Recognize the Favor of God

For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace ( khane graciousness, kindness, favor) and

glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly (Ps 84:11). God has promised to display His Divine Favor and He will not withhold any good thing from those He has blessed! Notice from the underscored items above that good things and favor travel as a pair. Determine in your life that you are going to become more grace and more favor-minded.

We all need to change our thinking and begin to speak our new mind-set as follows:

God s favor goes before me; `

God s favor opens doors for me that no man can shut;

God s favor overtakes me wherever I go!

Do not ever give up on the Favor of God!

Where does favor come from in our lives? We read, And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham. Let me ask the question, Are you living under the same faith as that of Abraham? If you claim that you live in the same faith as Abraham, then, you should be able to proclaim that you are blessed with faithful Abraham (Gal 3:9). Notice how Paul described the promises of God toward Abraham and the inclusion of those promises to the gentiles, That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith (Gal 3:14). He continues, Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made (Gal 3:16).

Paul taught that the seed (singular), was a direct reference to Jesus, the Messiah. However, Paul made reference to much more than the Messiah s association with the promises of Abraham, he also wrote, if ye be Christ's (i.e., you belong to the Messiah), then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise (Gal 3:29). You are

heirs according to the promise! If we belong to Christ; that is to say, if He is the Lord of our life, then we are heirs according to the promise. Whatever God promised Abraham; He has also promised to the normal everyday Christian! Abraham s blessings are yours too!

Now let s investigate what Paul wrote concerning the promise of Abraham, Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace (charis favor); to the end the promise might be sure (certain, unfailing, and infallible) to all the seed (this means you and me!) (Rom 4:16). You may not know exactly what belongs to you! You might not be experiencing the sure (certain, unfailing, and infallible) promises of Abraham! If you don t know what the promises of Abraham are then certainly you are not properly experiencing the promises at this time. Therefore, it is time for you to begin to learn!

Once you really get a revelation that you are blessed in Abraham, you will never again have a down day! The scripture says, And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee! At this point we need to understand two concepts before we continue:

(1) (Gen 12:2, from the Amplified Bible) I will bless you with abundant increase of favors God is here promising to increase His favor on Abraham s life! You are a seed of Abraham. If God promised to increase His favor on Abraham s life, then God must also increase His favor upon your life, because you are the seed of Abraham! It follows that God s Favor brings good things into our lives!

(2) We need to get our minds into the culture that surrounded Abraham. The blessing that God gave to Abraham was not just some specific gift or a specific promise of possessions, the blessing consisted of the words that God spoke over Abraham s Life! Notice the concept in, Gen 27:30, as soon as Isaac had made an end of blessing (speaking words over) Jacob The same idea that the words are the blessing continues in Gen 27:38, And Esau said unto his father, Hast thou but one blessing (are there not other good words for me), my father? bless me, even me also, O my father. And Esau lifted up his voice, and wept. The Blessing that we attribute to Abraham consists of the words that were spoken to him regarding national leadership and rulership over his brethren!

Now back to the passage from Genesis 12, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee (Gen 12:2-3). Repeat after me out loud, I am a blessing and I bless Abraham s children! Now, according to that scripture, you will be blessed. However, even more than our speaking out a blessings upon Abraham, we have the Logos word of God, And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise (Gal 3:29). Abraham s blessings have been given to us through the very Word of God!

In our lives, God gives us promotions and raises and changes to better jobs because we have God s advantage through Christ! Do you expect even simple favor like a front row parking space? You should! When you regularly expect the Favor of God you will receive it all the more. You cannot predict when or how the favor will manifest itself; you can only have faith that it will come! Every time you experience a supernatural advantage, even when it is small thing, declare it out loud right then and there! In those times declare,

That was the Favor of God! We will receive more of God s Favor when we express thankfulness for his benefits. When we have an Attitude of Gratitude we will receive more favor! Shout it out loud, That was the Favor of God on my life! Thank you Lord! Regarding favor, God performs more than enough, Now unto him that is able to do

exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us (Eph 3:20). Realize that the same verse says, according to the power that worketh in us! We need to be working (i.e., exercising through faith and through our words) the power that God has made available within us! Bring to mind Abraham s blessing as expressed in the amplified, I will bless you with abundant increase of favors!

