Here's Pastor Alan Wright with Today's Blessing: A Biblical Faith-Filled Vision. for your life. Your Jericho walls are going to tumble.
So I bless you. to keep on marching. What if the Israelites had stopped after the sixth lap? What if some naysayer had whined, this isn't working? We've been laughed at for six days now, marched around these same walls for six days.
I've had it. I wonder how often we give up one day too early. I wonder how often we quit one day before the breakthrough. Maybe the thick walls that have been blocking your progress are the kind that only come down after seven days of marching. Maybe the sweet fruit of answered prayer that you need most is the kind that comes from knocking day after day.
Maybe the breakthrough is just around the corner.
So, I bless you to keep on marching. Those walls are coming down one day, and God wants you to be there. To see it. Pastor, author, and Bible teacher Alan Wright doesn't make something and then turn around and condemn the very thing that he made. Instead he made it and out of his own holy and powerful beauty he then blesses the very creation.
That's Pastor Alan Wright. Welcome to another message of good news that will help you see your life in a whole new light. I'm Daniel Britt. Excited for you to hear the teaching today in the series, The Power to Bless, taken from Pastor Alan's book of the same title and as presented at Renolda Church in North Carolina. If you're not able to stay with us throughout the entire program, I want to make sure you know how to get our special resource right now.
It can be yours for your donation this month to Allen Wright Ministries. As you listen to today's message, go deeper as we send you today's special offer. Contact us at pastorallen.org. or call 877-544-4860. That's eight seven seven five four four.
forty eight sixty More on that later in the program. But now, let's get started with today's teaching. Here. is Alan Wright. I don't know why it came to mind.
I was thinking of uh This past summer a little moment in a store. We had gone to and I had gone to a shoe store in Greensboro because she had a coupon. And so she needed a pair of shoes, and You know. You know, when you men don't try to figure out why your wife needs another pair of shoes, she just, you know, she just needs another pair of shoes. It's like the other night.
I was watching a basketball game between two teams that I didn't care much about. And my wife walked through the room, she said, w Why are you watching that game? And I didn't understand the question. I was like, uh. It's a basketball game.
And so it's kind of like that. Why do you need that pair of shoes? It's shoes. And so anyway, we're going to get some shoes. And she definitely worked to the clearance section and got the coupon, and we came up to check out at the cash record.
And the lady that was serving us there at the cash register, the clerk that was attending, she wasn't she wasn't happy. She wasn't having a good day. She was a little rude. wasn't really looking at us like it was just a big inconvenience. And You know, honestly, that's a pet peeve of mine because I grew up working in my granddaddy's clothing store, and I was taught that the customer is king, and you put on a happy face no matter what you're feeling, and you serve them.
And she wasn't doing that, and so I was trying not to get a little irritated. And then my wife, my sweet wife, she. She spoke very kindly to this woman, happened to be an African-American lady. And uh she looked at her name tag and sh and my wife said, Well, Um that's a that's a beautiful Beautiful name. How do you pronounce your name?
I don't remember what the name is right now, and the lady said pronounced her name. And Ann said, I love that name. That's beautiful. Um And uh all of a sudden a woman picked her head up and she said, Well, Really? She said to me, I'm not sure I've ever liked it.
My mother, you know, named me this because of thus and such. And said, well, I think it's a beautiful name. And uh they They talked for uh a few moments. And um As we left, my wife just said, well, you have a blessed day. The lady said, you have a blessed day too.
And I look back over my shoulder at the way she was interacting with the next customer, it was totally different.
Now here's what you got to decide. Is that just a sweet pastor's wife having a moment where she brightens somebody's day? Or is that powerful spiritual warfare that just pushed back the darkness and won a victory in the name of Jesus? Because let me tell you about some of the layers of a one-minute conversation like that. Here's one of the layers, is that listen.
