Different authors have defined blessing to mean different things. To some, it means to be happy or to be envied. They may be right but being blessed goes beyond being happy. Being blessed means being empowered to be exalted.

Though Joseph was a slave in the home of Portiphar, the Bible says he was blessed. You can't call that a good position, yet, he was blessed. You can't say Joseph was happy throughout the time he was in the home of Portiphar, yet, it was recorded that he was blessed. Joseph didn't know the reason he was going through so much hatred, falsehood and difficulties; he didn't understand everything but his right standing with the G.o.d of his fathers remained unshaken.

You don't have to understand G.o.d before you obey or follow Him; all you need to do is to submit to Him totally. Each step of Joseph was as if things were getting more difficult for him, but he didn't know G.o.d was getting him nearer the throne. That is why you can't use your present circ.u.mstance to determine whether G.o.d is with you or not. The only guarantee of blessing is G.o.d's involvement in your life.

The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.

Proverbs 10:22

This verse shows that riches are not equal to blessing; riches are only an appearance of blessing. It also means there are people who are rich but are not blessed and vice versa. The rich who are not in Christ can't be called blessed.

Blessed be the G.o.d and Father of our lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.

Eph 1:3

All believers are blessed with all blessing in Christ. So if we are blessed with all blessing, how come you a.s.sume that a rich unbeliever is blessed? Out of the blessing of the Lord, riches can come but it does not mean that riches are equal to blessing. The blessing of G.o.d is more than riches.

Wherever Christ is, blessing is there and no one can curse whoever is blessed of the Lord. As a child of G.o.d, G.o.d's blessing is in you already which an unG.o.dly has no guarantee of. So, you are to pity any rich man who does not know Christ.

G.o.d's blessing makes life rich, nothing we do can improve on G.o.d.

Proverbs 10:22 (MSG Bible)

It is a pity some are not enjoying life despite their numerous wealth; remember that what blessing produce is more than physical wealth. A man who is 20 million naira rich but suddenly has a health challenge that only 21 million naira can cure is 1million naira poor. Money on its own is like a bird and it can fly; that is why you should not trust it. Trust G.o.d, not money. When you trust G.o.d, money will come.

The first automobile that was made looks so ugly now because over time, it has witnessed improvement. All the things man invented have improved but nothing G.o.d made has improved. Since the day the sun or moon was made, it has never been improved on. Can anybody improve on the wind, moon or sun? No one can improve on G.o.d. The blessing of G.o.d does not need improvement just as G.o.d does not need improvement.

The blessing does not only produce riches but it also has no sorrow with it. That is a major difference between what the world has to offer and G.o.d's gift. The devil is a deceiver; in Luke 4:8, he wanted to entice Jesus with the riches of this world.

And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If thou therefore will wors.h.i.+p me, all shall be thine.

Luke 4:6-7

It is true the glory of this world had been delivered to the devil but who delivered it unto him? Is it G.o.d? Never! It would be unjust for G.o.d to give the devil power to afflict His sons. Which father will give the enemy power to afflict his own son? G.o.d initially gave the power to Adam but out of ignorance, Adam delivered the power to the serpent in the Garden of Eden. The devil thought every man has a price and he thought he could entice Jesus. This is still the same way the devil tries to entice people; especially those who want power or wealth by all means.

Power or wealth is what many people are promised in the world that makes them bow down to Lucifer, the G.o.d of this world. And they usually continue in this deception until they find out that the devil is a big liar. Thank G.o.d because though the first Adam fell, the second one did not. Jesus did not fall for the deception of the devil. If the devil knows 'it is written', you must also know 'it is written'.

You need not converse with the devil because he is a liar; he will always tell lies to keep wasting your time and keep you from knowing the truth. No wonder Jesus our Lord called him the father of all lies and that there is no truth in him; may you not fall for the lie of the enemy. Beware not to heed to the enemy of your soul thinking he means well for you. Don't serve a liar because of his promise; don't trust a liar any day. If he was a liar yesterday, you can be sure he will always be a liar any day.

The devil knows that when you are blessed and it has no sorrow, others will be attracted to your blessing. That is why the devil is keen at polluting the blessing of believers such that it won't be attractive to others. The devil is an accuser of the brethren; no wonder he accused Job before G.o.d.

And Satan answered the Lord, and said, Doth Job fear G.o.d for nought? Hast thou not made an hedge about him, and about his house...But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he has, and he will curse thee to thy face.

Job 1:9-11

Job came under attack because he opened himself to fear. But on the long run; when G.o.d turned things around for Job, his story changed. Whatever you have gone through, know that trouble will not last forever. Every trouble will expire and G.o.d will change your story in Jesus name, Amen.

