Are You Ready To Be Blessed Series

“Are you ready to be Blessed”

“The Jabbok Experience”

Gen. 32:22-32

Are you ready to be blessed? This may seem like a rhetorical question because there isn’t anyone that doesn’t want to be blessed. If you don’t believe that just stop for a moment and listen around Christiandom. Everyone is saying the Jabez Prayer – “Lord Bless me indeed, enlarge my territory, and give me increase. However everyone, regardless how they may think, isn’t ready to be blessed. Someone may want God to bless them with 100 million dollars today, but can’t manage the 500 they get every payday yet, they are not ready for that blessing. Someone may want the big expensive Mercedes, but can’t afford to maintain the little Geo they have right now, they are not ready to be blessed. Someone else may want God to bless them with that $300,000 dollar home, yet they struggle to pay the $400.00 rent in the apartment they have right now, they are not ready to be blessed.

I used those analogies because naturally we are a sensory being. This simply means that we experience things in life and give definition to things in this life based upon the identification of those things by one or more of our senses – sight, sound, taste, smell, and touch.

We are so in-touch with the sensory nature of ourselves that we say things like

• If I can see it then I’ll believe it.

• If I can hear it then I’ll understand it

• If I can smell it then I’ll know something is being done

• If I can taste it then I’ll know it is good

• If I can touch it then I’ll know it is real

Sadly oftentimes in ones spiritual life we base the fact that we are blesses upon fleshly senses.

• Because I see the nice car in the driveway I’m blessed

• Because I feel the name-brand clothes on my back I’m blessed

• Because I can eat Lobster and Steak I’m blessed

• Because I have x amount of $$$$$$ in the bank I’m blessed

However it’s not about the car I drive, it’s not about the clothes I wear, it’s not about the money I have in the bank, but it’s about who God is and what God has done that constitutes I am blessed.

There is a travesty that is taking place in Christiandom and it is this travesty that people are spiritually destroyed. The Bible says in Hosea 4:6 “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge”. We lack the understanding of the word BLESSED. We use the term so matter of factly that it has become just a casual greeting or nice good-bye.

For example: 2 people see each-other 1 say to the other how are you, the other one replies I’m blessed after a moment or two the conversation ends like this, well have a blessed and they go their merry way. They haven’t given any thought to what they had just said. It has become part of a normal conversation.

But I’ve come to find out that the word BLESSED is more than a sensory reaction, it’s more than a bank account, it’s more than an extravagant lifestyle, and it’s more than a casual greeting.

The word BLESSED means to be equipped or endued with power to succeed.

SUCCESS is not predicated on the amount of money that you have. Success is not measured by the position or title you may obtain. Success in the Word of God is to be victorious.

VICTORIOUS is being able to overcome obstacles.

We find in our text a man by the name of Jacob, the name Jacob means surplanter or trickster. Now you know the story of Jacob how while yet in his mothers womb he and his brother Esau were at war with each-other. As Esau was coming down the birth canal Jacob grabbed the heel of Esau trying to steal the birth right. Later in life you know Jacob tricks Esau into giving up his birth right for a bowl of beans, then he tricks his father Isaac and receives Esau’s blessing. However, turn about is fair play. Jacob was tricked by Laban his father in law. Jacob worked 7 years for Rachel and was given Leah by deceit. He worked 7 more years for Rachel, then he worked 6 years for cattle, 20 years altogether. Yet in spite of himself God shows favor on Jacob and Jacob prospers financially and materialistically. Jacob begins to have increase in his wealth, he begins to have increase in his possessions, and he begins to get a lot of stuff. His brother’s in law get jealous of Jacob because of stuff that he has, Laban’s countenance is turned against Jacob simply because of stuff.