John and Carol Arnott:The Power of Blessing

CBN.com THE BLESSING
It takes faith to praise God for the endless difficulties that come along in life, because faith carries you beyond what you are able to see yourself.  Faith trusts even when life misfires – even with careful planning. 

Throughout his Christian life, John Arnott has tried to put the power of praise and the power of blessing to work in his life and has seen it work repeatedly. 

We can turn things around for others when we adopt a positive attitude and bless others.  John says it takes eight positive comments to undo the effect of two negative ones.  Why?  Because we are negative 80 percent of the time and are usually living in reaction, anger or hurt, and the last thing we think about is blessing someone – even if that someone is in your immediate family!  We find it much easier to “tell someone off” than to speak blessings over them. 

In the Word we see many forms of blessing.  One form is words of kindness, hope and favor being spoken by fathers over their children.  Abraham blessed Isaac who blessed Jacob who, in turn, blessed his sons.  It seems they understood that what you bind in earth will be bound in heaven and what you loose (bless) on earth will be loosed in heaven.  They understood the authority of a believer who is in right relationship with God.  They understood that they were not powerless, but were stewards of God’s mighty power to bless and see circumstances and lives turn around for the better.  They understood their legal rights in heaven and that parents have authority over their children to bless them.  God wants to restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers (

John and Carol have witnessed this in their own lives, the positive impact of blessing.  In their church they teach a series by Craig Hill called “Ancient Paths.”   Listeners learn they need to speak blessings over their children often, but especially at “rites of passage” in their lives such as at birth, starting school, at puberty, graduation, marriage, when they become parents, etc.  This is especially affirming for young people at 13 years of age when they are welcomed into adulthood by the blessing of mom and dad, grandparents and adult friends.  No wonder Jewish society cherishes this moment in bar and bat mitzvahs. 

HIS OWN FAMILY
In 1983 Jack Winter, founder of Daystar Ministries, came to John and Carol and taught them about the Father love of God and the importance of blessing.  They drove almost immediately to visit John’s dad, who was 75 at the time and rapidly losing his eyesight due to glaucoma.  They asked for a father’s blessing and knelt down in from of him. 

They remember it to this day: "Lord, bless my son and daughter-in-law.  Use them for your glory and for your kingdom."  He continued for a long time, John says, “pouring out his heart in prayer to the Lord for us.” 

John is grateful to have been introduced to the message of the Father’s love and urges others to get the blessing of our parents.  “Something was loosed on Carol and me in the heavens that day,” John says.  “We felt it.  It was powerful and moving.  My earthly father’s blessing remains on us to this day.” 

John says perhaps today’s adults need to receive the blessing of our earthly father and mother.  Ask for it from grandparents as well.  Something will be loosed from heaven for you and you will see it on earth. 

John and Carol bless all four of their adult children regularly, as well as their five grandchildren.  “I do it in prayer and in person, on the phone as well as on email,” he says.  He looks forward to the day when his children and grandchildren will come and ask for his blessing over them as well.