The Impact of a Father's Blessing

We're in a series called Firestarter. It's a series about the tongue. And in over 40 years of preaching the gospel, I've never done an entire series on the tongue. I've preached messages, but never a series. We're in a five week series on the tongue.

This is week three and I want to talk to you today about the father's blessing. We talked about James chapter three that says the tongue is a small member of the body, but it can ignite an entire forest on fire. It can corrupt your whole body. It can do a lot of damage if we don't learn to submit our tongues to the person in the control of the Holy Spirit. I'm really excited about the word today, but before we dive into the word, it being Father's Day, it just felt appropriate that I would share a few dad jokes, right?

It's Father's Day, come on. Listen, we know SpaceX has kind of taken over where NASA left off. And, you know, they're sending rockets up pretty frequently now. And we've probably seen and heard in the news they're actually giving celebrities an opportunity to go up into space. And SpaceX just announced now that you can have lunch on the moon.

Pretty awesome. That's. They've already had people that have done it and the reviews are in and they said the food is out of this world.

But the negative reviews, listen, the negative reviews, they say there's just no atmosphere.

Come on, come on, folks, come on. Show some love to your pastor. A lot of people don't know this is true. A lot of people don't know that I worked at a bank as a bank teller when I was in college. I got fired.

I did work at a bank as a bank teller, got fired. Not because I stole money or anything like that, but a woman one day asked me to check her balance and I pushed her.

Well, there's more.

There's more.

I was on a flight this week. I had to fly out Wednesday and came back Thursday night. I had a board meeting I was a part of and we had some delays. We were sitting on the tarmac, the weather, trying to get back to Charlotte, and the pilot came over the speaker and the pilot decided he was going to share some dad jokes. He just couldn't get any of them to take off.

Nothing was landing with anybody. It just was bad. It was really, really bad.

Pastor Prabhu came to us a couple of weeks ago. He had this idea he was super excited about. He said, man, I want to organize this gigantic hide and Seek tournament. He came back a little later. He said, it's not going to work.

Good players are just really hard to find.

All right, I'm done. I'm done. You guys are tough room, tough crowd. Done. I've got a lot more material, but I'm going to save it for people who appreciate it.

You guys are cruel. You guys are mean. Now I want to talk about the Father's Blessing today. The Father's Blessing. Father's Day actually started in America, and it was the idea of a woman.

Come on, ladies, you can take some credit, man.

It was back in 1909 that a lady by the name of Sonora Dodd was sitting in a church service and she was listening to a Mother's Day message. And she just had the idea, I want to do something to honor my dad. And so in 1910, she organized a service to honor her dad. And it just really caught on. And in 1972, it became an official day on the calendar, the third Sunday of June that fathers would be celebrated.

So we celebrate all of you dads today. We celebrate all of you that are watching online. We celebrate all of those who are joining us on the Pando app. In prisons, correctional facilities all over America, men and women, we celebrate you today. We say to all of you men that are there, happy Father's Day to you as well.

A few startling statistics and things that I think will kind of lay some groundwork for the message today. And talking about the Father's Blessing. America leads the world in fatherless families. Over the last 40 years, the number of kids being raised without a dad in the home has tripled in 40 years. 40% of kids in father absent homes have not seen their dad within the past year.

Fatherless children are twice as likely to drop out of school, 68% more likely to smoke or drink or use drugs than two parent households. Teens without dads are twice as likely to be involved in early sexual activity and seven times more likely to get pregnant during adolescence. 75% of teenage suicides occur in households where a parent has been absent. The lack of fathers is not the only issue we're dealing with in America. We also have a great lack of the father's blessing.

It's not something we really practice in our Western culture like they do in other cultures. But the blessing is found all throughout Scripture. 467 times in the Bible, 108 of those in the New Testament. The Jewish encyclopedia says this. The father's voice was the instrument through which God spoke.

And the words once pronounced were regarded as the declaration of the deity. The Jewish culture puts a lot of focus and emphasis and priority on the Father's blessing. And I really believe it's something that we have robbed ourselves of in the American church and in the Western culture. And that's why in this series on the Tongue, I want to talk to you about the power, the importance and the priority of the Father's blessing. Today we're going to go to Genesis 27, where we see a dad pronouncing a blessing over his son.

Genesis, chapter 27. Would you stand to honor the word of God this morning as we read a couple of verses there? It's a story that some of you are familiar with, of when a man by the name of Isaac, Isaac blesses one of his sons. And we read this blessing beginning in verse 28 of Genesis 27, and Isaac says this over his son Jacob. From the dew of heaven and the richness of the earth, may God always give you abundant harvest of grain and bountiful new wine.