In Genesis 12:2-3, Abraham was in the city of Hur when G.o.d called him. Then, there was so much sorrow in the family Abraham came from; a curse was running there. The enemy has attacked the home of Terah, the father of Abraham and he buried one of his sons in his lifetime. Also, the other two sons had no child. At 75 years old, his son, Abraham, was still living with him; that was the extent of the curse on the family of Terah.

The same way some believers come from family where things are working against them. But as a child of G.o.d, how do you stop the evil flow in your family from going further? How do you ensure your blessing is not contaminated so you can fully enjoy the blessing G.o.d has given you? Despite the attack of the enemy against the lineage of Abraham, things still changed for him. History is in the past; your future is more glorious than the past; so cheer up. No matter how hard the enemy has. .h.i.t you in the past, things are about to change for your good in Jesus name, Amen.

The father of Abraham lived for 205 years, yet, he had no good story to tell till he died. That was how bad the background of Abraham was. But how could a man, whose son would one day, become the father of many nations, face so much adversity? The reason is not far-fetched:

And Joshua said unto the people, Thus said the Lord G.o.d of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other G.o.ds.

Joshua 24:2

That was the secret of sorrow in the family of Terah...they served other G.o.ds. A man who gave birth to Abraham had sorrow because he served idols. However, Abraham fulfilled destiny because he decided not to follow the path of his father; he made a deliberate choice to follow the G.o.d of heaven and earth. He chose to be on the side of G.o.d and G.o.d also chose him as His candidate for generational blessing. G.o.d proved His faithfulness in the life of Abraham to show that when He blesses you, it is without sorrow.

And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing. And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curse thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

Gen 12:2-3

Beloved, don't expect sorrow out of your life. In the above verses, G.o.d mentioned the word 'blessing' five times. All these blessings came to Abraham because he hearkened to the commandment of the Lord to come out of his father's house and leave for a land he will be shown.

No wonder Hebrews 11:8-10 tells us the summary of the life of this man of faith called Abraham; a man who left his people behind to a land G.o.d has promised:

By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.

By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:

For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is G.o.d.

Heb 11: 8-10

And do you know that the city that Abraham left has been destroyed and ceased to exist today, but the city where G.o.d promised him, the nation of Israel is not only in existence, it is also relevant in G.o.d's plan in the last days. It is the city where G.o.d has promised we will reign with Him for a thousand years...it is a city whose builder and maker is G.o.d.

As a believer, there is no doubt you are blessed, but you need to ask yourself this important question: 'is the blessing manifesting? Are you experiencing what belongs to you through Christ? Do you have victory everywhere you go?'

Thank G.o.d because Jesus has connected us to the blessing; to the blessing that has no sorrow.

Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree: That the blessing of Abraham might come on the gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Galatians 3:13-14

The "us" in verse 13 includes you. Spiritually, Jesus carried all the penalties of sin so that we might receive the blessing; so that every opposition will becomes an advantage for us.

For you to walk in the blessing of G.o.d, you must stay close to the blessing. The farther you are from the source of the blessing, the more you open yourself to the attack of the enemy. Stay close to the blessing.

Incidentally, the unG.o.dly understands this principle. Portiphar said he knew by experience that his household had witnessed blessing because of the presence of Joseph. No wonder he made Joseph the overseer of all he had. But it is a pity the wife didn't understand this; all she saw was a handsome young man who could satisfy her devilish desire. Even Laban, the in-law of Jacob worked in this principle. He spoke to Jacob that he knew G.o.d has blessed his family because of Jacob. Hear Laban's testimony:

And Laban said unto him, I pray thee, if I have found favour in thine eyes, tarry: for I have learned by experience that the Lord has blessed me for thy sake.

Genesis 30:27

There are people that their presence makes a difference in your life; their presence may either make a positive or negative influence. When Jonah thought he could run from the presence of G.o.d, everybody in the s.h.i.+p with Jonah had trouble. They lost their wares and could have died if not that they threw Jonah to the sea. Jonah encountered all the troubles because he was running away from the source of blessing, G.o.d.

Your blessing starts when you give your life to Jesus. A man once had a revelation where he saw a banana plantation; ten banana trees in a circle and one big and fruitful banana tree in the centre of them. While the other ten trees look withered and without fruit; the one in the middle is the only one bearing fruit. One day, this man became born again and G.o.d revealed the secret of this weird banana plantation to his pastor.

G.o.d gave the pastor the understanding that the uncle this man stays with is the tree in the middle while the other ten trees are the uncle's brother, nieces and nephews. The diabolical uncle reaps every blessing due to others in the family and none of them could succeed; no matter how much they tried. But G.o.d showed this brother His mercy and judged the wicked uncle who had buried the virtue of others. And not too long, things started changing for the brother. That is the benefit of being saved. The brother would have died as n.o.body if not for divine intervention. Place priority on getting G.o.d's blessing.