Contributor: Isekhua Evborokhai

INTRODUCTION
Throughout this year, we will be studying various topics under the theme: “A Closer Walk with God”. To walk with God is to continuously have an awareness of His presence. There are numerous benefits that await those who walk with God and in today’s study we shall be considering one of them. The Blessings of God. Today’s study is in three parts. The first part will look at The Blessed Man, the second will consider The Benefits of the Godly, and the third, The Woes of the Ungodly.

PART 1: THE BLESSED MAN (VERSES 1-2)

The word Blessing is from the Hebrew root word Barak which means “to bless”, “to invoke divine favour”, “to empower”, “to prosper”, or “to make successful”. To be blessed means to be “empowered for success.” In Genesis 1:28, we see this empowerment accompanying the blessing God declared.Although man lost this blessing, but by Christ, every believer now has access to the power and wisdom that will override the curse through faith in The Blessing of the Lord. Finally, to be blessed is to be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Ephesians 3:17-19 “And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord's holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”

Characteristics of the Blessed Man

Verses 1-2 of this Psalm lists the characteristics of the blessed man. And these characteristics are divided into 2 main sections. Separation and Occupation. Separation

• He Does not Walk in the Counsel of the Ungodly. He does not take advice or live his life based on the opinion and recommendation of the world systems. The ungodly “warn” against being too strict and extreme, to be broad-minded and to "make the best of both worlds". But they have no "fear of God" before their eye and are driven by self-will and self-pleasing, and dominated by what they call "common sense". 1 Kings 12:8 tells us that Rehoboam took on bad/ungodly counsel that ended up splitting the nation of Israel.
• He Does not Stand in the Way of Sinners. He does not fellowship/hangout orassociate with sinners. His best friends are not unbelievers. Evil communicationcorrupts good manners. (1 Corinthians 15:33)
• He Does not Sit in the Seat of the Scornful. To not sit in the seat of the scornful,means that the blessed man does not take his ease, nor seek his joy in the recreationsof the world. He does not laugh at jokes that undermines the Almighty God! Exodus23:2 tells us that we must not follow the crowd in doing wrong or subscribe topopular opinion.

Occupation

• But He Delights in and Meditates on the Word of God. God's Word is the dailybread of the "blessed" man. It is not simply that he is interested in "the Law of the Lord," but he delights in it! Joshua 1:8 tells us that reading, meditating on the Word of God and obeying it is the key to making our ways prosperous and having good success!

Categories of Blessings
There are three categories of blessings:- Physical, Soulish and Spiritual.

A. Physical Blessings: Physical blessings are for God’s children. They include among others, money (Amos 9:13), property (Isaiah 30:32), health (Exodus 23:25), wealth (Deuteronomy 8:18), protection (Isaiah 25:4), sleep (Psalms 127:2), Genesis 24:35. He intends for us to have the very best – Ps. 34:110, Ps. 103:5.

Obtaining Physical Blessings

Physical blessings don’t simply happen to us. God is a God of grace and mercy, but He mostly deals with us by certain biblical principles. There are many conditional promises of the Lord's blessings you and I can capitalize on. We will simply consider only 5 ways we can obtain physical blessings. By:

• Letting the Lord dwell in your home. 2 Samuel 6:11 tells us that when the ark ofthe Lord remained in Obed-Edom’s house for 3 months, the LORD blessed himand his entire household.
• Giving God tithes and offerings – Malachi 3:10 – Here God promised that Hewill open the windows of heaven to us and bless us until there shall not be roomenough to receive it.
• Giving to others – Luke 6:38. Give and it shall be given unto you. Good measure,pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be poured into your lap.
• Serving the Lord - Exodus 23:25 says: And you shall serve the Lord and He will bless your bread and your water and drive sickness away from you.
• Obedience to God - Deuteronomy 28:1-2. If we fully obey (not partial obedience), then the Lord will set us high above all the nations of the earth and His blessings will come upon us and accompany us!

B. Soulish Blessings: In 3 John 2, the Bible says: “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.” A prospering soul is a blessed soul. There are three parts of the soul, the mind, will, and emotion. These soulish blessings include among others, honour, fame popularity, (l Kings 3:13), promotion (I Samuel 2:7), rest of mind (Matthew 11:28), wisdom (Daniel 2:21), etc.

Obtaining Soulish Blessings
As it is with Physical blessings, Soulish blessings don’t also simply happen to us. However, it is important to note that the prospering of our souls is solely dependent on the prospering of our spirits. A prosperous soul is a soul where a person's mind, will, and emotions are under the rule of their spirit and the Word of God
Here are 4 ways among many others by which we can obtain soulish blessings.

• By studying the Word of God: Proverbs 2:10 tells us that knowledge is pleasantfor our souls. The Word of God is our instruction manual, or our road map, for life.It contains wisdom, encouragement, comfort, and life-changing power thatprospers our souls.
• By Following Righteousness and Mercy – Prov. 21:21 tells us that if we earnestlyseek righteousness and loyalty, we will find life, righteousness, and honour.
• By Humility – Prov. 22:4 (AMP) says: “The reward of humility [that is, having arealistic view of one’s importance] and the [reverent, worshipful] fear of the LordIs riches, honour, and life.”
• By Serving God – John 12:26 “Whoever serves me must follow me; and where Iam, my servant also will be. My Father will honour the one who serves me.”