May many nations become your servants, and may they bow down to you. May you be the master over your brothers, and may your mother's sons bow down to you. All who curse you will be cursed, and all who bless you will be blessed. Come on, let's make some declarations like we do every week before you're seated. And we'll jump into this today.

Everybody together. Ready? Go. I will hide this word in my heart that I might not sin against God. This word is life to my body and health to my bones.

And not a hearer only. And I'm confident of this that he who has begun a good work in me, in Jesus name, Amen. You can be seated. Let me give you just a little bit of background to the story that we just read out of Genesis 27, the backstory. Some of you are familiar with this, but Isaac was married to a woman by the name of Rebekah.

And Rebekah was unable to have children. So she cried out to God, anguishing before the Lord, asking that God would give her the ability to have children. And God did give her the ability. She became pregnant. In fact, she became pregnant with twins, twin boys.

And her in her husband, Rebecca and Isaac, named the boys Esau, the one who came out first, and Jacob. Now, the blessing that the Father in Jewish culture would pronounce over the child was reserved for the firstborn. And so therefore, Esau would be the one to receive the blessing. Now, Esau and Jacob were polar opposites twins, but as opposite is night and day, Esau loved the outdoors. Esau loved to hunt.

He loved to do anything that involved the outdoors. Esau was the kind of boy growing up that he'd probably go a week or two without a bath, without a shower. He'd go weeks without brushing his teeth. I mean, just outdoors, smelly, sweaty, that kind of boy. Jacob was the opposite.

Jacob loved everything indoors. Jacob loved to cook. He loved to be right there with his mother. And he didn't like to things of the outdoors. But Jacob, whose name means deceiver, comes up with a ruse and a way to deceive his dad so that he could get the blessing that was reserved for Esau.

And what Jacob did, with the help of his mother, is Jacob put some animal skins on his body because the Bible said Esau was very hairy. Jacob had smooth skin. So Jacob puts on these animal skin so he can fool his dad and make his dad think that it's really Esau. And he would smell the smell of Esau. And he goes in and pardon me.

Isaac was failing in his health. He's failing in his eyesight. And Jacob convinces Isaac that he's really Esau. And so Isaac then pronounces the blessing over Jacob that is reserved for Esau. Now, I don't want to talk about how the blessing originated.

That's a whole different message. What I want to talk to you about is, regardless of how it came about, the power that we find in the blessing that Isaac spoke over Jacob, some families have secret recipes that they'll pass down from generation to generation. They'll have a pie or a cake or a casserole or some dishonest they think is better than others. And they don't want everybody knowing the secret. They don't want everybody to know the ingredients.

And so they pass that recipe down to other members of the family. But that's it. Now, this blessing that we just read from Isaac to his son Jacob, has some ingredients in it that's not a secret recipe. In fact, we're going to look at it quickly, because there's three things that we see in this and in other blessings that are really important for us if we're gonna make that a part of our lifestyle. And I'm really hoping that when you walk out of here today, you'll say, I have to do this.

Like, I have to incorporate this into my life. I have to learn to speak blessings over my family and over my kids and my grandkids and my business and my health and my finances and all of those things. And I believe after we look at this, and after we break it down, you're gonna want this to be a part of your life. Three things that we see in Isaac's blessing over Jacob. The first is this.

The creative power of words. The creative power of words. Genesis, chapter one, verse three. God spoke and he created with words. He created waterfalls like Niagara Falls.

He created mountain ranges like the Andes or the Himalayas. He created oceans. He created creatures and galaxies and solar systems and human beings being made and fashioned in the image of God. We therefore reflect his image. And men understand this.

We have the ability with our words to create. I'm not saying that you can go out and create a mountain range or create some ocean, but I am saying this, that your words have power. And with your words, and because you were made in the image of God, you have the ability to create hope. You have the ability to create confidence. You create value with your words.

You create joy with your words. You create affirmation. With your words, you create courage and stability and strength with the words that you speak over your children or your grandchildren. Children often become what is spoken over them. And our words affect three things.

Number one, our words affect self image and self worth. Are our notes up on the screen? Where's our notes? You got the notes? Hopefully on the app.

Our words affect self image and self worth. In other words, the words that we use to describe children and their actions and their potential become ingrained in their thoughts and in their feelings. And so often we are very careless with our words. Secondly, our words affect behavior and development. Words can serve as a kind of blueprint for how children will behave.