People are in pandemic, people are anxious, people are tired, and the simplest gesture of blessing. can be transformational. Let me tell you the other thing that was going on all throughout the summer, as you know. all kind of racial unrest everywhere, right? And so here's something.
Now, Ann wasn't thinking about all these nuances. I'm just saying, when you just follow the Spirit, the Spirit knows all these things. And here's the nuances to this. And part of the nuances is that different cultures have different Ideologies about naming their kids. You know, so I grew up in a white culture.
And the idea was name your kids the same basic names that everybody else has named in their mind. You know, I mean, I grew up in this culture, like, wherever you do, don't wind up with an unusual name. That somebody might make fun of.
So I'm Alan, my brother's Mark, and my other brother's David. We got about 15 s letters between all three names. There was one time in this church we had three important leaders all at the same time named David Smith. We had two deacons on the board named David Smith and our music minister David Smith.
Somebody say, who you contacted, David Smith? Which one? And uh and it's you know, it's just that's part that's part of that. But then there are other cultures and there are segments within that African-American culture. where there's a lot of creativity in the names.
Yeah. Naming is something that um is very important. And you know what? If you've ever been, could ever try to identify with a people that had in any way been disenfranchised or were not the majority and not the ones setting all the standards, you know, naming your child, that's something that nobody can do that for you.
So you get full sway on that. Be as creative as you want. Follow your own heart and that, whatever, you know. And there's a lot more depth to all of this, you know, and not just our culture, but cultures all around the world, right? People have different, in different cultures and segments and micro sets of cultures within cultures.
People name things differently. And here's what, you know, we can get real judgmental on one another: like, the way I name is better than the way you name, and you have unusual names, right? I don't, you know, all of this, you see?
So when Ann says That's a lovely name. I'm interested in your name. She's also saying that My way of naming my kids is not better than the way your mother named you. I like that name.
So she's not only affirming A person, she's affirming. a whole culture. And she's affirming when you affirm a name, you're affirming. an identity. And when you affirm an identity, you're affirming a person.
So, what I'm saying is that blessing is not just someone who is prophetically gifted, who can hear a direct word from the Lord, apply it to somebody's future without knowing that they would go through 25 hospitalizations and give them a word that you're going to walk through the fire without being scorched. That's a powerful blessing. But I'm saying it's just as powerful. If in a simple moment, You might just tell someone they have a lovely name. That's why I wrote this book.
This is the way Christians were designed to live this way. Just day in and day out. And it's powerful. I guess where I want to start is we're going to do six Six sermons on the power to bless, some of which I'll make some references to things I've written about, but. There's so much more that I didn't put in the book.
And then after Easter, We're going to have a focus time of our community groups. Putting into practice blessing. These are things we've been talking about for 25 years, but. What we're going to do is give opportunity for you to learn the craft. to talk about nuances of this.
and become Become expert in the power to bless. But I'm happy to get a few foundational weeks with you on Sunday morning. And I want to start here. that is, I think, got to be the starting place, and that's Genesis chapter 1. I cannot wrap my mind around how important Genesis chapter one is.
I feel like that I could just Stay in Genesis 1 years. Because of what it unveils about the nature of God and the nature of humanity. Genesis chapter 1, verse 1. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. and the earth was without form and void.
and darkness was over the face of the deep, And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light. And there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness.
God called the light day and the day. Darkness he called night, and there was evening, and there was morning the first day. And I'm interested. Highlight a few things here that will build the foundation of understanding what blessing is about. That's Alan Wright.
And we'll have more teaching in a moment from today's important series. This month's featured resource from Pastor Alan is the Untroubled Heart, a powerful digital bundle including audio messages and a digital study guide. With practical insight and biblical encouragement, you'll discover how to quiet anxious thoughts and rest in Christ's peace that endures. When you give today to support Alan Wright Ministries, we'll send you the Untroubled Heart digital bundle as our thanks. Call us at 877-475-845-845- Five four four.
4860. or come to our website. PastorAllen.org. The day's teaching now continues. Here once again is Alan Wright.
