“Your testimony has the power to set other people free! How? Well, if God did it for you, He can do it for them. And if God did it before, He can do it again. A testimony is a prophetic blessing. It is the seedbed where faith takes root and bears fruit.”- Mark Batterson
“For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from you ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.”- 1 Peter 1:18-19 (NIV)
Mark Batterson concludes Chapter 4 of Double Blessing as he first discusses how we overcome the Enemy’s lies and accusations. As the book of Revelation states, we overcome them “by the blood of the Lamb and by the words of [our] testimony.”
Because the precious blood of Christ broke the yoke of sin and redeemed us, our pedigree in Christ gives us redemption, confidence, and life. Our birthright and blessing flow from God’s bloodline!
Next, Pastor Batterson concludes with the final two subblessings from the priestly blessing.
5. To make peace. The angels announced the blessing of peace to the shepherds outside Bethlehem. Above all, Mark stresses, “that peace treaty was signed by the blood of Christ, sealed by the Holy Spirit, and delivered by an empty tomb!”
6. To cause to prosper. As the author stated previously, God blesses us to raise our standard of giving, not our standard of living. Also, Pastor Batterson notes, before pronouncing the Aaronic or priestly blessing, Jewish priests extended their arms to form the Hebrew letter shin with both hands. Shin not only represents the first letter in the Hebrew word shalom, but also stands for Shaddai. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob knew this as God’s name.
Finally, Mark tells us, Leonard Nimoy conceived the idea for the Vulcan salute or greeting from his Orthodox Jewish upbringing. Although Nimoy used only one hand instead of two, the Vulcan greeting represents an abbreviated version of the priestly blessing. In conclusion, Mark exhorts:
“This ancient blessing has your name on it. . . . it’s a potent invocation. Don’t just read this blessing: receive it.”
Today’s question: How has your testimony blessed others? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Christians who belie the heart of God”