And let me just say this, it's so vitally important that you separate the behavior from the person. You don't equate the two when your kids or your grandkids are misbehaving. Number three, our words affect brain development. Scientists and research have proven that the type of language used with children can positively impact brain development, which leads to improved language skills and cognitive abilities. The late Billy Graham said this.

Children will invariably talk, eat, walk, think, respond, and act like their parents. Give them a target to shoot at. Give them a goal to work toward. Give them a pattern that they can see clearly. And you give them something that gold and silver cannot buy.

So the first thing we see from the blessing that Isaac spoke over Jacob is the power, our words, the power to create. Number two, we see that the blessing is more than a prayer. The blessing is more than a prayer. Isaac's blessing shaped Jacob's future. If you study Scripture, if You read ahead and you look at the life of Jacob, you'll discover that the words that Isaac spoke.

And it wasn't. It wasn't a diatribe of words. It was very simple that we just read two verses. But if you study that out, you discover that Isaac's words had much power and really took effect on the life of Jacob in different ways. Number one, we see Jacob became very wealthy as a herdsman.

If you study out his life, number two, you discover that the 12 tribes of Israel originated from the lineage of Jacob. As a matter of fact, In Genesis, chapter 49, verse 1, we read Jacob bringing his 12 sons around him and speaking blessings over all 12 of his sons. I encourage you to go read Genesis 49 and read the blessings that Jacob then spoke over his kids, who then became the twelve tribes of Israel. And it was spoken by Isaac. Remember the verse that we read that said that his kids, that nations would bow to him.

Number three, we see that it manifested in his life in leadership and authority. His son Joseph became the prime minister of Egypt, fulfilling the words that Isaac spoke over him that said, may many nations become your servants and may they bow down to you. It might not have happened with Jacob, but it happened with his sons, with his kids, with Joseph, who became second in command in all of Egypt. Words have power. Words have power.

They're more than just a prayer. They shape the future of a child. Shape the future of your son or your daughter, of your granddaughter, your grandson. You have great power. And a father's blessing transfers three things.

Number one, it transfers vision for their life. When you speak a blessing over your child, you're casting vision for who they will become in Jesus. You're prophesying over their future. Secondly, it transfers stability in their life. When you speak a blessing over them.

Number three, it transfers confidence over their lives. When you speak into who they were created to be. When you speak into the potential that lies within your son or your daughter. And so often those of you that are parents or grandparents know this to be true. So often you have to look beyond their present actions.

You have to look beyond their current behavior and see into the potential of who God created them to be. You as a parent have to be able to see the destiny that God inscribed on the DNA of their life. And you speak to that. You don't speak to the action or the behavior in the moment. I'm not saying you ignore it.

We're going to talk about discipline in a moment. But you bless who God made them to be. You bless the Potential that God put on the inside of them. Listen, every biblical blessing includes three things. Number one, affirmation of value.

Affirmation of value. Listen, you're not speaking a blessing over a child who's become wealthy and successful because you now recognize they're going to fund your retirement plan. No, you're affirming them as a little infant. You're affirming them as a little boy or a little girl. Not because of the value, maybe that they're going to bring to you later in life, but because of who they were made in the image of God.

And you're affirming who they are and who they will become, adding value with your words. The second thing that we find in all biblical blessings is a declaration of the future. That's what Isaac did with Jacob. Number three. We see a commitment of presence.

Let me say something to you, man, that's so vitally important. Half the battle is just showing up.

Listen, I get it. I understand five kids, six grandkids, and I understand the temptation for some of us men to just go find a cave somewhere. Let me just go hide. Let me go off the grid. Let me just get away from the chaos.

Let me get away from all that's going on. I understand the temptation of that. But listen to me, men. One of the most important things that God's called you to do, called you to do in your role as a father, whether it be biological or spiritual, is just show up. It's called the ministry of presence.

Just be there. Just consistently show up in their life, be present in their life. You'll be amazed at how far it'll go if you just keep showing up. Now what I love is that we see in the baptism of Jesus that God the Father pronounces a blessing over his son before Jesus ever does the first miracle. God didn't bless him because he opened blinded eyes.

God didn't bless him because he raised a 12 year old girl from the dead. God didn't bless him because he walked on water or he multiplied bread and fish. No, before he ever did the first miracle, we find the Father affirming his son. This is my son in. In whom I am well pleased.

