67 A NAME OF BLESSING IS SPOKEN DAILY OVER
A CHILD;A MISNAMED CHILD LIVES WITH A DAILY CURSE.

What’s in a name? You may be surprised at the answer to this question, because a child’s identity is closely tied to the name you’ve given him.

Throughout Scripture, we see the importance of names. In fact, Jesus renamed Simon, and Saul of Tarsus took on another form of his name.

Though we think a name is mute and without power, we’re wrong. Scripture says that when we receive our final reward, we’ll be given a new name that no other person has ever had.

Words are powerful, and names are spoken with words. Jabez was a man of honor in the Old Testament, and God honored him. However, his name means “because I bore him in pain.”

Imagine that every time you heard your name, you were reminded of the pain you caused your mother. No wonder he prayed that he would not cause pain (1 Chron. 4:9–10).

Jesus was called Immanuel by the angels who heralded His birth. Immanuel means, “God with us.”

Those who have received Jesus are called Christians or Christ ones. What name will you call your child? Will it be a name of blessing or a name that brings curse?

And she [Leah] conceived again and bore a son, and said, “Now I will praise the Lord.” Therefore she called his name Judah (Gen. 29:35).