Daily Blessing Compilation #19

Pastor, author, and Bible teacher, Alan Wright.

I'm Daniel Britt. Excited to be in the studio today with Pastor Alan and departing from our normal teaching pulpit ministry to just talk about the power of blessing and Pastor Alan, we're so excited about a brand new book that you have out. This is an important time in the life of our country.

It's an important time. In the life of this ministry, but even just as believers combating the darkness combating where the world is showing up with curses. We counter that with blessing. Well, the world is just full of curses and it's all around us. We hear it. Listen, you don't have to go far either.

Just pull in front of somebody in traffic. You'll find out what the spirit of the age wants to do was immediately assign a negative forecast to your life, right? So really, a curse is a sense of saying your identity is flawed. Your future is flawed.

Bad thing is going to happen and it's probably going to get worse. Well, what is blessing? Blessing is God's way of empowering us by a positive identity rooted in his promises that release us into our destiny. Daniel, I just want you know, I'm excited about it, so I don't want to overstate things, but I think this is not just the most important book I've ever written. The power to bless how to speak life and empower the people you love from Baker books. I don't think it's just the most important book I've written.

I think it's just the most important book I've ever written. That God is going to use because there's not that much written about blessing, right? We know about prayer. A lot's written about prayer, where we talk to God. There's a lot of Bible teaching, which of course we do every weekday. written about blessing. We know about prayer. A lot is written about prayer where we talk to God.

There's a lot of Bible teaching, which of course we do every weekday. But blessing is where you speak to another person and you proclaim a positive vision over their life. And when you do, something of mystical power takes place. The whole book, Power of Bless, is rooted in an ancient blessing from Israel. But it takes that blessing and shows how all blessing contains these gifts within it. That it is a proclamation of acceptance, therefore security. That it's a proclamation of the past is over, so you're moving forward in the future. It's a proclamation.

It's an affirmation of fruitfulness and ultimately favor on one's life. So excited about the book and talk about the power of blessing and maybe give me a chance to speak some blessing to our listeners. 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's an audio album of Pastor Alan's teaching series, The Body You've Always Wanted.

It's available to you in physical CD album or a digital download. Your choice. And 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. That's pastorallen.org or call 877-544-4860.

That's 877-544-4860. Sitting today with Pastor Alan in the studio and as we are unpacking principles from this new book by Pastor Alan, The Power to Blessing. Working with this ministry for as long as I have one thing that I know Pastor Alan, you're careful to do during your normal teaching and proclamation of the gospel is one, putting God in a box and creating a formula out of the Lord. But when you talk about creating a blessing, I like how you put the cookies on the bottom shelf and you say, you know, the blessing itself, there is a strategic way to speak a blessing.

And so it's quite different and you make no bones about saying there is a template. There is a step-by-step way of learning to speak or write or communicate a blessing. There is. So if you think, Daniel, of someone that you love and I'd like to invite the listeners, just think of someone you love right now and you would like to see their life flourish and grow and change. Maybe it's someone that's going through a difficult time. Maybe there's something that you really like to see them be able to change that needs to change in their character. There is a terrible sinful tendency to want to simply point out the negative. So a parent gets frustrated with the child who is not studying. And the temptation with a parent is to either just flat out speak curse, well, you're just never going to amount to anything because you're not, you're too lazy. Or to just come across moralistically, like unless you start studying more, you're just not going to, you know. But what blessing does is altogether different.

It's God's way. Blessing says to a student that's not studying, God's given you an excellent brain. You have an important destiny. God wants to use you to make a difference in the world. I believe that you can excel in your academics. I know you have a contribution to make with that wonderful mind of yours.

You can grow, you can learn. You see all of that is blessing statement. And I know listeners, even as you hear those words coming out of my mouth, you go, oh yeah, what does that do? It connects to something spiritually. And I think some of this is mystical, but some of it is just flat. This is the way God designed us.

