Friday Fight 114: From Blessed to Blessing

Every Friday, when I wake and pray, God places something on my heart to help me fight darkness beginning in our minds. Today is FF114.

So many of us look at our lives and smile at how God has continually blessed us. Even when despair fills our lives, moving in dark clouds that skew our perspective, we still see God reveal Himself in ways we cannot explain. We can always find something good, even if we have to look a little harder. Some days we are so moved by God’s goodness that it's impossible to define outside God's divine power. So, what happens when our focus shifts, can blessings ever be a bad thing?

From Blessed to Blessing:

Preparing for this post immediately brings to mind a hymn, The Doxology, in which we sing to praise God for our blessings. Ephesians 1:3 says, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” God loves to give us the desires of our hearts and we try to be appreciative of everything we have, but there is a more important goal that we can lose sight of if we aren't careful. Without being spiritually aware and understanding the importance of praise, we can become accustomed to God's blessings and overlook essential truths. First, our blessings are not solely for us or about us. This mindset can slowly transform us from an unhealthy attitude of doing what God asks to perhaps desiring a reward. This gradually makes God's amazing grace about us instead of Him.

The most extraordinary blessing we can receive is to remain in God's presence and the gift of His Son. Through prayer, praise, and obedience, we attempt to relish in the presence of the Almighty, an unparalleled, abiding blessing. But, if we are not continually focused, we may believe that God exists to only bless us and for our betterment. My pastor preached about this last week, which remarkably confirmed this post. Second, we must be careful not to let any blessing from God block us from the ultimate gift of being in His presence. We have to remain mindful that God’s blessings should never become our idol or divert our focus; our attention must always remain on God.

A way to combat unconsciously developing a mindset that our blessings are solely for us, is to ask ourselves how we can bless others. The more time we remain in God's presence, the more our hearts are transformed. In this transformation, we move from being blessed and grateful to sharing those blessings and still grateful. Something that could become transactional (God blesses me for me) becomes transformational (God blesses me to bless others), allowing the Holy Spirit to move mightily through us.

Darkness tries to cleverly rob us of the beauty and value of God's gracious gifts by slowly shifting our focus. If we believe our blessings are only for us, we are focusing on ourselves instead of who is providing them. Over time, continually looking inward only worrying about ourselves and not concerned with the joy others may be missing.

There are endless types of blessings, but let’s look at the tangible. One of my best friends recently moved to another state. The prayers lifted, and the doors that opened made this journey to her dream home all God. Crazy details and God's moments brought continuous prayers of thanksgiving. She knew this home was a tremendous blessing, one meant to be a blessing to others. It wasn't only for her family to enjoy, but a spiritual haven for anyone God sends. She has shared this gift by opening her home to social events, long-term guests, family gatherings, or like me, to visit. When we begin denying ourselves through the blessings of answered prayer, God covers us with more gifts and we are a part of God covering others. Let's work towards aligning what God does in our lives and bringing value to the community around us. Because we are blessed, we can, and should pay the blessings forward.

Pastor Shannon

New Life Calvert