Have you experienced an injustice recently that left you reeling? Injustices impact our lives so strongly because they are unexpected and unfair. It leaves us with the question, “God where are you?”
But did you also know that each injustice you experience is actually an open door and opportunity for transfer and blessing?
Because there is a path of blessing after an injustice!
There are many who have taken hits like this recently and it has left you confused and doubting God’s goodness. But like Joseph in days of old, it is your opportunity to relaunch in an even greater way. It’s about how you choose to walk through it.
It was my birthday recently. As I prayed, I asked God for an encounter with Him as a b/day gift. I got what I asked for, but as is typical for God, it showed up in a package I didn’t expect and didn’t think I wanted.
Two weeks prior to that, the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart, “Prepare for attack.”
Now let’s be honest. That’s never a fun word to hear. And even with the warning, I still felt broadsided from the direction in which it came. Not just one, but three different areas—all on my birthday week. Happy birthday to me, right?
The hits came against me physically, emotionally, relationally and financially. But now I’m speaking to you. Have you had that kind of a week or worse that kind of a month? Did you just get broadsided by an attack?
Then this word is for you about the path of blessing.
As I sat before the Lord praying over what transpired, I wanted to hear His voice and His perspective. You know He always wants to speak into those hard situations and we need to let Him. It is in those wilderness settings that we can actually hear Him the most—even when He seems silent, because the wilderness is a place of intimacy.
Thankfully, this time He wasn’t silent.
“You asked Me for an encounter,” He reminded me.
“Well, yes, but I didn’t ask for an attack,” I responded.
“But you were provided an opportunity to share in My sufferings,” He responded gently.
Instead, be very glad—for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world. I Peter 4:13
Ah yes. I had written that in one of my prayer journals. I went back to my notes and in conjunction with the verse above I had written: “The sufferings of Christ include injustice, judgement, criticism and being cast out by religious leaders.”
That’s really not what I had meant when I asked Him for an encounter. I could sense Him smiling as we continued the conversation, because we have to remember that God can make all things work together for our good when we look to Him.
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I was beginning to get it.
The Word says we are to be “very glad” for those trials when they come. Personally, at the time, I wasn’t feeling that way at all. But as the conversation with Him concluded, I began to look at it from a completely different angle. After all I had asked for an encounter. And what I was learning from the Holy Spirit after the fact, was well worth the price of admission. Trust me there is more to come.
As I continued to process with the Lord what He wanted to teach me from the criticism, judgement and rejection I experienced, I noticed an article I had written a couple of years before republished on a national platform. It was kind of a fluke I even saw it. But, when I opened it, I realized it was a timely message from Him to me to reaffirm what the Holy Spirit had already been speaking.
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I believe He wants to speak this to you as well. It’s about the path of blessing in injustice.
Have you experienced injustice? Did you know that an unjust situation becomes an opportunity for transfer and blessing?
Throughout Scripture, God speaks to His people about who He is.
He delights in the prosperity of His servants (Ps. 35:27). The word “prosperity” in this verse is the Hebrew word “shalom” which is powerful. It means: safety, peace, health, welfare, favor and rest.
He supplies all our needs (Phil. 4:19).
He is a God who transfers wealth and blessing to those who are obedient, in order to vindicate them. I’ve had people stop there because that contradicts their theology. If that’s you, I encourage you to continue reading as we look at this biblically.
Let’s first consider, if God transferred wealth to His people throughout the Old Testament, then—by His nature and considering that He never changes—wouldn’t He continue to transfer wealth now?
He will, and He does!
And when we understand that our petition for heaven to invade earth is about every aspect of heaven, we must acknowledge that heaven’s riches and blessing must then invade earth as well.
For those who say that the prophesied transfer of wealth and blessing is not biblical, the scripture shows us that it happened again and again throughout history.
Just few examples (there are many more) include:
- Laban’s wealth was transferred to Jacob (Gen. 31);
- Saul’s wealth and kingdom were transferred to David (2 Samuel);
- Egypt’s wealth was transferred to the Israelites after they had been enslaved for 400 years (Ex. 12);
- Haman’s wealth and position were transferred to Mordecai (Esther 8); and
- Pharaoh’s wealth was transferred to Abram (Gen. 12).
Each of these instances have something in common: the wealth was transferred to pay back an injustice.
Have you experienced injustice? That unjust situation is now an opportunity for transfer.
When we look at the story of Jacob, who worked for his uncle Laban, we see a story of tremendous injustice. Jacob, known as the “deceiver,” was deceived himself when he tangled with his uncle Laban. Remember the story? Jacob worked for Laban seven years to pay the bride-price for Laban’s youngest daughter, Rachel. However, on the wedding night, Laban tricked Jacob and gave him Leah instead. Jacob then had to work another seven years to get his beloved Rachel. After he worked for Laban those fourteen years, he then worked another six years under a deal he struck with Laban to build up his own flock as he took care of Laban’s flock.
This is where it gets interesting—and where the transfer of wealth as payment for Jacob’s suffering began to take place.
Remember, God said He gives us the power to get wealth. Well, God gave Jacob a crazy strategy to put speckled sticks in front of the sheep as they mated. He placed these sticks before the strong and healthy sheep, who then mated and bore speckled and spotted sheep. He removed the sticks when the weaker sheep came to mate.
What a crazy strategy to build up the flock! Yet, it was a “God strategy.”
God’s ways often don’t make sense, do they? “‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts” (Is. 55:8-9).
Esau experienced a huge injustice when his brother Jacob stole his first-born blessing. Talk about injustice. Esau pleaded with his father for another blessing, but what Isaac pronounced over his first-born son sounded more like a curse!
I believe it was actually an opportunity for vindication and transfer.
Behold away from the fertility of the earth shall be your dwelling. And away from the dew of heaven above. And by your sword you shall live. And your brother you shall serve. But it shall come about when you become restless (done with it) that you shall break his yoke from your neck (Gen 27:39-40).
Unfortunately, Esau’s initial response was to hold a grudge against his brother which then turned to a murderous intent. I talked about this
deadly 7-stage progression which is repeated over and over in the Bible as well as present-day in “Infected: How to Stop the Global Spread of Rage, Deception and Insanity.” This progression is the true pandemic our world now faces. It wasn’t until Esau got free of this progression that he began to see turn around.
Because Esau chose unforgiveness, his possibility for vindication and transfer was withheld for a very long season. However, eventually, he did “break the yoke off his neck” and experienced the blessing that had been available to him all along (Gen 33). It was his response that determined the outcome and timing.
It is as warning for us that we don’t allow unforgiveness after an injustice to gain a foothold can then stop the transfer of blessing available to us.
SEE ALSO: It’s Time to Break the Yoke Off Our Necks
Deuteronomy 30:15-16 says, “See, today I have set before you life and prosperity, and death and disaster. What I am commanding you today is to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, so that you may live and multiply. Then the Lord your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess.”
If you have experienced an injustice that has shaken you to the core, reached into your pocketbook, harmed or even destroyed relationships, I encourage you to “Count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing (Jas 1:2-4).
When we recognize that an injustice is actually an opportunity for blessing, growth, and vindication, it makes that “count it all joy” thing a little bit easier doesn’t it?
This is your season for double blessing, restoration and relaunch as you forgive and stay on His path and do not enter the progression of unforgiveness and offense. The Lord is saying “I will restore and guide you to the path of blessing.”
Instead of your shame you will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace you will rejoice in your inheritance. And so, you will inherit a double portion in your land, and everlasting joy will be yours (Is 61:7).
Thank you for the right now on time message