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First of all, Paul said he would come to them in the blessing of the Gospel. The word "blessing" is an interesting principle and word to study out in the Bible. The simplest and most brief description of the word blessing or blessed would culminate in the phrase; "empowered to succeed," and carries with it an implication of the anointing of the Lord. And in this context, this word describes that which the Lord has provided for us, and has given to us not only for success in our eternal life (salvation), but also for success in victorious living in the here and now.
Notice Paul goes a step further and states that he knows (being fully aware) that he will be coming to them not only in the blessing, but in the fullness of the blessing! This is what caught my eye. Paul is blessing minded, knowing there is no lack in what God has purposed for His children. He's not just counting on a part that he has gained a special understanding in, no - he's gone beyond the borders of self and is expecting all that God has! He knows that whatever he encounters, the Lord has already made a provision for it. Paul has become victory minded.
The word in the Greek for "fullness" also means completion. I like that. The fullness of the blessing of the Gospel is a finished work, paid in full and completed by our Lord at the cross. It's already been given and He's not holding anything back. Ephesians 1:3 exemplifies this point; "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." Notice the tense of the highlighted verb - past tense - signifying that it's a done deal, it's already completed!
Paul has the awareness that the blessing is a major benefit of the covenant that we've entered into, which includes all that Jesus is, and all that Jesus has, and is now available for every believer to walk in and experience now. Oh, that gets me excited!!! Because of this, Paul is not lack or need minded, nor fearful of what the devil might do, or what some men might do or say, no - he's aware of what the Lord has already done and said, and equally aware of what God wants to do in the peoples lives that he is writing to!
We all, as believer's, count on the blessing of the Gospel to an extent, but let's face it - there usually is some kind of doubt or uncertainty lurking in the background. Sometimes we are even confused about a portion of the will of God.
This is why it is so important for us to establish a time everyday for us to be in the Word. It is so needful for us to have a Scripture reading plan so that we can read through the whole Bible over and over again so that we can begin to understand what the will of the Lord is for our lives. Yes, this takes discipline. But, if we will continue in it, we will become more and more "blessing" or Word minded. We will then begin to meet the struggles in this life not with a hopeless or questioning mind set, but instead with the fire of God in our eyes knowing what the Word of God says, insisting on the fullness of the blessing to manifest in our lives and in the lives of those that are around us. We will become very hard for the devil to mess with as we adopt an "I will not be denied" attitude concerning the Word. And, when you become like this, your lifestyle puts pressure on the devil, because he knows the Word works, and knows that blessing is on it's way!!!
As you go forth this month, begin to expect the fullness of the blessing of the Gospel in all that concerns you. Begin to speak it out everyday; "Thank you Lord that I am going forth in the fullness of the blessing of the Gospel of Christ (The Anointed One) today." Yes, we encounter adversity in this life, but the controlling factor should not be the adversity or the fear that it brings, but instead the mind set should be that of the victory of the Word and of the glory of God that is about to burst onto the scene because of the promises in the Word.
As you stay in the Word, it won't take too long before you will realize that the negative circumstances are under your feet and they must bow to the promises of God! Truly, through Him we are more than conquerors as we are the rightful recipients of the fullness of the blessing of the Gospel of Jesus Christ! Hallelujah!!! Be Blessed!!!
Notice Paul goes a step further and states that he knows (being fully aware) that he will be coming to them not only in the blessing, but in the fullness of the blessing! This is what caught my eye. Paul is blessing minded, knowing there is no lack in what God has purposed for His children. He's not just counting on a part that he has gained a special understanding in, no - he's gone beyond the borders of self and is expecting all that God has! He knows that whatever he encounters, the Lord has already made a provision for it. Paul has become victory minded.
The word in the Greek for "fullness" also means completion. I like that. The fullness of the blessing of the Gospel is a finished work, paid in full and completed by our Lord at the cross. It's already been given and He's not holding anything back. Ephesians 1:3 exemplifies this point; "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." Notice the tense of the highlighted verb - past tense - signifying that it's a done deal, it's already completed!
Paul has the awareness that the blessing is a major benefit of the covenant that we've entered into, which includes all that Jesus is, and all that Jesus has, and is now available for every believer to walk in and experience now. Oh, that gets me excited!!! Because of this, Paul is not lack or need minded, nor fearful of what the devil might do, or what some men might do or say, no - he's aware of what the Lord has already done and said, and equally aware of what God wants to do in the peoples lives that he is writing to!
We all, as believer's, count on the blessing of the Gospel to an extent, but let's face it - there usually is some kind of doubt or uncertainty lurking in the background. Sometimes we are even confused about a portion of the will of God.
This is why it is so important for us to establish a time everyday for us to be in the Word. It is so needful for us to have a Scripture reading plan so that we can read through the whole Bible over and over again so that we can begin to understand what the will of the Lord is for our lives. Yes, this takes discipline. But, if we will continue in it, we will become more and more "blessing" or Word minded. We will then begin to meet the struggles in this life not with a hopeless or questioning mind set, but instead with the fire of God in our eyes knowing what the Word of God says, insisting on the fullness of the blessing to manifest in our lives and in the lives of those that are around us. We will become very hard for the devil to mess with as we adopt an "I will not be denied" attitude concerning the Word. And, when you become like this, your lifestyle puts pressure on the devil, because he knows the Word works, and knows that blessing is on it's way!!!
As you go forth this month, begin to expect the fullness of the blessing of the Gospel in all that concerns you. Begin to speak it out everyday; "Thank you Lord that I am going forth in the fullness of the blessing of the Gospel of Christ (The Anointed One) today." Yes, we encounter adversity in this life, but the controlling factor should not be the adversity or the fear that it brings, but instead the mind set should be that of the victory of the Word and of the glory of God that is about to burst onto the scene because of the promises in the Word.
As you stay in the Word, it won't take too long before you will realize that the negative circumstances are under your feet and they must bow to the promises of God! Truly, through Him we are more than conquerors as we are the rightful recipients of the fullness of the blessing of the Gospel of Jesus Christ! Hallelujah!!! Be Blessed!!!