Be a Blessor

Dear Friends,

It’s called the Chinese Blessing Scam and it has recently targeted elderly Chinese victims in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Alhambra. A “spiritual healer” encounters a well-dressed older victim in a public place and “sees” that a curse of illness and impending death has been placed on the person or the person’s loved ones. The only way to “break the curse” is to have something of enormous value blessed by the “healer.” The person goes to the bank to withdraw large amounts of cash along with valuables from their safe deposit box to be “blessed” and you can guess the ultimate outcome of this scam.

Police say the elderly Chinese are easy targets because their cultural religion is composed of pagan superstitions and folk beliefs involving the worship of numerous gods and goddesses who bless or curse people. Spiritual healers are paid to “heal” people of major illnesses including diabetes and cancer by using herbs and magical talismans to break the deity’s curse. In Asian neighborhoods, scam artists have taken advantage of these folk beliefs to victimize the elderly and vulnerable.

But God’s blessings are not for sale! They are free of charge, and in fact, He loads a heap of free blessings upon us daily (Psalm 68:19 NKJ) His blessings and mercies are so vast and endless that they are renewed every morning! (Lamentations 3:22-23) And He then appoints people like you and me to be His “Blessors.” You could even say that, as Christians, that’s our job – to bless others.

It’s asking for God's favor on another person that changes us from just being blessed to being a Blessor. Invoking God's favor on another brings a renewed awareness of God into their thoughts and the reality of His presence into their lives.

  

Our spoken blessing over another, commends that person to God through our petition. We bless in the name of God because we acknowledge Him as the source of the blessing. When we say, “Bless you in the name of Jesus” we are invoking the fullness of His love and grace. When we say, “May God bless you today,” we connect that person to their Creator and open him or her up to receive all that God has for them that day. And, when we impart God’s blessings to another, we often see an immediate transformation of their countenance. They have sensed God’s presence and feel His peace.

Sometimes the simple act of blessing another brings the healing power of the Holy Spirit. We were at a woman’s boutique clothing store in Ventura when God gave me the opportunity to minister to someone working there. As I simply laid hands on and blessed the woman, her knees buckled and I caught her to keep her from falling as she stumbled backwards. She told me that she was into New Age healing but had never felt a “force” like that. I told her that she had just experienced the power of the Holy Spirit and the one true God was getting her attention.

Pronouncing a blessing over another is not just a feel good phrase. We can nonchalantly toss out our “blessings to you” as if we were saying “have a nice day.” But when our blessings are shallow and perfunctory, we miss the opportunity of truly conveying the life-changing power of God. When you thoughtfully bless others, always be specific about it if you can and if it's appropriate. Invoke God's blessings of peace, grace, comfort or strength in the name of Jesus. Blessing another, in the power of the Holy Spirit, can become a transformative, life-changing moment for them.

You are all blessed indeed. But I believe that God wants more for you. He wants you to be His partner in the blessing business. He wants you to be an authorized distributor of His blessings to others. He wants you to bless your family and your friends. God wants you to bless the strangers that He sends to you. God wants you to be the one who intersects the life of the checker at the grocery store when he’s stressed and depressed.  God wants you in the clothing store when the worker gets the call that her grandmother had a stroke and He wants you to be at the hairdressers when the stylist's son has a high fever. God wants you to speak life-transforming blessings into the lives of others. God wants you to be a Blessor!  Amen?