What it means to be blessed.

When Peter was preaching Jesus to his fellow Jews he told them, “God, having raised up his servant [Jesus], sent him to you first” (partial quote of Acts 3:26). What was God’s purpose in sending Jesus according to Peter’s statement? For Peter says, “God, having raised up his servant [Jesus], sent him to you first, to bless you…” (Partial quote again). This is what I am saying. Most people think of being blessed as receiving something (a gift) so that they may enjoy it. We also often think in terms of rewards and punishment. We think that God will bless us for obeying his law. He will, but we must be careful when it comes to how we perceive grace. In other words we think that God will bless after we turn away from sin, but this is not what Peter is saying here. Here is the full scripture.
“God, having raised up his servant, sent him to you first, to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness" (Acts 3:26).
Peter means to say that God blesses us by giving us the power and ability to do what we couldn’t do before i.e. turn away from sin. There is a difference between the gift of the Spirit and the fruit of the Spirit. The gift is given so that it may result in holy living. The very act of turning from that which enslaves us is the blessing!