Greetings doogie,
The Father gives a blessing to anyone who asks for it. I can understand why you would feel that witholding a blessing would be punishment; but I must tell you that what "christians" (as well as the world) consider to be a 'blessing' and what the Father considers to be a blessing are VERY different.
"Christians" feel that God's blessing is whenever something "good" happens to them. That is, good to their flesh. So, if they get a new car, or a new house, they say God is "blessing" them. Or if they pray to God for something and it comes quickly or easily, they think that God has "answered" them. However, this is not always the case.
When God blesses someone, he is doing what is best for the individual. This means that if one (even a christian) prays to God for a 'new car,' and the Father sees that it is not in his/her best interests to have a new car, if a new car comes and the person obtains it thinking it was from God, that one was fooled because it was not from the Father. Now, anything that does not come from the Father is coming from the Adversary. When the Father blesses someone, he gives them what is best for them. Therefore, if he sees in one that because of their anger they are not able to obtain 'peace' and he sees in their heart that they are 'asking' for peace, he will bless that individual by telling him/her and/or sending one to him/her to tell him/her that the reason they are unable to obtain peace is because they have anger issues. Being told from the Spirit what we are doing wrong IS a blessing. Now, after receiving this blessing people will "appreciate" and be "thankful" for the correction, get offended and persecute the one who delivered such correction, or perhaps ignore the messenger and disregard what was told to him/her. Many times people do not like to receive correction and therefore, when God wishes to BLESS someone by "correcting" him/her, they DON'T want the blessing. Therefore, God does not force anything upon them that they wish NOT to receive. Is God withholding this blessing a punishment? No, it is not, for in doing so he is RESPECTING the person's free will not to receive such blessing.
When the Father sent forth his Son into the earth, he richly blessed Israel by telling them their works were wicked and tried to turn each one from their wicked deeds. They responded by hating him and hanging him upon a tree. Many times Pastors or Deacons or religious ones of the churches are asking in their hearts to receive things from God or wish to hear the truth, yet when the Father sends such ones to them to BLESS them by telling them what they need to hear, that they have been misled, may of them respond to the blessing by persecuting the messengers and slandering him/her and slandering the One who sent him/her. When ones are sent to give a blessing in the form of correction and the person actually 'heeds' the words and receives the correction, the 'peace' they receive proves to be a TRUE blessing because not only have they been delivered from their wicked ways, but now they have a peace of mind and can help others who are asking to also be delivered.
God does not bless people by building up their flesh and giving what their flesh craves. He builds up their spirits so that they may have GREATER peace and understanding and come to know wisdom and knowledge. If a person is hungry or thirsty or in a physical need, he will bless them physically and he adds no pain with it. However, if one is asking for something for a wrong purpose, God does not answer those things. Everything he does is for a 'purpose' and he does not give to others what would prove to be detrimental to them. Therefore, if God withholds a blessing; he is doing it for THEIR benefit because many times people do not realize what it is they are asking for, until they 'receive it' and REGRET it.
Aaron