THE BLESSING OF THE LORD: CLEARING UP THE CONGFUSION !

THE BLESSING OF THE LORD: CLEARING UP THE CONGFUSION ! This is why it was so important for God to get the commandments to the children of Israel. It explains why He went to such great lengths to describe to them in detail their covenant of BLESSING and how it operates. He wanted to renew their minds because whatever they carried on the inside would eventually come out. If they carry a mindset of bondage, they'd turn even the Promised Land into a place of bondage. And that primarily is what has happened ! But if they carry within them the mindset of BLESSING, that BLESSING will create a Garden of Eden wherever they went. The same thing is true for us as New Testament believers, but we have a major advantage. We have a regenerated spirit that's been made righteous. We have available to us the mind of Christ. We have the very image of Jesus inside us. God has "BLESSED us with all spiritual BLESSING in heavenly places in Christ." (I'II talk more about that in the next few lessons). If we'll just believe what the Bible says about us and walk in the covenant of love, and this believing is with the heart man, not the head man ! THE BLESSING will produce the conditions of the Garden of Eden around us as surely as it did for the Israelites in the Promised Land. In fact, it will do even more for us than it did for them. Because we carry THE BLESSING inside was wherever we go, God can send us to the hardest, thistle-growing, demon infested place, and we can go with joy. We don't have two argue with Him about it. We don't have to complain and drag our feet. We can go in faith knowing that God is sending us they are not to live in squalor but to release THE BLESSING that's within us that dark corner of the world into a milk and honey kind of place. Oh Brother Lewis, you're not being practical. There are some places even THE BLESSING won't work." If there are, I've never seen them, and I've been to a life of places. I've seen THE BLESSING work everywhere from the wilds of Africa to the urban jungles of America. One time, Jesse Winley, one of the great faith men of the 20th century, did much of the same thing when he begin a ministry years ago in the middle of the worst part of Harlem. The area was so dangerous that one time some chain- carrying, knife wielding gang members came after him while he was preaching. They scared the congregation so much that everyone ran off except Jesse Winley. He jumped off the platform, charged the right up to those gang members and stuck his Bible out it them like a sword. When he did, the power of God fell on them and they all threw down their weapons and said, "We didn't know it was real, Brother Winley ! We didn't know it was real !" Jesse Winley ended up starting a church in that area called Soul Saving Station. Before he went home to be with THE LORD, the member of that congregation held the best jobs in the government of New York City because they'd learn to walk by faith. They used THE BLESSING of God to take dominion over that area and ended up turning that part of Harlem around. The Israelites face much the same challenge as they headed toward the Promised Land. Though it was already a good and prosperous place, it was inhabited by violent and corrupt people. If they were going to successfully occupy that land, THE BLESSING would have to be in full operation in their lives. They'd have to know what THE BLESSING will do for them and understand how to cooperate with it. The apostle Paul said, "not all men have faith" that is the faith of God that will move a mountain ! So, Godspell those things are in the form of His written WORD. He not only gave them commandments to live by, He also provided them with a detailed description of THE BLESSING so that they could imprint it on their minds and hearts. Again, the apostle Paul says it has to be in your mouth and then it gets in your heart. Because they'd became so confused while living in Egypt about the difference between good and evil, God didn't just say, "I BLESS you. Be fruitful, multiply and have dominion." He cleared up any misconceptions the Israelites might have had by telling them just what the multiplication and the menu released through THE BLESSING looks like.