Not because he's done miracles. Not because he's walked on water. No, this is my son in whom I am pleased. Not based on performance watch, but based on position, based on the fact that he's my son. And listen, your kids and grandkids need to hear you affirming them.

Not because they've done everything right, not because they become successful in life, but. But based on the fact that they're just yours.

Come on. Are y' all with me today? You're blessing them not based on their performance. You're blessing them based on their position as your son or your daughter or your grandson or your granddaughter. Here's the third thing that we see.

We see the power to build or break. I've talked the last couple of weeks about the dual power, the dual potential of the tongue. Proverbs 18:21 says, Life and death are in the power of the tongue. The dual power of the tongue is that we can build up or tear down. We can encourage or discourage.

We can affirm and add value, or we can devalue somebody. We can bring joy or we can bring sorrow to somebody just with our words. There's dual power in the tongue, in our tongues. And what we see in the power of the blessing is the ability to either build up or to break down. James, chapter three, verse ten.

Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing, my brothers and sisters. This should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? Listen. A father's words build a foundation for a child's future.

Building a solid foundation involves some key things. It involves training, it involves discipline, and it involves providing an example for kids to follow. Building them up, building their life. Laying a foundation for a child's future involves training and discipline and being an example that they can follow. Proverbs 22, verse 6.

Train children to live the right way, and when they're old, they will not stray from it. Many of you have heard that verse. Train children in the right way. When they're old, they'll not stray from it. Ephesians, chapter 6, verse 4.

Fathers, do not make your children angry, but raise them with the training and the teaching of the Lord. Look at those two words. Train up. In Proverbs, chapter 22, verse 6. In the Hebrew, it refers to a phrase that describes the palate or the roof of the mouth.

Here's what would happen. The Hebrew midwives. After helping a mother to deliver the baby, that Hebrew midwife would have a concoction, a paste that was made out of dates. And she would dip her finger into that paste. And immediately after the child was born, she would take that paste and she would rub it on the gums of that infant.

And the purpose of that was to create a thirst and a hunger in that infant. A thirst and a hunger in that child. Listen to me, men. A part of our job and our responsibility is to Live our lives in such a way that it creates a thirst and a hunger for the things of God in our children and in our grandkids. That's what it means to train up a child that you're living your life.

It doesn't mean you're gonna be perfect. No, God's not looking for you to be perfect. There's only one perfect son. His name was Jesus. But God's looking for you to live your life in a way committed to the things of God, committed to holiness, committed to the word of God, committed to righteousness in a way that your kids will say, I'm thirsty for God, I'm hungry for God because of the way that my dad or my grandparents have lived their lives.

Proverbs 29, verse 17. Discipline your children. We train, we discipline. We provide an example for them to follow. The Bible says Proverbs 29:17.

Discipline your children, and they will give you peace of mind and will make your heart glad.

They'll give you peace of mind and will make your heart glad. I love that verse. There's three different types of discipline. Number one, the authoritarian, which is more of disciplining with an iron fist or with an iron rod. It's harsh, it's dictatorial, severe, angry, publicly humiliates, very loud and brash.

That type of discipline is very unhealthy and it produces rebellion, it destroys the joy of a child, it pushes them towards destructive behavior, and they will grow up with no respect for authority, and eventually there will be an apathy that'll settle over their spirit because of the authoritative discipline of ruling with an iron fist.

Very unhealthy. The sad reality is that some of you may have grown up that way, and maybe that's all that was modeled for you. And I just want to make things crystal clear today. I know it makes it more challenging if you grew up in an unhealthy and dysfunctional environment and you didn't see modeled for you what real discipline should look like. Maybe you grew up with a dad or a mom that publicly humiliated you and was harsh, was like a dictator to you, unfair in the ways that they punished you.

Listen to me today, and I'm believing it's going to happen. I believe it happened in the first service. I believe it's going to happen here. God can break those generational cycles with you so that you don't pass it on to your kids, even though you lacked the example of what it meant. The Holy Spirit is a great teacher and you can surround yourself with men who did Grow up in healthy environments and they can teach you and help you.

That's the beauty of community. Like, we learn and draw from one another. But the authoritarian form of discipline is very unhealthy. Second one is this the permissive. It's very unhealthy as well.

Anything goes. Allow the child to rule. I have had parents tell me before, our goal is to never tell our child no.

Just let them do whatever they want to do. They blindly indulge, they coax, they bribe. This type of parent succumbs to manipulation. And what it does is it produces stubbornness. It produces deceitfulness and rebellion and a defiance to authority because that child grows up thinking the entire universe revolves around them.

