafted and specifically designed on purpose, with purpose, for God's purposes.

* We bless the formation of your body. God is working in secret on you while you wait to be introduced into the world (Psalm 139:13-15).

* We bless your emotional life. May you understand in your spirit and mind that God will always provide a place for you; a place of refuge on this earth from the forces that set themselves against you and a place in Heaven that Jesus has prepared for you. Your Daddy and Mommy love you. May God's perfect love displace any fears in your spirit while you wait to be born.

The Power of Blessing - Part 2

The Power of Blessing - Part TWO

Referencing Craig Hill’s SEVEN STAGES of BLESSINGS, Terry & Melissa have developed Major Life Questions that pinpoint the practical questions and answers we need at every stage of our development in order to receive the required blessings. The Blessings explored here are not material blessings per se, but rather spiritual blessings – the divine downloads we all require if we are going to experience a satisfying life journey.

We will look at the first of the seven stages here, then one after the next in each of the following posts.

1. At Conception: Am I wanted & welcome in this world?

Your life didn't begin on your 'birth day,' it began on your 'earth day,' the day you were conceived. Lies of rejection can be planted at conception. Maybe you were "not in your parents' plans" and news of "you" was met with "Oh no! I'm pregnant!"   However, God was intimately involved on that day, regardless of the circumstances of your conception. God released 'spirit' into the creative mix. Psalm 139:16 says that "all the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be." If you have ever struggled with a sense of not belonging and ever had a question about why you were born, then receive the news, which is also the truth, in the depth of your heart: "WELCOME! YOU BELONG HERE!" May these words of welcome and truth powerfully displace and erase any lies you might have believed. You are wanted & welcome in this world.

A Blessing re: the time of Conception may look like this:

* We bless the day of your conception. Welcome to this world!

* We bless your uniqueness. Out of the hundreds of millions of possible combinations from your parents' DNA, God determined that you would be you.

* We bless the timing of your arrival on earth. God wants you here for this time and for His purpose. He gave your spirit to be made alive on earth at exactly the right time.

* We bless your destiny. Before the foundation of the earth, you existed in the mind and heart of God. All the days of your life were ordained before one of them came to be (Psalm 139:16).

* We bless your home on earth and your eternal home. The same Heavenly Father Who sent your spirit to earth is waiting to welcome you to Himself one day. May your time on earth include a rich relationship with Jesus.

The Power of Blessing - Part 1

The Power of Blessing - Part ONE

There's a big difference between "you made a mistake" and "you are a mistake." Mistakes are things every human being does; mistakes are not what every human being is. However, some of us get this confused. When we make a mistake, we experience guilt. When we believe that we are a mistake, we experience shame. Guilt is about something I've done; shame is about someone I am. How do we discern what we believe?

Blessing

Terry Bone is an author who studies, writes about and speaks extensively about blessing. Terry defines a blessing as "a word, act or ceremony.. that conveys Heaven’s perspective on who we are, and when received, it speaks identity and destiny into our hearts."

• When do we receive blessing?

• Have we been sufficiently blessed?

• What if we missed blessings during critical life-stages of development?

• Can we recover missed blessings?

In a book entitled "The Ancient Paths," these life-stages are identified as: 1. Conception 2. Pregnancy 3. Birth 4. Early Childhood 5. Teen Years 6. Adulthood 7. Senior Years. It is critical that we receive blessing at these important "border crossing stages of life." They often determine a person's understanding and belief about: "Who am I?" and "Where I'm going?" Identity and Destiny.

In part II, we will talk about the 7 critical questions that must be answered at life's border crossings, and how blessing answers those questions. While waiting for that, consider this: "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ," Ephesians 1:3. For people who have a true and meaningful love relationship with Jesus, God has blessings that He not only wants us to believe, He wants us to receive. Until next time.