C. Spiritual Blessings: Spiritual blessings are any blessings administered in the realm of the spirit; specifically, the blessing of the Spirit in introducing the believer into “the heavenly places in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3) Spiritual blessings can be, A glorious name (Isaiah 56:4-5), Ability to know God (Jeremiah 24:7), A soft heart (Ezekiel 11:19), The Holy Spirit and His gifts (Luke 11:13, I Cor. 12:4-20), Eternal Life (John 10:28), etc.

Obtaining Spiritual Blessings
Spiritual blessings can be obtained:

• By Giving our lives to Christ: Ephesians 1:3 tells us that God has blessed us inthe heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.
• By Living a Holy Life – Isaiah 58:8-11 tells us that if we live a holy life, our lightwill break forth like the dawn
• By Faith – Mark 9:23 tells us that “Everything is possible for one who believes.”

PART 2: THE BENEFITS OF THE GODLY (VERSE 3)
Living godly has benefits that money cannot buy. It causes you to live in satisfaction, joy, and tranquillity, because you know that God is on your side. Here, the Bible likens the godly to a tree planted by the rivers of water. Isaiah 61:3 says they will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD. Psalm 1 verse 3 (TPT) lists out the benefits of the godly:

• They Stand Firm Like a Flourishing Tree Planted by God’s Design, (Isaiah61:3) A tree planted by the Lord will not fear when heat comes, it will notexperience damage from the blazing heats of summer, its leaf remains green, andit will yield fruit in season.
• They are Deeply Rooted by the Brooks of Bliss, (Hosea 14:5) Like a cedar ofLebanon. The cedar wood is rot-proof. Because of its characteristics (size,diameter, lifespan), it is a symbol of greatness, of nobility, of strength and ofincorruptibility.
• They Bear Fruit in Every Season of Life. (Exodus 23:26). There is no time or room for barrenness
• They are Never Dry (spiritually or materially), Isaiah 58:11 tells us that Godwill guide, satisfy, and keep us strong and we will be like a garden that has plentyof water, like a spring of water that never runs dry.
• They will Never Faint. Isaiah 40:31 promises the godly that they shall run and notbe weary, and they shall walk and not faint.
• Ever Blessed, Deut.28:2 tells us that God’s blessings shall come on us and overtakeus
• Ever Prosperous. (2 Corinthians 9:8, Philippians 4:19), Deut.26:12 tells us that God will open the heavens, the storehouse of His bounty, and to bless all the work of our hands. To the extent that we will lend to many nations!

PART 3: THE WOES OF THE UNGODLY (VERSES 4-5)
Psalms 32:10a tells us that the woes of the wicked are many. Here in verses 4-5, the Bible contrasts the godly and the ungodly. The passage starts off by saying: “The wicked [those who live in disobedience to God’s law] are not so . . .”[AMP]
Then continues further to list out the woes of the ungodly/wicked
•They are worthless and without substance (like the chaff which the wind blowsaway.) Psalm 37:10 tells us that the wicked will soon disappear. Isaiah 14:20
•The wicked will not endure the day of judgment (but will be punished). Proverbs11:21 tells us that the wicked shall not go unpunished.
•Nothing they do will succeed or endure for long. Isaiah 14:20 says the seed ofevildoers shall never be renowned.

CONCLUSION (VERSE 6)
Verse 6 tells us the advantage the godly have over the ungodly, God!
It says: “For the Lord watches over all the plans and paths of godly men, but the paths of the godless lead to doom.”

There are thousands of blessings in the scripture laid up for you and I to claim, that the ungodly are not qualified to claim. A typical example is Psalms 91 where we learn that a thousand shall fall at our side, and ten thousand at our right hand; But it shall not come near us! Only with thine eyes shall we see the reward of the wicked.

We must however, be conscious of the fact that there can be no true walking with God, until we separate from the world, and forsake the paths of sin. We must observe that it is a downward spiral to yield to the ways of the ungodly. We must acknowledge the privileged positions we possess as God’s children and not relinquish it by envying the wicked or adopting their way of life.
In Psalm 73, the end of the wicked was contrasted with that of the righteous. Where David considered the lives of the wicked ones - They never have to lift a finger, living a life of ease while their riches multiply. (Vs.12) He thought he was being foolish playing by the rules and keeping his life pure (Vs.13). When he tried to understand the situation, it gave him a splitting headache (Vs.16) MSG. Until one day God showed him their lives and in the light of glory, his distorted perspective vanished. (Verse 17) when he saw that they were on a slippery slope and heading for destruction that will bring to end all their life of ease; in a blink of the eye and they will be swept away by sudden calamity! (Vs.18-19)
We must continue to remain faithful. Proverbs 28:20 tells us that “A faithful man will abound with blessings!”