Blessed! Blessed! Blessed!

Posted On August 4, 2017

The other day I was talking with a friend and we both decided we would study Ephesians 1-3.   These are such a life-giving chapters, inspired by the Holy Spirit! Paul starts out his letter to the church of Ephesus by saying, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ (Eph. 1:3, NKJV).” The words “every spiritual blessing” jumped off the page at me as I read it.

The Greek word for “blessing” is the word eulogia which means “benefit.” These spiritual blessings that Paul referred to weren’t just nice ideas.: they were realities to him that were attached to real benefits when he lived in and through them. Ultimately we live in and through them as we live in Christ, but it’s helpful to breakdown what that actually means. Paul goes on to do this for us in verses 4-19 and shares 15 different spiritual blessings we have when we live in Christ. I encourage you to take a moment and read through the entire scripture passage. Let’s look at the Spiritual Blessings Paul declares over you…

1.  Already Been Blessed (v.3)

This means it’s a done deal! You don’t have to wait for God to bless you.

2. Chosen Before the Foundation of the World (v.4)

You have already been chosen! Your life matters! Your existence isn’t an accident or by-product of natural selection. God has been thinking about your destiny before He ever said, “Let there be light.”

3. Holy and Blameless (v.4)

God already sees you as holy and blameless! You are fit to serve Him and worship Him despite your shortcomings. God enjoys you when you approach Him and He gladly moves through your life to touch others, not because of your own righteousness, but because of the righteousness of Christ that has been imputed or attributed to you.

4. In His Love (v.4)

You have already been placed in His unconditional agape love!  You cannot earn it. Today, you are unconditionally loved! Have you received this agape love?  Make the following confession today, “Jesus, I receive your unconditional love.”

5. Predestined to Adoption (v.5)

You have already been adopted into God’s family! God has predetermined to call you His own! He has selected you to be His son or daughter. He is your Father. Many times when parents adopt a child, they go through a selection process for making a decision on who they will adopt and who they won’t adopt. God already went through His decision-making process about you a long time ago and decided to adopt you as one of His children.

5. Accepted in the Beloved (v.6)

You have already been accepted in the Beloved! You are not rejected. You are not an outcast. You are not unworthy of approval. The Creator of the universe accepts you! You are pleasing to God. You might not have health in all of your relationships right now, but, in Christ there is nothing between you and God today!

6. Redemption through His Blood (v.7)

You have already been redeemed! Outside of Christ you were a slave to sin and eternal death. You couldn’t buy or earn your way out of it. The price for your freedom was the precious blood of Jesus. Jesus wasn’t a slave. Jesus was already free. Jesus paid for your freedom anyways. Hebrews 9:12 says this  redemption is eternal!

7. Forgiveness of Sins (v.7)

You have already been forgiven! In your life you have turned your back on God morally. You have consciously rebelled against His law in your heart. You have ignored His wisdom and thought yourself to be the wiser many-a-time. You are forgiven today. Wow!

8. Riches of His Wisdom & Prudence Abound To You (v.7-8)

Abound means “to have in abundance.”There is an abundant measure of wisdom & prudence flowing to your life like a river that will last from here into the never-ending depths of eternity. 1 John 2:20 says in your spirit you know all things! Start walking in the spirit and this wisdom and prudence will come out and educate your mind. You will then experience God’s life!  Your soul will then start agreeing with the spirit and God’s healing power will flow out into your body!! Let this spirit bear witness to you!

9. Made Known to You the Mystery of His Will (v.9)

He has already made known to us the mystery of His will! Whatever you’re faced with, God has revealed His solution to us. Your spirit knows all things! But we need to take some down time and study God’s Word! Psalm 46:10 says Be still and know that I am God. Show up for class!  Put your mind on the Lord! The truth is, your spirit already know the mystery of His will and He could teach you and you could understand it and draw it out!

10. Obtained An Eternal Inheritance (v.11)

You already have an inheritance!

11. Heard the Word of Truth (v.13)

God’s truth is a light in darkness. We are not without counsel. We are not left in the dark. We have heard His good news and discovered the path of life.

12. Sealed with the Holy Spirit of Promise (v.13)

You have been sealed with the Holy Spirit! The Promise of the Holy Spirit that was prophesied about by Isaiah, Ezekiel, Zechariah, Joel, John the Baptist and Jesus has been made available to you today!  You have been vacuumed packed, so to speak, with the Holy Spirit!  No impurities can enter your spirit! Ephesians 4:24 says your spirit has been created righteous and truly holy!  1 John 4:17 As Jesus is so are you in your spirit! You are complete! In your spirit mind, your anointing, wisdom, power, holy — identical to Jesus! Your spirit is sanctified and perfected forever (Hebrews 10:10,14 and 14:23)! Turn on your spirit & tune in! You will release His power!  Phil 1:6 Our faith becomes effective as we acknowledge what’s in us! It’s already there!

13. You Know the Hope of His Calling (v.18)

His calling over your life is the basket you can put all of your eggs in. It’s an anchor. It’s a rock. It will never end in vain.

14. You are the Riches of His Inheritance (v.18)

You are of great value to Jesus. As Christ brought you back to God, God gives you back to Jesus as His inheritance. You are valuable in Christ, you are the righteousness of God! You are His eternal reward that He cherishes.

15. The Exceeding Greatness of His Power (v.19-20)

Paul says the exceeding greatness of His power is toward you who believe. What kind of power of this? It is the same power that raised Christ from the dead! It is the same power that conquered sin, death and hell. This same power is present in your life today!

So I have just one question for you: Are you blessed today?