The Bishop’s Blessing for 2010

As we have entered not simply a new year but a new decade, I felt compelled by the Lord to bless (favor, provide preferential treatment, promote, support) His people in His name (reputation). Therefore on December 31, 2009 at 11:45PM, after anointing everyone, I declared the following blessing on each person who attended that service:

Then the LORD said to Moses, “Tell Aaron [the Priest] and his sons to bless the people of Israel with this special blessing:

‘May the LORD bless you and protect you. May the LORD make His face [i.e., His Presence] shine on you and be gracious to you. May the LORD show you His favor and give you His peace.’ For whenever the Priest blesses the people of Israel in My name, I, the LORD, Myself will bless them.” (Numbers 6:22-27, NLT)

“If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully keep all his commands that God has given you in His Word, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the world. You will experience all these blessings if you obey the LORD your God:

Your [professional] fields will be blessed. Your children and your [harvests] will be blessed. Your fruit baskets and breadboards will be blessed. Wherever you go and whatever you do, you will be blessed. “The LORD will conquer your enemies when they attack you. They will attack you from one direction, but they will scatter from you in seven! “The LORD will guarantee a blessing on everything you do and will fill your storehouses with prosperity. The LORD your God will bless you in the [promised place] He is giving you. “If you obey the commands of the LORD your God and walk in his ways, the LORD will establish you as his holy people as he swore he would do. Then all the nations of the world will see that you are a people claimed by the LORD, and they will stand in awe of you. “The LORD will give you prosperity in the land he swore to [the ancestors of Pentecostal Tabernacle] that he would give you, blessing you with many children and abundant [harvests]. The LORD will send rain at the proper time from his rich treasury in the heavens and will bless all the work you do. You will lend to many nations, but you will never need to borrow from them. If you listen to these commands of the LORD your God that I am giving you today, and if you carefully obey them, the LORD will make you the head and not the tail, and you will always be on top and never at the bottom. And Finally: You must not turn away from any of the commands God has given you, nor follow after other gods and worship them.” (Deuteronomy 28:1-14, NLT)

I believe that we have entered the greatest decade in the history of our congregation. So please use our ten day consecration (January 4th – 13th) to prepare yourself to listen for God’s direction for your life for the upcoming year.