Blessed

Deuteronomy 28:9-10

9"The Lord will establish you as a holy people to Himself, just as He has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the Lord your God and walk in His ways. 10Then all the peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they shall be afraid of you.


One of my favorite songs by the famed gospel singer, Fred Hammond is called "Blessed". The chorus of the song says,

"We're blessed in the city
We're blessed in the field
We're blessed when we come and when we go"

The song is based on Deuteronomy 28. The Lord offered up these words through His prophet Moses to the people of Israel. The Lord told the people of Israel that they would be blessed as He promised if they kept His commandments. Not only would they be blessed but their children, the work of their hands and everything under their possession. The purpose of blessing them would be not only for their obedience, but also so the name of the Lord would be glorified. And because they were to be called by the name of the Lord, all others would walk in fear of them.

According to Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, to bless can be defined as 1) to consecrate, 2) to sanctify with the sign of the cross, 3) to invoke divine care for, 4) Praise, glorify, 5) to confer happiness upon. So to be blessed means that you are divinely cared for and happiness is upon you and that what you are doing will give Him praise.

Now the Word of God is the same yesterday as it is today. As said by Jesus himself, He did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill the law. He is "the living word". Therefore the Word is still valid in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. So you too can be "blessed" as well as your offspring and everything you touch. Yes, you are already blessed because you woke up this morning and can take a breath. But to walk in the blessings the Lord spoke of through Moses means you are willing to be obedient to God. You are willing to do what He has called you to do no matter who does or doesn't like it, no matter what naysayers are before you. Your main concern is what the Lord your God says for you to do and you go forth in it. When you do, He surely will bless all that He says for you to do because you are doing it in His name and He must be glorified. He will not let His name be put to shame. So if you are acting as His agent and you do as He said, He will make your name great and that of your offspring for His sake. Yes parents, this is a good portion of the inheritance you are to leave to your children as stated in Proverbs. The inheritance of blessings you leave them starts with your obedience to the Lord.

P.S. If you have a Facebook account, WE NEED YOUR HELP!! The documentary film you saw last week that i was just in that features other overcomers which was written & directed by Ratliff Events has just been entered into a film contest!! We need your help to vote!! And Spread the word by going to http://m.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fbit.ly%2F17RQhh8&h=vAQFLeX8P&s=1

Are You a Part of the 91 Percent?

Good Morning Everyone,

No, this is not a typical message. But then does God have a typical message? I shared this message with some yesterday individually but God has laid on my heart to share with everyone what God is doing in the lives of the three people featured in the link below. It is a short 20 minute documentary but is very powerful. Please share with everyone God lays on your heart to share. Both men and women can benefit. I BLESS GOD for all of you and your faithfulness.

http://us6.campaign-archive1.com/?u=e6a588829f3e6a02acec19055&id=d87ec902ec&e=22988da9d0

What About Rachel's Pain?

Genesis 29:27

27Fulfill her week, and we will give you this one also for the service which you will serve with me still another seven years.

I always know when there will be deliverance with a message because the enemy gets mad and starts creating technological havoc. But surely I say to you...deliverance is here in the name of Jesus!! God has been giving me direct downloads in the middle of the night about this message that He told me would be done today.

God showed me some things about Rachel in a way that I had not expected. Rachel felt slighted because her promise was delayed due to someone else's deceit. In this scripture it is due to her father, Laban. But what Rachel failed to understand was that though she was second in number she was still first. Leah was given to Jacob due to trickery on his wedding night which he was supposed to celebrate with Rachel. Rachel spent her years with Jacob full of anger and jealousy over the fact that Leah stole what was hers and then had children. But Rachel missed the blessing. She was so busy focusing on what didn't happen when had she tuned into God, she would've seen what did happen. The enemy likes to get us so distracted that we miss the blessing so that we won't give God glory. This is a two part blessing.

1. Rachel might have been second in number but she was seen first by Jacob. He fell in love with Rachel and she was first in his heart.
2. Jacob could have settled for Leah and let it go at that but his love for Rachel was so strong that he had to go back for her.

No matter what Leah did and no matter how many babies Leah had, Rachel had the real prize, Jacob's heart. Having Jacob's heirs were important in custom but it is very hard to capture a man's heart. By Rachel having Jacob's heart he wanted to please her. Leah didn't have Jacob's heart so she was the one attempting to please and appease Jacob. Leah had Jacob's body. I will say again what a dear male friend said to me, "just because a man sleeps with you doesn't mean he loves you."  Men can unfortunately disassociate themselves from their emotions to the point that sex is just an act whereas women often become emotionally attached through the act. And for Leah this was true. Leah had to pretend to be Rachel and have the sex in order to grab Jacob's attention. All Rachel did was be herself and he fell in love with her and was willing to wait for her. Sex was preserved until after the wedding ceremony/festivity to consumate and make the marriage official. But what really makes a marriage official in God's eyes is love and devotion because HE is love. Rachel despised Leah and her children though none of that really mattered. Rachel had the real and true marriage.  Rachel's years ended early but they could've been spent with a brighter outlook because she had the heart of the man she loved.

To every Rachel, do not see yourself as second but know that you are first. To every Leah, no amount of  children can change what is in a man's heart when it is ordained by God. And to every Laban, forcing or manipulating a situation that was not to be only causes more problems. The chains have been broken.

P.S. FOR WOMEN ONLY!! I will be one of three featured guest speakers on Saturday, August 17th at 5:30pm for the Summer Social Event hosted by Ratliff Events & Lifestyle Experts! Go to www.ratliffevents.com to register!