To Receive a Blessing: How to Receive What You Have Been Praying For

To receive a blessing from God is something immense—so great, yet so often misunderstood. We Christians sometimes underestimate it because we don’t fully grasp what it really is. Our love for this world has limited blessings to what we can see with our physical eyes, what we can touch, what we can hold. We tie blessings to possessions, positions, and people.

Look at the pain surrounding us: murder, suicide, kidnappings, car accidents, divorce, broken families, hunger, poverty, joblessness, sickness, incurable diseases. If we truly understood what a blessing is, these things would have no power over us. Yet, we remain fixated on what drags us down, trying to replace what is real with what is not real.

The first step to receiving a blessing is understanding what it is. And there is only one place we can receive that understanding—God’s Word. But we cannot merely skim the Bible looking for truth. We need guidance, direction. And for that, we turn to Acts 3.

There, we see a man disabled from birth, making his living begging for money. He had no other way to survive. Every day, he sat at the temple gate, hoping for coins. Nothing he received could change his reality.

Until he met Peter and John. Peter looked at him and saw what he truly needed: a permanent solution. Money could not fix this. Only God could. The man needed to feed himself. Perhaps he had a family who depended on him. Every day he begged, and every day he left the same way. A permanent solution was required.

The Bible teaches us that what comes from men is temporary, but what comes from God is permanent (John 6:63). Romans 11:29 reminds us: “For God’s gifts and his call can never be withdrawn” (NLT). God saw the man’s heart, his faith, and in that moment, He acted. Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk.” That was the moment his life changed forever.

From this, two things are certain:

1. His life of begging was over. That day, he left the temple gate for the last time.

2. He now had the ability to work. To earn a living, feed himself, provide for his family, maybe even start a business. What he once begged for was now in his hands. The sky was the limit.

But for this permanent solution to arrive, something had to fall. Something hidden, something he did not even realize needed to change, had to break. And the same is true for us. We pray for breakthroughs, for blessings, for miracles—but there is always something we ignore, something in our lives that must fall, break, or change before we can receive.

The greatest barrier is found in Mark 11:24–25 (NLT):
“I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours. But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.”

Verse 25 carries the weight many overlook. It reveals why so many prayers go unanswered—not because God is unwilling, but because our hearts are chained by unforgiveness. Grudges, anger, offense—these are the silent killers of blessings.

Look around. Families torn apart. Brothers and sisters refusing to speak. Nations rising against nations. Divorce rates climbing. Businesses collapsing. And the bitter truth? These are the very things we prayed for—peace, stability, prosperity, love. Yet unforgiveness has poisoned them.

This is the true nature of a blessing. When we kneel with hearts full of forgiveness, we are truly praying. That is when we tap into the power of the Spirit of God. A real blessing is forgiveness.

A car is not a blessing. Marriage is not a blessing. Money is not a blessing. A job is not a blessing. Food is not a blessing. A real blessing is what gives you those things. It is what gives you your job. Your breakthrough. Your healing. Your car. When you receive something, it is because God has forgiven your sins. Blessing means forgiveness.

When you pray, forgive him, forgive her, and watch as the angels of God minister upon your life. God wants to bless you. Every prayer you’ve ever made is already answered. Imagine a plane—a jumbo jet—carrying everything you’ve asked for, circling above, ready to land. The runway is blocked by obstacles. The greatest of them all? Unforgiveness.

Our blessings are already there. But something lies in wait to destroy them the moment they arrive.

When you started that business, the goal was not for it to fail, yet it failed.
When you got married, it was never your goal to divorce, and yet, here we are.
When you raised that child, it wasn’t your goal for them to be addicted to drugs, and yet, here we are.
When you bought that car, being involved in an accident was never your intention, and yet, here we are.

How you receive a blessing is just as important as receiving it. Forgiveness is key. Forgiveness unlocks every blessing. The cross is the ultimate proof—undeserved forgiveness poured out by God Almighty. Every sin washed away. Every chain broken. Welcomed back into the family of power, peace, and joy.

Forgive. Forgive. Forgive. Only then will you truly live your Christianity.

The next stage is maintenance—equally critical, for that is where many blessings are lost. But that… is a story for another day.

My name is Prince, and this is my walk with Jesus.