We rise up to live out of an identity and that identity is getting spoken to us. So when we bless someone for a new year and a new you, what we're saying is that you can have new spiritual eyes. You can live in the grace of God. Blessing in many ways, Daniel, is to say when you really want good for someone, I think any parent, any spouse, anybody that's had a great friend, you just love somebody and you want the very best for them. You almost have this feeling like I wish I could just take it and just deposit this good intention in them. Blessing is the thing that God's given us to do that.

It's an actual expression of your goodwill towards someone else and God uses it. So the power to bless walks people right through it step by step. The power of blessing can help us focus on the new rather than the old. You've got another blessing about newness, right?

The one rooted in the prophecy of Isaiah. Yesterday, with its joys and sorrows, is over. Tomorrow, with its hopes and challenges, is yet to exist. But today, right here, right now, God's grace blooms before your very eyes. This is what the Lord says through Isaiah. Forget the former things.

Do not dwell on the past. See? I'm doing a new thing.

Now it springs up. Led by the Spirit, you can become mindful of every blessing and savor the textures and flavors of God's grace, each moment, in the moment, today, and always. So what drew you to this Isaiah text when you were crafting this particular blessing? Well, similar to the blessing we started the day with, I'm drawn to this beautiful prophetic image because of the invitation to forget the former things and to focus on what's happening right now. In modern psychology this is called mindfulness.

But mindfulness is not the product of modern psychology and is certainly not the product of Zen Buddhism. This is God's deal. Right from the beginning God was the one who invited us to learn to live in the moment and live in the day. And Jesus is the one who said, don't be anxious for tomorrow. Tomorrow is going to have plenty of anxiety for itself. But consider today the lilies of the field.

Look at the birds of the air. In other words, the idea of living one day at a time is God's big idea. So what it means to be mindful is to savor what's happening now.

It means to be fully engaged in that moment. And I think that's one of the blessings I just want to give to the listeners is that you learn to savor moment by moment. I think one of the things that happened to us in pandemic, we had so much of postponing of life. And we're still in it where it's like we just keep thinking, well, I'll just put my life on hold until it's over. And there's nothing to savor in the middle of such hardship.

Well, that's not true. Every moment, every little act of grace, every sunrise, every snowflake, every day there's something of God's grace there. There are conversations. There are moments of insight. There's revelation.

There are so many things to savor. And I just am blessing our listeners that they can be led by the Holy Spirit and really become mindful of each of those blessings. I think that's what it means to be alive with newness is His mercy is new every morning. So I'm going to be expectant that I'm going to see something new today.

It's time to quit talking so much about the past. It's time to quit focusing all the wounds from yesterday and to focus in on savoring the actual blessings of God. And so you can become a connoisseur of God's grace. You can become an expert in sensing His goodness.

You can become like someone who is a master interpreter of art who looks at a masterpiece in a different way. I think that's what we're invited to be as children of grace. Just become aware of His grace everywhere. Savor it. Become mindful of it in the moment, every moment, all the time. Feel the textures and flavors of God's grace. That's what it means to save her.

That's Alan Wright, and we'll have more teaching in a moment from today's important series. Discover the body you've always wanted. A spiritual resurrected body. Be assured that God isn't going to scrap you or the world. He'll make all things new. Overcome the gnawing anxiety about the end of your life. You can have peace now. Pastor Alan Wright's hope filled messages will lead you into more than a joyous revelation of heaven. According to the scriptures, they'll lead you into a bounding hope. So please help us stay on the radio in your area by making a generous gift today and we'll be happy to send you the body you've always wanted.

The CD album, that is. When you make your gift to Alan Wright Ministries today, we'll send you Pastor Alan's messages in an attractive CD album or through digital download as our way of saying thanks for your partnership. We are happy to send this to you as our thanks from Alan Wright Ministries. Call us at 877-544-4860.

That's 877-544-4860. Or come to our website, PastorAlan.org. Receive Pastor Alan's daily blessing in your email box.