When did we ever think that was healthy? The third form of discipline, and this is what we should aim for, this is what we should shoot for, is the authoritative, not the authoritarian. The authoritative. It's democratic, it's loving, self controlled, shows love and kindness. It's like the Bible says, the kindness of the Lord draws us to change, leads us to a place that we realize we need to change.

Authoritative discipline shows firmness and consistency, maintains honor, separates the child from the behavior, like I'm mentioned earlier, produces self discipline and respect and self control and courage and security. Listen to me. The problem with many parents is they're more concerned about being their child's best friend than they are about disciplining their child and training them and teaching them the things of God. They're trying to win a popularity contest with their child. And let me just tell you, those of you that maybe are relatively new to the refuge.

I dearly, dearly love the people that God has entrusted to me to shepherd. But I'm going to tell you the truth, even if you don't like it and even if it's painful for you. But the bottom line is this. Some of you need to learn to discipline your kids because you think, well, if I can just be their best friend, we'll be friends when they're grown up. And what you don't realize is that they're going to resent you because you never put boundaries in place for them and show them a healthy way to grow up with those boundaries.

But if you'll, if you'll discipline them in the right way, if you'll love them enough that you'll put healthy boundaries around them, you might not win a popularity contest while you're raising them. I've been there. Five kids. Trust me, I've been there. Well, they said some really, really mean things to Me, I've been through a dozen sozo sessions in counseling and all that.

And I'm good now. I'm alright.

Really mean things. But the thing is, if you'll discipline them the right way while they're young, you'll be great friends when they get older because they'll respect you, they'll love you. Let me give you five simple reminders about discipline. It's okay if I get real practical with you. Five simple reminders about discipline.

Number one, never discipline in anger.

Never discipline an anger. I know that's easier said than done at times. Listen, that video we saw just a few moments ago, it really hits home with me because I had a situation that was similar to that when my son, Pastor Cole, who's sitting right here on the front row, was probably 2 years old. We were painting a bathroom at our house. And I think every parent understands this.

Like when you're exhausted, when nobody's had supper, it's time to get the kids in the bathtub, time to get them in bed. You're way past their bedtime already and you're like, stick a fork in me. I'm done. Anybody know what I'm talking about? And that's where we were.

It was like 9 o' clock at night. We're trying to get the bathroom painted, trying to get stuff cleaned up, trying to get the kids fed, trying to get them bathed, trying to get them in the bed. We're exhausted, all that stuff. And I walked out of the bathroom for a couple of minutes. I can't remember what I was doing.

Left the tray there, the roller, the paint, all that kind of stuff. And Cole is there, he's close by. I walked out and when I came back, he had had the best time with that paint. There was paint everywhere. It was not supposed to be.

It was all over him. It was all over the cabinets. It was. Paint was everywhere. And I wish so bad I could rewind the tape because I didn't do like that dad did on that video.

No, I lost it. I disciplined in anger. I was frustrated, I was mad. And I am not proud of how I responded in that situation. He's told me, we've talked about it many times, said he forgives me and I'm grateful.

Grateful. He doesn't even remember it. He was too young. But I remember it well. Second thing, pick your battles.

Not everything is worth a fight.

Pick your battles carefully. Number three, realize that even children need to express anger from time to time. And you as a parent or grandparent need to show them what healthy anger looks like. Not out of control anger, not fleshly anger. The Bible makes it clear Jesus got mad, but he didn't sin.

And there's a way that you can express anger in a healthy manner. And your job is to model that for them and to teach them what that looks like. Number four. Choose the best time and the best place to discipline. And always discipline in private.

Don't publicly humiliate your child. Discipline them in private. Number five. Choose your words carefully and speak in a soft tone of voice. Proverbs chapter 15, verse 1.

A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. Now listen, some of you will not get this reference at all. Some of you will. There have been a few times that I felt like I needed to go Bobby Knight on my kids, like I needed to go half time, lock a room, throw some trash cans, bang on some lockers and get their attention. But for the most part, a soft word is the approach that turns away wrath.

Now, I understand that there are probably many of you men and women who did not grow up in a healthy environment. You didn't have the example of somebody who modeled this for you. Maybe you didn't have a dad in your life. Maybe you grew up in a single parent home. Maybe you never had a dad that affirmed you.

