Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Hope, joy, and peace are all things the devil loves to steal from us – though he doesn’t gain them for himself, he just doesn’t want us to have them. That’s why this particular benediction (spoken blessing) is an important part of spiritual warfare. And it’s such a fun part of it, too! When Paul says, “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds,” (2 Corinthians 10:4) we have trouble understanding just what those weapons are. We can grasp the idea of prayer as a weapon, but the idea of speaking blessing just doesn’t look like a weapon to us! When Jesus famously said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given me. Therefore go,” (Matthew 28:18-19) He was delegating His authority to His disciples – which includes us! Any time we are doing what He wants us to, we are operating in the authority of the Son of God! And that certainly includes speaking blessing, which directly counters the intents and purposes of the devil. We tend have corrupted the whole concept of spoken blessings by using the Latin, even when speaking English, and have made it part of liturgy, only to be done by someone with ecclesiastical authority. There are whole denominations that forbid anyone from pronouncing a benediction unless they have been ordained as a pastor! A benediction can be as simple as just saying, “Bless you,” or it can be longer and more specific, but it’s not just empty words or wishful thinking, if it’s done with any awareness of the One who is the Source of all true blessing. (James 1:17)

I recall being first aware of this specifically around 41 years ago, when Yongi Cho led a big meeting in Fukuoka. Though he was Korean, he spoke in Japanese, and I was in the booth to do simultaneous interpreting into English for the sake of non-Japanese attendees. I don’t remember the details of the message, but this point of speaking blessing stuck with me, and I actively practiced it even that day. (I think that’s why it stuck in my memory.) I do enjoy speaking and writing blessing, but I think I could well do it more actively, as an intentional form of spiritual warfare. The Lord Himself made it clear to me many years ago that He’s not pleased with many things as they are in the world right now, so speaking His will of blessing to counter the things that don’t agree with Him is active obedience! I need to ask Holy Spirit to make me aware of the opportunities He gives me to do this, as well as be careful not to come across as “holier-than-thou.” Such an impression can certainly keep someone from receiving the intended blessing! Serving God is a joy, and this is one of the most pleasant ways to do that!

Father, thank You for this reminder. I ask for wisdom in how to follow through, so that it won’t be just a nice idea, but a powerful tool in establishing Your rule and reign on this earth, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!