In the beginning, God created. This is to say that The first thing the Lord wanted us to know about His nature in the opening verse of the Bible. is that he is a creator. He is creative. That is who God is.
He's the creator of the ends of the earth. And all encouragement begins with knowing that He. made everything and therefore he's in control of everything. The prophet Isaiah Said, have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God. The creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary. His understanding is unsearchable. And so when the prophet goes on to encourage that those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength and mount up with wings as eagles, it is all rooted in this foundation that God is the Creator.
So he doesn't get tired. He's not like the creature. He's altogether different. And at verse 2, you see the Spirit of God is moving. And the earth was without form and void, and the darkness over the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God.
was hovering.
So The Holy Spirit Has a role within the triune Godhead. to bring form out of chaos. That is that what is void of its distinctiveness, is not destined to remain in that chaos. but to have the Spirit bring beauty and form to it. Just understand God creates And the spirit shapes what is being created.
And then God spoke at verse three, and God said. Let there be light, and there was light.
So Do you see the Trinity here, this mystery that God is one but three? That there's a father who initiates creation. A spirit who moves and forms and beautifies and shapes. And there's a word. that goes forth.
Mm-hmm. Told by John in John chapter 1 who that word is. In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God. He was in the beginning with God. And all things were made through him.
And without him was not anything made that was made.
So Jesus. is the word.
So all creation came through Christ. The word.
So God initiates creation because he has creative power. The Spirit moves, bringing shape, order, and beauty. As God speaks forth the word, it all comes into its being.
So this is the nature of the creative power of God. And we can understand that how God fashioned all of this is by his own imaginative. Creative instinct. Knowing for sure that what he spoke would come to pass, and that's what you call faith. Hebrews 11, 3 says it plainly, by faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God.
So, that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.
So, God used words. to create the world. And The spirit in 100% harmony with the Father's word that He spoke as bringing shape. To all of this. And so all of this.
Creative power. is immediately linked To God's blessing, because as soon as He made the first day, God said, That is good.
So here's what God does. He makes something. And then he blesses it. That's right. And he affirms it.
He doesn't make something and then turn around and condemn the very thing that he made. Instead, he made it, and out of his own holy and powerful beauty, he then blesses the very creation.
So when he comes to the pinnacle of his creation, What you see. Is that this creative instinct is still at work? But notice this: Genesis 1:26.
Now we're at the pinnacle. We're at the very highest moment of his creation. God said, let us make man in our image. This doesn't mean God's more than one. This is just proving that we have the Trinity, even in Genesis chapter 1.
After our own likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over the livestock, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. And so God created man in his own image, verse 27. In the image of God, he created him, male and female. And God blessed them.
And God said to them, Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth. And then verse jump to verse 31. And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening. And there was mourning.
The sixth day. Look, look at this, beloved, look at this. If the very first thing that we're to know about God is that He makes and blesses. The very first thing you're supposed to know about humanity, the most important thing to know about who you are, is here in Genesis 1:26. God said, Let us make man in our image after our likeness.
And this emphasis continues in verse 27: God created man in his own image, in the image of God. He created him. Male and female, he created. fundamental, the greatest fundamental of human nature. is that you are made in the image of God.
It is so hard for the sinful mind to believe this, but beloved, you are very much like God. You're not God. And you have lots of sin, and I have lots of sin. But you are made in his own image. And what this means.
Is that though human beings are not creators or gods, We are creative like God. And though all blessing originates with God, For every good and perfect gift comes down from heaven. Though all originates with God, we are authorized to bless the creation like God. God's a creator. and a blesser.
And you are also designed. To be creative, that means shaping and forming the world in collaboration with God. Imagining what can be. and having faith that it will come to pass. and then blessing and affirming God's good creation.
so that it can be released into that destiny. We are, in that sense, makers and blessers. And that's who we are. In Leigh-Ann Payne's brilliant chapter on creative power in her compelling book, The Healing Presence. She reminds us that Michelangelo commented On his greatest works, like the sculpture of Moses or his famous.