Never had a dad that spoke blessings over you. Never had a dad who spoke destiny over you. And now you've had a hard time doing that with others because it was never modeled for you. Or maybe your dad isn't around anymore.

Maybe you long to hear the words that you never heard and you know because he's no longer around, that you'll never hear those words from him. What do you do? My dad's been gone 23 years now. There are great things that he did. Great things.

He was a great dad in so many ways. But in the 37 years that I had him, there were things that I longed to hear that I never heard from him. So what do we do? What do you do if that's the situation for you? What do you do if you grew up in a dysfunctional home?

What do you do if you never heard those words, you never had it modeled for you. Well, Romans 8:15 talks about a spirit of adoption whereby we can say abba, father to you. And just like God affirmed his son before he ever did one thing, not based on his performance, but based on his position. Let me tell you something. The Father God will speak a blessing over you if you'll get in his presence.

If you'll have enough courage to ask him this. Father, what do you think of me?

You'll be blown away by what he says about you. He wants to speak a blessing over you. Some of you that grew up in a healthy environment, and you know what it means to speak a blessing over somebody. Maybe you don't have biological kids. You need to find somebody who grew up in dysfunction, who grew up without a dad, and as a spiritual voice, speak a blessing over their life.

If you have children, if you have grandkids, no matter what their age, no matter where they are, listen to me. It's not too late for you to do this. It's not too late for you to bless them. It's not too late for you to affirm them, to encourage them, to build them up and to shape their future. I'm going to ask Pastor Clay, my son, if you will, to come up.

I was looking for my other son, Caden. Saw him earlier, right in front of me.

Oh, I kept looking back there. Son, come up here, will you?

I put in your notes there on the app, and this is why I wanted you to have this, a blessing that I found that I want you to use. It can just be a framework for you, or you can use it exactly as it's there in your notes. I want you, if you have to do it over the phone, that's okay. Your children or your grandkids could be states away, but I want you to bless your sons and daughters, and I want to model for you just what that could look like.

Here's the blessing. Come here, guys. Kayden, Clay, I love you both with all of my heart. And I thank God, as I did early this morning, for allowing me to be your dad. I'm so proud of both of you.

I rejoice over you. And now I bless you. I bless you with overflowing peace, the peace that only the Prince of Peace can give. I bless your life with fruitfulness, good fruit, abundant fruit, and fruit that will remain. I bless you with success.

You are the head and not the tail. You are above and not beneath. I bless the gifts that God has given you. I bless you with wisdom to make good decisions and to develop your full potential in Christ. I bless you with overflowing prosperity, enabling you to be a blessing to others.

I bless you with spiritual influence. For you, Caden. You, Clay, are the light of the world and the salt of the earth. I bless you with a depth of spiritual understanding and a close walk with Jesus all the days of your life. You will not stumble.

You will not falter, for the word of God will be a lamp to your feet and a light to your pathway. I bless you with good friends. You have favor with God and man. I bless you with vision, with direction, with protection, with health, with healing, with compassion, with care, with love, with fulfillment, with prosperity and all that God has for your life. I bless you with an abounding and an overflowing love from which you will minister God's grace and gospel of salvation to others.

Many will hear of the Lord from your mouth, Pastor Clay, and from your mouth, Kate and Joshua Stewart. May you have intimacy with the Father in heaven that leads to knowing his heart in all matters. I bless you with all of these good things. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, I bless you. Today, Some of you are thinking, what about Pastor Cole?

I thought about that, son. Sorry if I put you in an awkward position there. I spoke those same blessings over him in the nine o' clock service. They're there in your notes. They're available to you, that blessing.

And I want you to bless your sons and daughters, as awkward as it may feel for you, maybe you've never done anything like that in your life because it was never modeled for you. But let me tell you, there is something that's released because of the power of the Father's blessing. And if it's not biological kids or grandkids, you find somebody who lacked a father in their life and you speak those blessings over them. Come on, bow your heads and close your eyes today. Lord, thank you for the father that you are to us, how much you love us unconditionally, the ways that you bless us and shape our futures, not based on our performance, but just based on the fact that we're your sons and daughters.

And today, God, I speak your blessings over these people. I speak your blessings over those who are incarcerated today, those that don't get to see their children as often as they would like, those who have never had a relationship. Father, I pray healing right now over them, healing over their relationships with their sons and daughters, healing in their relationships over their grandkids. Lord, I pray healing over every person in this place. In the mighty name of Jesus.

Teach us, O God, to use our tongues to build up. In the name of Jesus, we pray.