Bill Gothard is the founder and president of the Institute in Basic Life Principles,
and he is author of a book called The Power of Spoken Blessings. This man
has devoted his life to helping others in learning to be “mighty in spirit” and
powerful in exhortation. In this particular writing, Mr. Gothard
shows us how to bless others, like our loved ones, our friends, our co-workers, and
even our enemies. And how do we do this? Simply by speaking aloud blessings
to each other.
It might be a daunting task, and maybe a bit awkward in the beginning, as we
probably do not consider ourselves schooled in coming up with the right words for the
right person for the right encouragement he or she might need. Still the Gothard
ministry could boast of amazing results and wonderful effects in the lives of those
who have been blessed by someone choosing to bless with their spoken words. There
are many such blessings in the Bible, and of greatest importance are the spoken
blessings that Jesus Himself bestowed upon others. The author of this book, of course,
points out that Jesus was “verbally blessing others right up to His last minute on earth.”
We readily admit if we are honest that we are so blessed ourselves by the Lord that
we can and must bless others. I might note here what a blessing we ourselves receive
when we take part “in channeling God’s goodness to them and in directing them into
the Lord’s will.”
A good place to start is in our homes. What could be more important than blessing our
spouses, parents, and children? It’s a way of serving those we love in a special way by
giving them the best we have. In today’s world, we stay so busy…and so wrapped up
in our cell phones and Social Media that we hardly make an effort to do anything else
once we walk in the front door each day. I read recently that the definition of marriage
now is “two people just texting each other, ‘Do we need anything from the grocery
store?’ a bunch of times until one of you dies.” No matter how busy you are or no
matter how strong the connection to other people by phone you have, think about
the effect you could have on your loved ones by blessing them verbally.
There are all kinds of ways to bless others, but below is one example in the book for
a blessing of a young person who struggled with anxiety and fear.
“May the Lord God bless you and keep you from the torment of fear and anxiety. May
He cause His face to shine upon you with power, love, and a sound mind and give you
grace to cast out fear through perfect love. May He lift up His countenance upon you
with freedom as you tell Him every detail of your need in earnest, thankful prayer, and
give you the peace that surpasses all understanding as He keeps your heart and
mind safe through Jesus Christ.”
Blessings usually begin with “May the Lord bless you….” You may write them or
speak them, but I assure you there is something that happens within us when we
hear the words spoken. This speaking into other people’s lives can even change
children as they soon recognize that we are all in need of understanding, and
they often begin to look to these blessings as a way to bring healing and comfort
to their own little lives and relationships.
Again, I do think you will enjoy this small book by Bill Gothard. I feel that it is
anointed.