It's free when you sign up at PastorAlan.org. And Pastor Alan, why is it so important to speak blessing every single day? The world around us, Daniel, is full of all kind of curse statements that tell us what we can't be, full of all kind of moralistic statements that tell us what we ought to be. But what we really need is a statement spoken over our lives about who we can be and who we really are. You think about the difference between someone saying, hey, Christian, you ought to be more full of faith or you ought to be more brave versus a blessing that comes from God's word and says he is the author and finisher of your faith. And as you look to him, your life is going to be filled with faith and you have been made into more than a conqueror through him. You see the difference, Daniel. One is an exhortation of what you ought to be, and it just leaves you empty. But the other is a blessing statement, a positive vision spoken in faith in accord with God's word over your life. And I'm I just have a deep passion for this, Daniel. I want everyone to be able to receive blessing.

It's not something you like get once in your life. It's something you need every day. And so it's such an honor and a privilege to send this to tens of thousands of people. And I want all of our listeners to be sure and get is absolutely free.

It comes to you. You can start your day with it or pillow your head at night and let the power of blessing be the fuel for your joy and productivity and peace. It's available in many formats, email, podcast on social media, video, and in written form. You can get it at pastorallen.org.

Connect to all those places, pastorallen.org to receive your daily blessing. In the studio today with Pastor Alan, as we head into the weekend with blessing, with blessing for you, the power to bless one of the, if not the most important book. And I got to say, as I've talked to a lot of creative people in my life, musicians, artists, authors, most of them will always say that their latest project, their latest creation is the best and most important. But to be honest, this one really is because it is so vastly different than anything else your work has put out. Well, I'll tell you the power to bless.

The book itself is, it's a big idea book. The big idea of the Bible is about blessing. I mean, if you think about it, in the beginning, God blessed Adam and Eve and then said, be fruitful and multiply. He came to a man named Abram and he said, I'm blessing you so that you will be a blessing. The Hebrew patriarchs learned to bless their children. They blessed their grandsons. They blessed their granddaughters. Blessing was what caused the prosperity of the people, the favor of God to move forward until we come to Jesus.

And when he is starting his ministry, he's baptized. The father blessed him and said, this is my son in whom I'm well pleased. Jesus called the little children and blessed them. People just wanted Jesus to bless their children. And we're told by Jesus and by Paul, we're supposed to bless even our enemies. And the last thing that Jesus did while he was on earth, he lifted his hands.

And before he ascended to heaven, he blessed his disciples. So Daniel, this is the story of the Bible. And yet it's not talked about that much. It's not talked about what blessing really is and how powerful it is. And here's the important thing and why this book is so important. It not only tells a beautiful story of blessing in the Bible, how I came to understand it and essentials of blessing that will just nourish. And I think, Daniel, I just think it's going to bless the socks off the readers to hear stories of how God's blessing has been at work.

But then it becomes very practical and teaches anyone. You don't have to be a poet. You don't have to be a Bible scholar. Any parent, any teacher, any friend, any coworker, anyone can learn to bless.

And the book teaches you how. So, Pastor Alan, we have time today for one more blessing. This one's from Psalm 46.

Powerful words of encouragement right here. Let's speak this blessing to listeners. Though the nation's rage and kingdoms totter, God is your refuge and strength. He's your help amidst the troubles. Even if the earth should give way and the mountains fall into the sea, you need not fear. There's a river whose streams make glad the city of God, and you are welcomed to its banks.

To drink, to be immersed, to splash about for joy. The Lord of hosts is with you in the morning, at noontime, in the evening. He watches over you as you sleep. So I bless you today to be still and know that he's God. No matter the turmoil and politics, the Lord is your God. No matter the troubles of pandemic, the Lord is your God. Amidst the brazen voices of fear, I envision your heart being filled today with calm. Amidst the clamor, may you have moments of profound, inward, quiet today. In Christ, you've been given peace that the world doesn't have. If you think heaven is a misty place where you float around on clouds and pluck angelic harps, you're in for the surprise of your life. Our special product this month is all about the hope of heaven.

It's our gift to you when you support this month. Alan's CD album invites you to discover the body you've always wanted, a spiritual resurrected body. Be assured that God isn't going to scrap you or the world. He'll make all things new. Overcome the gnawing anxiety about the end of your life. You can have peace now. Pastor Alan Wright's hope-filled messages will lead you into more than a joyous revelation of heaven.

