“Blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ” Ephesians 1:3 (KJV).
Believers in Christ are blessed with spiritual blessings which translate into material, marital, mental and physical blessings. The blessing is not the material things we see like cars, houses, children and the tangible things we need for our comfort. These are fruits or manifestations of the blessing. In the kingdom economy, the blessing is divine empowerment to succeed or do well in life. It is the enabling grace that brings favour and goodness in life. Toiling without the blessing is so frustrating. Who God calls, he blesses. When he called Abraham, he blessed him so that he can succeed in his life assignment. This blessing distinguished Abraham from the rest of the world. “And I will make thee great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shall be a blessing” Genesis 12:2 (KJV). This blessing took failure and frustration away from Abraham and his family. By simply associating with Abraham the carrier of the blessings, Lot prospered so much that the land could not contain his flocks. God had to enlarge his coast so it can accommodate his wealth. The blessing of Abraham robbed off on him. Isaac enjoyed the Abrahamic blessing that the Philistines envied him. The blessing made him to succeed where others failed. “For he had possession of flocks, and possession of herds, and great store of servants: and the philistines envied him” Gen 26:14 (KJV).
God never intended that man succeed only by his sweat. He empowered man to do well at creation. The mandate was “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 (KJV). The frustration and toiling without much to show for it was the consequences of the fall of man. Man lost the blessing and the glory. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God”. Romans 3:23 (KJV).
Thank God, at redemption, God restored the blessing. Now in Christ Jesus, we are blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places. We are not cursed because Jesus took our curses on himself. Frustration is one of the results of curses while blessing manifests in favour.
But one may say that these blessings are spiritual while we live in a material world. Things are first spiritual before they manifest in the physical. Spiritual things are more real than the material things. The material world is a product of the spiritual realities. The invisible and intangible world rules the visible and tangible world. “By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible” Hebrews 11:3 (NKJV). Faith converts the immaterial or spiritual blessings to material blessings so they can be relevant to us in this material world. However, these blessings are not only physical things; they include peace, joy health and divine protection. This blessing is in Christ, so if any many be in Christ, he is blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places.
PRAYER: God help me to access and enjoy the blessing in Christ Jesus.
Rev. Vincent Diolu