BLESSINGS IN THE SPIRIT

“That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man” – Ephesians 3:16

God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing – BLESSINGS in the SPIRIT – in the heavenly places in Christ. These are blessings that pertain essentially to the spirit. Our spirit is that innermost part of our being which directs our soul and body. The spirit is the part of Man that connects with God and His Spirit. This is where the most fundamental and destiny-determining decisions in life are made.

The condition of a person’s spirit will determine how he or she makes decisions. One may feel depressed, oppressed, down and out, but with a strong spirit, one would conquer such feelings. Having a strong spirit will enable you to overcome and control the oppressive circumstances of life. The reality of fallen humanity is that life may be unfair, it may seem harsh or cruel, yet you must choose to live victoriously. On the other hand, one whose spirit is weak, will end up living a defeated life, floundering, staggering, and stumbling through life; constantly complaining, grumbling, griping, and wallowing in self-pity. These are the downsides of living outside the realm of spiritual blessings.

By inference, Gods greatest blessings are spiritual: blessings that touch the human spirit – the inner man – helping one to assume control in life rather than being addicted to depression, self-condemnation, and self-pity. These are the blessings that make life worth living; that ensure the reality of the overabundant life: “I have that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly” (Jh.10:10b). As we have noted, the only way to receive spiritual blessings is to be in Christ; to be born again: “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (Jh.3:6). Spiritual blessings are of the very nature of God: they are eternal, and can be experienced both here on earth and in heaven. Perhaps why so much of the carnal and religious worlds are engrossed in seeking physical and material blessings is because they have no access to spiritual blessings.

Spiritual blessings can only be accessed by faith; they are seldom seen or touched physically. But being spiritual does not make them any less real. They are as real as any physical reality, but their existence and effect must be entered into by faith. By faith we know that Christ was raised from the dead. Now, He sits at the right hand of the Father in heaven, surrounded by heaven’s atmosphere and heaven’s blessings. He is the Lord and Possessor of all blessings. In order to experience spiritual blessings, therefore, we must be in Christ. When a person believes in Christ and becomes saved, God takes the individual’s faith and counts it as righteousness. In His sight, faith in Christ makes us like Christ. We become sons and daughters of God, as He identifies us with His Son. The weighty implication is that all the blessings that are placed upon God’s Son in heaven become available to us.

God has given us ALL the blessings that heaven ever knew, because of our relationship and association with Christ! He does not withhold a single spiritual blessing from any Christian! Appreciating and appropriating these blessings, however, is a different matter. Let's revisit Ephesians 1:13-14 by highlighting four of the spiritual blessings:

Election: we were chose in Christ before the foundation of the world (Eph.1:4). This doesn’t contradict the fact that every human being is still responsible to choose God by a conscious decision (Rom.1:18-20).

Predestination to sonship: Out of the kindness of His heart, God chose us as sons (Eph.1:5). He has given us all the privileges, responsibilities, and dignity associated with sonship.

Redemption and forgiveness: Christ bought us back from the slave market of sin, at the cost of His own life. Now Satan has no claim on us. The price has been paid in full and we are free to follow our Saviour!

Capacity to understand God’s eternal purpose: we have been given insight and revelation into God’s eternal programme (Eph.1:9-10).