According to the scriptures, they'll lead you into a bounding hope. So please help us stay on the radio in your area by making a generous gift today, and we'll be happy to send you the body you've always wanted, the CD album that is. When you make your gift to Alan Wright Ministries today, we'll send you Pastor Alan's messages in an attractive CD album or through digital download as our way of saying thanks for your partnership. We are happy to send this to you as our thanks from Alan Wright Ministries. Call us at 877-544-4860.

That's 877-544-4860. Or come to our website, PastorAlan.org. Pastor Alan, the author of The Power to Bless, and long after the book has been written, Pastor Alan, you still devote time every day to write a short blessing for all of us.

Why is that so important to you? We need blessing like we need air. We live in a world that doesn't bless, Daniel. We live in a world that curses, that tells us what we can't be and tells us what we ought to be just moralistically.

That's what dead religion does. But what we need is to be, well, like Adam and Eve, whom God spoke to, blessed them, and then said, be fruitful and multiply. We need to receive an affirmation of who we are in Christ and what we can be in this positive vision of our future that's all rooted in God's Word. We raised our kids under the sound of blessing. I speak blessing over our congregation all the time. And now, through the daily blessing, it's available for anyone anywhere to receive this.

It's totally free. And I really, I think, tune my heart to the Holy Spirit, tune my heart to what God might be saying through His Word for that day. And just this blessing, it takes a minute to take it in.

And yet it can change your day, it can change your life. Start your day with it or pillow your head at night, but let your life be fueled by the power of blessing. It's available in your email inbox daily as a written form, as a video, as an audio podcast. You can get that at pastorallen.org. Again, via email, social media, on YouTube. It's available in many different areas at pastorallen.org.

Find one that's convenient for you. You've made a shift in your daily devotionals every day, not only has a devotional insight, but it also contains a blessing for the day. And by the way, these daily devotionals are at pastorallen.org online, and you too can sign up for those free of charge, pastorallen.org. So Allen, why is it so important to start our day with blessing? And a lot of people, Daniel, think that the way that it works is that I go out and I prove myself, so then people will accept me and then they'll bless me. And that's the way a lot of the world does. Even parents, they'll withhold their blessing, dangle it like a carrot.

Like, this is the way I'm gonna get my child to try harder. Employers do it, teachers do it, coaches do it, but God doesn't. What God does is he'll come to someone like Gideon who is afraid, shaking in his sandals, literally in the wine press for fear of the Midianites, and God comes to him and says, hail, mighty man of valor. Well, he hadn't proven to be a man of valor yet, but that's how God saw him.

Or Jesus might go to Simon, who was shifty and unreliable, and say, I'm calling you Peter, you're a rock. See, that's a blessing. And when you bless and you receive blessing, what happens is you adopt a new identity. And that identity then becomes the means by which you determine how you're gonna live, how you're gonna think, and how you're gonna feel. So if you feel, in a sense, that you are on the winning team, you're much more likely to win.

If you feel like you're on the losing team, you're much more likely to give up. So God's word, accompanied by statements of faith that people speak over your life, will empower you for the day. That's why every day we issue forth a blessing. And you can get it in its devotional form, written, or video. And we also have a blessing podcast now. If you just want to start, why not take one minute every day, just subscribe to the podcast, and just let me speak a blessing from the scripture, from my heart to my soul, from my heart to yours, and just speak it into your life. And, Daniel, this is why we just want people to get the book, because fill your heart with blessing.

This is the way you're gonna live an empowered and transformed life. It's not by law, it's not by moralism, and it's certainly not by curse. It's by the blessing of God. Daniel, thank you so much. The delight of my heart to talk about how God has made us to be able to receive and give blessing.

Anyone can find the power to bless. Thanks for listening today. Visit us online at pastorallen.org or call 877-544-4860.

That's 877-544-4860. If you only caught part of today's teaching, not only can you listen again online, but also get a daily email devotional that matches today's teaching, delivered right to your email inbox, free. Find out more about these and other resources at pastorallen.org. That's pastorallen.org. Today's good news message is a listener supported production of Allen Wright Ministries.