The Astonishing Power in a Father’s Blessing; this is how to attract it

What every father should bequeath his children is not possessions, but virtue. These are priceless soft assets.

This writeup is my gift to fathers in particular and to the world in general this day being marked as “Fathers’ Day”. My inspiration is derived from the scripture to honour fathers and mothers that our days may be long. I do this to achieve the following;

1. appreciate the astonishing power of my father’s blessings upon my life
2. honour fathers all over the world as the scriptures command as to
3. appreciate fatherhood and father figures, paternal bonds and the influence of fathers in society all over the world
4. educate fathers on the best things to bequeath their children
5. teach children how to covet and attract their father’s blessings
6. point out mothers role in all of this.

3 definitions of a father

1. A father is the biological male parent of a child (whether responsible or not)
2. A person who is acting as the father to a child (father figures supplying positive influences, leadership and guidance).
3. Thirdly, good and godly fathers who are raising champions for the world. This last group in what the world lacks today.

Fathers (of course and mothers, biological) are special people who no child can make any suggestion or influence in the decision of getting one. So far, none is also being sold in the Agbogbloshie market in Accra, Ghana or any modern, high-tech supermarket anywhere in the world.

Even when, where and to whom we are born is all the decision and orchestration of God.

As parents we teach, instruct and make decisions for our children. We make decisions and choices that bind them either in full, or in part, permanently or temporarily. It may be about choice of school, choice of clothes, food, habitation etc. As a child myself, the way I eat, the size of my morsels at a time, my approach to the elderly, approach to God, are still the way my father taught me and I don’t see these changing as they have passed the test of appropriateness and are commended by many till today.

I remember one day we were eating in a “chop” bar ( local restaurant in Ghana) and a friend posed the question, “Albert how are you able to control the soup in such a way that it is not running down your wrist but mine is running down my wrist even to my elbow”? My father taught me this.

Every father has both physical and spiritual authority over his children.

Fathers command blessings (and even curses) upon their children and they are often established if done by faith. By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come (Heb 11.20 NKJV). I interpret faith here as if done with a connection with the supernatural.

Sorry to those who say there is no supernatural, though sadly, they have not been able to explain every issue of life, even the origin of life with philosophy and science.

Biblical Display of the potency of the fathers’ blessings

1. Jacob blesses his 12 sons (Genesis 49:1-27) 1And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days.2Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken unto Israel your father.

This is how I capture the highlights of Jacob’s declarations;

1. Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power: 4Unstable as water, you shall not excel; because you went up to your father's bed; then defiled it: he went up to my couch.
2. “Simon and Levi are brothers; weapons of violence are their swords. Let my soul come NOT into their council; O my glory be NOT joined into their company. For in their anger, they killed men, and in willfulness they hamstrung oxen. Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce, and their wrath for it is cruel”.
3. “Judah (which means praise), “your brothers shall praise you. You will grasp your enemies by the neck. All your relatives will bow before you.

1. Isaac blesses Jacob in place of Esau, his firstborn Bottom of FormGenesis 27:1-38 (NKJV)

When Isaac was old and getting blind, he, one day called Esau his firstborn to get him his favorite bush meat so he would eat and bless him. But their mother Rebekah overhead this conversation between Isaac and Esau and she wanted to bring to pass what the Lord said from the days of carrying this twins in her womb. She cunningly prepared Jacob to stand in place of his elder brother Esau and be blessed by his father Isaac which went well. Isaac declared the blessings; (Gen 27 vs. 28-29)

1. From the dew of heaven and the richness of the earth, may God always give you abundant of harvest of grain and bountiful new wine.
2. May many nations become your servants, and may they bow down to you
3. May you be the master over your brothers and may your mother’s sons bow down to you
4. All who curse you will be cursed, and all who bless you will be blessed.

These are very good blessings by every standard, even today in the 21^st century. Fathers still affect their children positively or dangerously and this cannot be an outdated topic.

