Revelations VIII

by P31

The Power of Blessing in our Tongues

"But those who rebuke the wicked will have delight,
and a good blessing will come upon them.
He who gives a right answer kisses the lips."

(Proverbs 24:25)

Bible Passage: Genesis 24

Real Life:

I was so angry and frustrated about how the exams were put together by the examiners. Right after I took the June 2007 tests, I heard myself shout a loud cry, ‘ I hate BON! I hate BON! [BON- Board of Nursing]. I screamed in my room’s bathroom to my heart’s delight since nobody could hear me anyway. It was a complicated exam! And much to my dismay, I swore to myself that BON will never succeed in their efforts in uplifting the integrity of professionalizing nurses in the country.

You have journeyed with me as I recount my REVELATIONS experiences. I recalled very vividly God’s leading for me to consecrate myself [v.10,14] before I met up with HIM in my spiritual holy mountain. [At the time of Moses, Mt. Sinai was a place irreverent to touch. The mountain was to be constituted “holy” due to the fact that God would manifest Himself to Moses and to the Israelites there. Thus, just as the ground around the burning bush was holy (Exod. 3:5), so the mountain was holy as well. This is the reason why the mountain was to be “consecrated” by placing boundaries around it (v. 23).] But then again, this is another story to tell that I will share with you in my next Revelations series].

There in the holy mountain [Mt. Sinai experience], was the word BLESSING.

We often miss the supernatural significance of this word, blessing. Sometimes we become so familiar with the concept that we lose its concrete meaning. Think about it. We often use the word "bless" in familiar speech. I hear many people say, "God Bless you!" The other day I sneezed and my 5-year-old daughter said, " Bless you!" What do we know about what it really means?

In my many years of working with Family Foundations, International, I have learned that Blessing in Greek means, “well spoken of, praised, to speak well of, to call down God’s gracious power, empower to prosper”. On the one hand, we learn the true meaning of the blessing from Jacob. Blessing in Hebrew is the word barak, "to kneel." And the word picture here describes a man who had his camel bend down on its knees so he could get on it (Genesis 24:11). In the Scriptures, when barak, "to bless," is used in association with God, it means, "to bow with bended knee to express awe and value." We're familiar with the concept of blessing when we encounter royalty. In history, and even today in countries with a royal family such as England, a person bows or curtsies to express to royalty their inherent honor and value. So when God blesses us, as He so often does, He says to you and to me, "I value you and I add value to your life."

As I took this concept from the heavenly realm, "to bless" simply means to recognize value in a person and to add value through a spoken word or a specific deed. So why did God point out to me the word, Blessing? Because it is important for me to understand that in my tongue, I have the power to speak a “blessing” or a “curse”.

In my case, I sinned for cursing BON and maligning their name, through my spoken words from my angry heart and frustration. I fully realize that I have to have a certain amount of thought life cleaned up to some degree in the Lord with the sanctifying help of the Holy Spirit, but if I can't make the next step and transmit the right words to others in my own personal dealings, then all of the sanctification that I went through to get my life cleaned up will have all been for naught.

I can either choose to learn how to speak and release positive words of blessing of love, blessing of encouragement and blessing of edification to other people, or I can choose to release negative words of condemnation, criticism, coldness and harshness.

I choose the former.

This is a very serious warning being given to us by our Lord - and how we talk and express ourselves to our children, our husband, our family and to other people in this life should never, ever be taken for granted. God has given each and everyone of us a certain amount of power with the words that we can speak out to other people - and those words can either bring life [blessing] or death to the person we are speaking to.

Here is this most solemn verse:

"But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned." (Matthew 12:36)

This is a grievous matter.

Not only will the kind of words we speak out to others in this life determine how many good friends we may end up making or how good those personal friendships will end up being, but our words are also going to be appropriately judged by the Lord Himself on our day of judgment with Him.

As for me, I may have been judged already, but God is always gracious! I know in my heart that I have been forgiven.

Prayer:
“My precious God, It’s easy for me to forget about how my tongue should operate. Thank you for teaching me to use it wisely. For whatever words come out, may it be to bless my spouse, my children, my family, and my friends. Help me to model a life that’s reflective of your Son, Jesus Christ and I pray, Lord, that I may be a blessing to those around me through the power of blessing with my tongue. In Your Name, Jesus, AMEN."