Sculpture of David. Saying. That He saw these figures in the stone clamoring to be free. and then chipped away the stone. to uncover These masterpieces.
Listen to what Leanne Payne writes about this. The artist, then, is not the creator. He is merely discoverer. and servant to the work that is already there. The work says, release me from chaos, give me my form, my shape, my being.
And listening to the work, the artist frees it to become. To be. She continues. Give to me my form, give to me my being, the soul in chaos cries out. Separate me from the darkness, the stone.
I'm here. All of me is here. Free me. And the Spirit, when we invite Him, broods over us and the situation and comes into us who are priests of Almighty God, and He does it. I see, I feel it, so much power.
Power in there. Yes. It's like when you're talking to a sales clerk at the cash register, And you might say, that's a lovely name. You have looked into a block of stone and seen a soul that is saying, Help make me, form me, free me for who I really am destined to be. And you have, as an artist, chiseled away a little bit and invited the Holy Spirit to come alongside and make that person into the very one that God has designed her to be.
That's exceedingly powerful.
So you are A collaborator with Carl. a co-laborer with Christ. You are in this with God. Doing what God does.
So let's just lay out here two radicals Countercultural foundations of all blessing. If you're going to understand anything about the power of blessing, Start with these two basic foundational truths. And this is the first. And it's completely countercultural. We are shaped by formative voices beyond us.
not our own inner voice. We, contrary to what the spirit of the age says, cannot find ourselves by looking within. We need an external voice of love. Authority discernment artistry. to see us and call us forth.
We need to have a vision. That we can see about who we are destined to be. If I only look inside myself I'll only find whatever my own sinful nature could ever find. To be. I need a revelation.
The only way you ever become a Christian. is by a light that comes into the darkness. And the only way that you're ever shaped into all that you're destined to be. is by light of revelation. and vision that gets painted in front of you.
It's why we have to help. one another to see the highest vision of our lives. Alan Wright. Today's good news message. See it to be it.
From the series The Power to Bless, also taken from Pastor Alan's book of the same title. Pastor Alan is back with us in the studio sharing his parting good news thought for the day. Stick with us. This month's featured resource from Pastor Alan is the Untroubled Heart, a powerful digital bundle including audio messages and a digital study guide. In this series, Pastor Alan unpacks Jesus' promise from John 14, 27.
I leave you peace. My peace I give you. I do not give it to you as the world does.
So don't let your hearts be troubled or afraid. With practical insight and biblical encouragement, You'll discover how to quiet anxious thoughts and rest in Christ's peace that endures. When you give today to support Allen Wright Ministries, we'll send you the Untroubled Heart digital bundle as our thanks. Call us at 877-475-845-845- Five four four. 4860.
or come to our website. PastorAl.org. Back here in the studio to share Pastor Alan's parting good news thought for the day from the series that also comes from the pages of Pastor Alan's book, The Power to Bless. And your definition of blessing, and I think it's key in this message here: the phrase, a positive Vision, a positive faith vision for someone. That's key here, right?
when you see What is a positive vision over someone because of authentic discernment? And or because of what you know of the word of God to be true for their lives, then when you proclaim that. Um You're speaking truth. It's grace and its truth, and what that does is it helps form an identity. But see, Daniel, we're learning who we are, not by looking inside ourselves and saying, oh, I'll figure out my own way.
The whole spirit of the age is like, well, don't try to tell anybody what to do or who they are. Don't let anybody tell you who you are. That is not, no, by ourselves within our own sin nature, we're not going to see our lives actually. We need people of real discernment and godly faith that can help speak that vision over lives.
So we form an identity, and then we're empowered out of that identity to live that way. And that's the power of blessing at work. Today's good news message is a listener-supported production of Alan Wright Ministries.