Esau came in just after these declarations and offered his food to his father Isaac but Isaac said I have just blessed your brother Jacob. I have made him master over you and declared that all his brothers will be his servants. I have guaranteed him abundance of grain and wine.

Esau collapsed and wept knowing the potency of his father’s honest heart-felt and faith-filled declarations. “I have guaranteed him abundance of grain and wine” and “that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days” are statements of authority and carrying power, not trial and error.

And when Esau insisted that he father blessed him too, his father opened his mouth and only curses came upon Esau.

1. You will live away from the richness of the earth, and away from the dew of heaven above.
2. You will live by the sword, and you will serve your brother.
3. But when you decide to break free, you will shake his yoke from your neck. (This the indemnity clause to free him one day and it did after many decades).

Esau now complained that Jacob (which means supplanter/deceiver) has taken his birthright and now, his blessings. In later verses an angel of God changed Jacob’s name to Israel to fulfill his destiny of a blessed nation. Jacob’s uncle Laban admitted Jacob is a favoured man indeed. Gen 30:27.

In addition to the “stolen” blessings from Isaac, God Himself pronounced great blessings upon Jacob now Israel in Gen 35:11; “I am God Almighty, Be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall proceed from you, and kings shall come from your body. The land which I gave Abraham and Isaac (Jacob’s father) I give to you, and your descendants after you I give this land”.

Did these blessings work? Yes. Till today (Jacob) Israel is not an ordinary nation. Israel is truly blessed and set apart.

And Now, Best Gifts every Father Should Bequeath His Children

The most needed assets every father should bequeath his children is not material possessions, but virtue. Love of God and men, honoring parents and elderly, humility, purpose, discipline and self- confidence. These are great priceless soft assets. It’s the virtue of love that the world needs to be better, not power and physical properties.

I pray for my children each day before they step out into the day.

I bless them daily that they would fulfill their god-given purpose.

My children pray for me and their mum and siblings daily.

Last week, I decreed henceforth, my children can no longer give the excuse that “I am eating” whenever Papa or Mummy needs them in the bedroom or kitchen or anywhere else as we may be facing situations that require their urgent help.

This afternoon, I asked my children who would they like to be like when they grew up and my firstborn son told me again as he did on father’s day last year, that he would like to be like me. I asked why, and he says I gave birth to him and I take good care of him. Not surprisingly, my daughter also chose the mum as who she would like to be like. This set us thinking that as our children are watching us and picking lessons from us, we need to be careful we pass on only virtues to them.

My personal experience with my father’s blessing is that at a time when I faced a deadlock in my life, not able to make progress, my father came in to make declarations into my life one dawn like those of Isaac and Jacob above, in case he might have made any contrary statements against me and this immediately opened up the blockades for me. Today, I am a pacesetter in my family, first to do many things. Blessings and favour galore.

How to Covet your Father’s Blessings

• Honour your father (and mother) every day, even when you turn old and on your own. This alone automatically attracts the dew of heaven to you Exo 20:12.
• Give him his favourite bush meat (venison) as in the case of Isaac above. Know your fathers bush meat and present to him on special occasions like father’s day.
• Do not dishonor your father as Reuben did by sleeping with his father’s wife. Dishonor could be in the area of disobeying your father’s genuine loving and caring instructions. This will surely attract a curse even if he does not pronounce it.

All mothers reading this article I believe would co-operate with children to honour and respect their fathers. Fathers must also ensure the children adore their mothers just as the fathers. This will create a better world devoid of broken homes leading to street children, prostitutes, drug addicts, emotionally broken and timid off springs and armed robbers. A note of caution, where a child harbours bitterness against his father for any disappointing behavior, we should endeavour to forgive and release ourselves from that stronghold else there is the probability of this child growing up and being caught in the same web of irresponsibility as his father.

Fathers delivering on our god-given responsibilities will make the world a better place. To all parents, lets us train up our children in the way they should go, so when they grow, they would not depart from it (Prov 22:6)