Followed By Mercy

Austin Gardner | The Lost Art of Blessing

• W. Austin Gardner

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"Death and life are in the power of the tongue."

In this episode, Austin Gardner explores the often-forgotten practice of speaking biblical blessings. Whether you are a parent tucking your children in at night, a leader heading into a boardroom, or a spouse looking to strengthen your marriage, your words have the ability to create environments of growth or fear. Austin shares how to use Scripture to speak identity and destiny into the lives of those around you.

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Pastors And The Lost Benediction

Parents Speaking Identity And Destiny

Marriage Built By Encouraging Words

Leadership That Shapes Whole Cultures

Blessing People With Scripture

Grace Filled Speech In A Harsh Age

Simple Habits To Become A Blesser

Final Blessing And Share Request

Austin Gardner

Let's talk about how we can bless people today, how we can restore the biblical language of life, how we can speak blessing into people's lives. All through the Bible, God's men, God's leaders, God, even parents, are to speak blessing. The patriarchs bless their children. The priests bless the nation. Jesus blessed the disciples. The apostles bless the church. Yet today this practice has almost disappeared. But Scripture shows that blessing is a part of spiritual leadership. God calls leaders to speak a word that brings encouragement and life and faith and hope and direction. So for pastors, I challenge you to bless your congregation. In Scripture, pastors and spiritual leaders frequently pronounce blessings on the over the people. One of the clearest examples is Hebrews 13, 20. Now the great God of peace that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work, to do his will, working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. That's a pastoral blessing. That's a leader speaking God's word over God's work and favor over God's people. For over fifteen hundred years Christian worship ended with a spiritual blessing called a benediction. The pastor would lift his hands and say something like, The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. And people left the service believing God goes with us. We are to teach truth and strengthen the body of believers. Blessing strengthens people to face the challenges of their life. I want to speak blessings. Parents bless their children. The Bible repeatedly shows parents blessing their children. One of the most beautiful examples is Jesus. He took the children up in his arms and he blessed them. He embraced them, he laid hands on them, and he spoke blessing. Children need to hear words of life from their parents. The Hebrews did that to speak identity and destiny. Parents would speak over children, God's protection and God's wisdom, God's purpose and God's calling. They still do it. At least I read that they do it on Friday night just before Sabbath begins. They speak over them. He speaks a priestly blessing over them in number six. That tradition was practiced for 3,000 years. Husbands and wives bless one another. Marriage in the Scripture is meant to be a place of life-giving words. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. The word edifying means to build up. Husbands and wives should speak words that encourage faith, strengthen love, and promote peace. That's who we are. Many marriages slowly weaken, not because of major conflicts, but because encouraging words disappear. Simple words like I believe in you, I thank God for you, I'm grateful for you. Those words bring life into a relationship. Encouraging words is one of the most powerful ways we communicate love. Leaders bless their teams and communities. Spiritual leadership extends beyond church and family. Leaders influence people in the workplace, ministries, and communities. We should strengthen each other with our words. Listen to this verse. You know it well. Death and life are in the power of the tongue. They that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. Words shape environments. Leaders who constantly criticize create fear. Leaders who encourage build confidence and courage. During World War II, Winston Churchill gave speeches that strengthened the courage of an entire nation. His famous words included, shall never surrender. Those words gave hope to millions. Words can strengthen entire communities. Spiritual leaders should use words that strengthen faith. We should bless people with scripture. One of the most powerful ways is to take one of the Bible verses and use number six. The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious unto thee. The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Now the God, the Lord of peace, himself, give you peace always by all means. The Lord be with you all. Those are powerful blessings that leaders can speak over people. It still matters today. So many times in modern cultures we use words that tear down people. In social media and politics and public conversation, criticism, division, negativity. And Christians are called to speak differently than that. Let your speech be always with grace. Grace-filled words create environments where people grow spiritually. A teacher once told a struggling student, I believe you can succeed. That one sentence changed the student's life, and years later gave him the confidence to continue. Blessings has that kind of power. Leaders can begin restoring the language of blessing by doing several things. Spirituals, they should speak blessings over the children before bed, over their spouses before work, over the congregation at the end of the service, over friends facing difficulty, over new believers on their faith journey. Blessing is simply speaking God's truth and hoping to God in someone's life. The Bible shows us that blessing is not sentimental or weak, it's a form of spiritual leadership. When leaders bless people, they remind them of God's promises, strengthen their faith, and encourage spiritual growth. 2 Thessalonians 3.18, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. 2,000 years people have been saying that. It reminds us of the grace of Jesus Christ. Blessing reminds people that God's grace is still working in their lives. I hope the last few days has blessed you and worked in your life like it has in mine because it's changed my life. I want to be a blesser. I want to bless people. I want to say God bless you, and I want to mean it. And I hope you will too. Thank you so much. Share this with somebody else if you would. God bless you.

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Austin Gardner

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