“BLESSED” = the ultimate well-being, and distinctive spiritual joy of those who share in the salvation of the Kingdom of God.
Jesus, Rabbi, Teacher,
You taught your disciples/followers/learners that…
I am blessed if I am poor in spirit, not spiritually proud, and self-sufficient, for I will inherit the kingdom of heaven as a gift and reward.
I am blessed when I mourn over personal and corporate sins, for I will be comforted.
I am blessed when I am meek and humble before God, for I will inherit the new promised land.
I am blessed when I have a deep longing for personal righteousness and justice for the oppressed, for this hunger will be filled.
I am blessed when I am merciful, for I will be shown mercy.
I am blessed when my heart – the center of my being, my mind, will, and emotions – is pure, for I shall see God.
I am blessed when I promote peace, as far as it depends on me, because it reflects the character of God and I am called a child of God.
I am blessed when I am persecuted because of righteousness, when I have to prove my fitness for the Kingdom, for you will bless me in your Kingdom.
I am blessed when people insult me, persecute me, and falsely say all kinds of evil against me because of God. Even in that I will rejoice, because my reward in heaven is great. In the same way, the prophets before me were persecuted. I am blessed.
What you are doing will seem like nothing I have seen before. I will be strong and work. For you are with me and your Spirit remains within me. I will not fear.
In a little while you will shake all the nations in judgement. What is desired by all nations – what is highly esteemed – will come. You will fill your house, your people, your nations with your GLORY – your material splendor and presence. All riches are yours. The glory of today and tomorrow’s Church will be greater than that of yesterday’s Church. God almighty will grant peace.
I will seek to live in obedience to God and righteousness and you will bless me. You will overturn royal thrones and shatter foreign kingdoms. You will overthrow those who try to fight against me, as one of God’s people, for you have chosen me.
I pray that I will enjoy good health and all will go well with me, even as my soul is getting well. I am receiving the end result of my faith, the salvation of my soul. I get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and I humbly accept the Word planted in me, which can save me. I ask you to create a pure and clean heart because I know that the pure in heart will SEE God. I ask you to send help and aid to my soul so I can attain my highest end.
I declare that my feelings, desires, affections, and aversions will come under the alignment of the Holy Spirit. I declare that my end will be greater than my beginning, in Jesus’s name. I declare that I will seek a clean and pure heart so I can SEE God.
Amen.
Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them.
The Beatitudes
He said:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 5:1-12 NIV)
1 On the twenty-first day of the seventh month, the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai: 2 “Speak to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, to Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people. Ask them, 3 ‘Who of you is left who saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Does it not seem to you like nothing? 4 But now be strong, Zerubbabel,’ declares the Lord. ‘Be strong, Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land,’ declares the Lord, ‘and work. For I am with you,’ declares the Lord Almighty. 5 ‘This is what I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt. And my Spirit remains among you. Do not fear.’
6 “This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. 7 I will shake all nations, and what is desired by all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the Lord Almighty. 8 ‘The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the Lord Almighty. 9 ‘The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the Lord Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the Lord Almighty.”
Blessings for a Defiled People
10 On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Haggai: 11 “This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Ask the priests what the law says: 12 If someone carries consecrated meat in the fold of their garment, and that fold touches some bread or stew, some wine, olive oil or other food, does it become consecrated?’”
The priests answered, “No.”
13 Then Haggai said, “If a person defiled by contact with a dead body touches one of these things, does it become defiled?”
“Yes,” the priests replied, “it becomes defiled.”
14 Then Haggai said, “‘So it is with this people and this nation in my sight,’ declares the Lord. ‘Whatever they do and whatever they offer there is defiled.
15 “‘Now give careful thought to this from this day on—consider how things were before one stone was laid on another in the Lord’s temple. 16 When anyone came to a heap of twenty measures, there were only ten. When anyone went to a wine vat to draw fifty measures, there were only twenty. 17 I struck all the work of your hands with blight, mildew and hail, yet you did not return to me,’ declares the Lord. 18 ‘From this day on, from this twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, give careful thought to the day when the foundation of the Lord’s temple was laid. Give careful thought: 19 Is there yet any seed left in the barn? Until now, the vine and the fig tree, the pomegranate and the olive tree have not borne fruit.
“‘From this day on I will bless you.’”
Zerubbabel the Lord’s Signet Ring
20 The word of the Lord came to Haggai a second time on the twenty-fourth day of the month: 21 “Tell Zerubbabel governor of Judah that I am going to shake the heavens and the earth. 22 I will overturn royal thrones and shatter the power of the foreign kingdoms. I will overthrow chariots and their drivers; horses and their riders will fall, each by the sword of his brother.
23 “‘On that day,’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘I will take you, my servant Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will make you like my signet ring, for I have chosen you,’ declares the Lord Almighty.” (Haggai 2)
Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well. (3 John 2 NIV)
You are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls. (1 Peter 1:9 NIV)
Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. (James 1:21 NIV)
Idea from: https://www.elijahlist.com/words/display_word_pf.html?ID=25704
Some notes from: NIV Study Bible (c) Zondervan, 2011