Last night I was reading in Genesis chapters 48-49 the story of Jacob (Israel) blessing his sons before he died. I have read this before, but it really struck a chord in my heart last night. Jacob walked closely with the Lord and had wisdom/understanding about the call/anointing on each of his sons.

How many of us would give just about anything to receive (or have received) a blessing from our parents? I can’t imagine my parents laying hands on me and saying, “The Lord …” Wow! What a gift that would be for a child. Even a 42 year old child!

How many of us parents are giving that to our children? If you can’t answer “ME, I AM” then why aren’t you? Why aren’t I? I am constantly telling my daughter what a precious gift she is from God, but I’m not prophesying into her life like I should. Yes, I tell her that she can do all things through Christ and that she can be whatever she wants to be (like the president), but I need to have my ear in tune with what the Holy Spirit is saying concerning her life. I WILL do this! I am going to press in and be the parent God wants my daughter to have. I am continuing to press in and ask that my eyes be open in Jesus’ Name.

Look at the details Jacob had for each of his children. God is no respecter of persons, so why shouldn’t we do the same for our children?

Genesis 49

Jacob Blesses His Sons

¹ Then Jacob called for his sons and said: “Gather around so I can tell you what will happen to you in days to come.

² “Assemble and listen, sons of Jacob;
listen to your father Israel.

³ “Reuben, you are my firstborn,
my might, the first sign of my strength,
excelling in honor, excelling in power.

⁴ Turbulent as the waters, you will no longer excel,
for you went up onto your father’s bed,
onto my couch and defiled it.

⁵ “Simeon and Levi are brothers—
their swords are weapons of violence.

⁶ Let me not enter their council,
let me not join their assembly,
for they have killed men in their anger
and hamstrung oxen as they pleased.

⁷ Cursed be their anger, so fierce,
and their fury, so cruel!
I will scatter them in Jacob
and disperse them in Israel.

⁸ “Judah, your brothers will praise you;
your hand will be on the neck of your enemies;
your father’s sons will bow down to you.

⁹ You are a lion’s cub, O Judah;
you return from the prey, my son.
Like a lion he crouches and lies down,
like a lioness—who dares to rouse him?

¹⁰ The scepter will not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,
until he comes to whom it belongs
and the obedience of the nations is his.

¹¹ He will tether his donkey to a vine,
his colt to the choicest branch;
he will wash his garments in wine,
his robes in the blood of grapes.

¹² His eyes will be darker than wine,
his teeth whiter than milk.

¹³ “Zebulun will live by the seashore
and become a haven for ships;
his border will extend toward Sidon.

¹⁴ “Issachar is a rawboned donkey
lying down between two saddlebags.

¹⁵ When he sees how good is his resting place
and how pleasant is his land,
he will bend his shoulder to the burden
and submit to forced labor.

¹⁶ “Dan will provide justice for his people
as one of the tribes of Israel.

¹⁷ Dan will be a serpent by the roadside,
a viper along the path,
that bites the horse’s heels
so that its rider tumbles backward.

¹⁸ “I look for your deliverance, O LORD.

¹⁹ “Gad will be attacked by a band of raiders,
but he will attack them at their heels.

²⁰ “Asher’s food will be rich;
he will provide delicacies fit for a king.

²¹ “Naphtali is a doe set free
that bears beautiful fawns.

²² “Joseph is a fruitful vine,
a fruitful vine near a spring,
whose branches climb over a wall.

²³ With bitterness archers attacked him;
they shot at him with hostility.

²⁴ But his bow remained steady,
his strong arms stayed limber,
because of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob,
because of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel,

²⁵ because of your father’s God, who helps you,
because of the Almighty, who blesses you
with blessings of the heavens above,
blessings of the deep that lies below,
blessings of the breast and womb.

²⁶ Your father’s blessings are greater
than the blessings of the ancient mountains,
than the bounty of the age-old hills.
Let all these rest on the head of Joseph,
on the brow of the prince among his brothers.

²⁷ “Benjamin is a ravenous wolf;
in the morning he devours the prey,
in the evening he divides the plunder.”

²⁸ All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them when he blessed them, giving each the blessing appropriate to him.

If you aren’t a parent, there are plenty of young people and wounded older people who need a blessing spoken over them.

Last night my precious daughter asked me to lay hands on her and pray over her. She looked me in my eyes as I prayed over her in English and in the Spirit. She soaked it all in like a sponge. It blesses me that she knows she can come to Mommy for prayer. To God be the GLORY!

Family, it is TIME to battle in the spirit for our children. It is time for us as parents to have a close walk with the Lord and be the example for our children to follow. I’m not talking about church activities — I’m talking about a true intimate walk with Jesus. Church is great, but works and activities are fleeting. It is time for kids to see us eating the meat of the word and being DOERS.

Oh Father, open my eyes Lord that I might see in the spirit and be used for Your glory.

As Jonathan Welton stated in his book “The School of the Seers,” … in the spirit, words equal swords — so with our mouths we also wield swords. We can use our words with the Holy Spirit as a scapel to bring healing and restoration into the lives of others, or we can use words in a destructive manner that spiritually stabs and injures others.

Proverbs 12:18
Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

Let’s bring healing and blessings to our children (and others). Be in a right relationship with the Father so that our ears are in tune with what His Spirit is saying. Pass this on to our children. Pass this on to others.

We have the Spirit of the LIVING GOD in us and (upon us if we ask). There is nothing impossible or out of our reach in Christ. Rise up men and women of God! Ask Him to open your eyes and ears. I certainly am.