EVERY SPIRITUAL BLESSING - PART 2

Beloved, we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ. They are realities attached to our salvation, and they are benefits when we live in them, by them and through them.

Reference: Ephesians 1:3 New Living Translation (NIV) "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."

Paul noted five important relevances of the reality in the above Scripture. The first is that God is praiseworthy. The second is that He has already blessed us. He is not going to bless us; He's done it. Third, he mentioned the location of the blessing (Heavenly realms), fourth, the nature of the blessing (Spiritual) and fifth, the dimension (Christ).

Paul blessed God for blessing us and this indicates that we can bless God, because every blessing belongs to God. He created everything; therefore partaking in our blessing doesn't make Him any less than God. Spiritual blessings from God are the key benefits of our salvation and they foster our relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Although God has blessed us beyond measure or more than whatever I can list today, below are a few, looking at the verses that follow Paul's statement above.

In verse 4 of the first chapter of Ephesians, Paul mentioned, "For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight." It's a blessing that God loved and chose us in Christ, even before he made the world, to be holy and without fault in his eyes. He predestined us for adoption to Himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will. In other words, He made that decision on our behalf before sin and death even entered the world.

The third blessing is the praise of God's glorious grace, which He freely gave us in the One He loves. By grace, we are accepted in the beloved. We are not striving or craving for His acceptance because He has already made us graceful or favourable in Christ, His beloved. The fourth is that in Christ, we have redemption through His blood, and the fifth, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace. Redemption is the action of regaining or gaining possession of something in exchange for payment, or clearing a debt.

God secured our freedom through His beloved Son, who gave His life as a ransom for us. The price for our sins, was fully paid by the blood of Jesus, in order to save us from eternal condemnation. In Christ, sin no longer has dominion over us (Romans 6:14), and we have become slaves to God, instead of sin. The sixth is that with all wisdom and understanding, He made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ. Remember, this is to mention but a few. The list goes on and on.

How do we access all of these blessings? The Bible says, 'When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession- to the praise of His glory.' To access all of our spiritual blessings is to walk in sync with the Holy Spirit, who is the deposit that guarantees all of these blessings and inheritance. He is the assurance that nothing can stop us from possessing our spiritual blessings from God. However, our responsibility is to align our steps with Him by faith and consistent fellowship, so we can walk in God's perfect plan, purpose and all these blessings available to us in Christ. Hallelujah!

Scripture Reading - Psalm 84:11; John 1:16; Philippians 4:19-20; James 1:17.

Guided Prayer: Heavenly Father, I thank you for choosing me before the foundation of the world to know you and to be in Christ. I'm forever grateful that my existence is not by chance or a natural accident. What a joy to know that you've been thinking of me and about my destiny before the foundations of the earth were laid. For this reason, I know that I'm of great value in Christ. Thank you for all the spiritual blessings you've bestowed on me in Christ, and I gladly comply with the Holy Spirit to access and live in them, and to be a blessing to others in my world. As your righteousness in Christ, I'm your eternal reward and through my life, you will continue to touch others and bring them to salvation, in Jesus' Name, Amen!