That is the reason why Abraham was unconcerned and he told Lot, if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left. And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where (Gen 13:9-10). At first blush, it seems as if Abraham got the short end of the stick. However, Abraham understood by the blessing of the words that were spoken into his life that he was well favored of the Lord! No matter what direction Lot decided to choose, Abraham knew that he would be blessed of God, the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things (Gen 24:1).

 

The Greek and Hebrew words translated into Grace and Favor are synonymous in both Testaments. Whenever you see the word grace in the Bible, don t forget that it can also be translated into, favor! Every time you see grace, study and meditate on it and to see if favor would make the meaning of the passage more complete. You may have observed that Paul often opens and closes his letters with the word, grace. In fact almost every epistle of Paul begins and ends with the Greek word charis which means both favor and grace! Notice Romans, To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace (charis favor) to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ (Rom 1:7). Notice the letters to the Corinthians, Grace (charis favor) be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor 1:3) and Grace (charis favor) be to you and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ (2 Cor 1:2). Galatians has the same message, Grace (charis favor) be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ (Gal 1:3). The Apostle

Paul regularly greeted his churches with the word grace in the sense that they should be favor-minded; we observe that in Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1&2 Thessalonians, 1&2 Timothy, Titus, and in Philemon. Now realize, these people whom Paul addresses were already part of the Church; therefore, they had already received the Grace unto Salvation. With that insight, we can see that Paul was affirming the blessings of God s

favor upon the churches through his salutations. Paul consistently maintained his focused of affirming the blessings of Abraham upon the Gentiles! Since he was an educated Jew and versed in the Old Testament, Paul knew that the devil does not belong on our backs; rather, he belongs under our feet, And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath (Deut 28:13).

We are not to be the last one to get a raise, or the last one to get promoted! We are Abraham s children and therefore we possess his blessing! And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace (charis favor) was upon them all (Acts 4:33). The early apostles had the Great Favor of God upon them!

The Favor of God is the difference between winning and losing; between success and failure! This does not mean that we will not be challenged by satan, Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution (2 Tim 3:12). However, we will not be defeated by his challenges and adversities. What we are learning is that neither failure nor defeat are part of our future. These impostors, which manifest themselves, as trials

are mountains that actually must be removed from our Christian path!

Paul faced many challenges yet he was never defeated, We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed . . . For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace (charis favor) might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God. For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction (impostor trials or mountains), which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal (2 Cor 4:8-18).

Believing in the Favor of God is certainly one of those things that are not seen. Yet, once favor begins to operate in our lives, we are spiritually strengthened through its manifestation. No matter what the enemy formulates and throws our direction, we will grow stronger and actually be made a winner in every instance through the Favor of God! However, just like a tree, you must have sufficient root system developed through character produced by the renewing of your mind! Like a great tree, God will not give you great prosperity until you have developed a root system which can sustain your prosperity, For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith (covetousness attacks the very root of a man s life), and pierced themselves

through with many sorrows (1 Tim 6:10). If you focus merely on the riches, which the promises of Abraham provide, and not on the prosperity of God for the Kingdom s sake, you continue through an un-renewed mind to remain unqualified for the riches. God grows us in stages, For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear. But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come (Mark 4:28-29). We need to realize that God uses the riches of Abraham in the production of His ultimate harvest! Once you are determined that the Favor of God rests upon your life, then you will begin to experience true success in every aspect of your life!

Turn your mountains into a plain!

Have you ever heard someone say to another that they are making a mountain out of a molehill? Of course, we have all heard that saying! The point is that we all have molehills and mountains in our lives that need to be removed! We have all read the famous passage, but let s review it one more time, For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith (Mark 11:23). Subtly, Jesus taught of the need for us to speak to our mountains! Indeed if we don t speak to them, then they will turn on us and speak to us. One might say, My bills are mounting up! Yet, you must speak to your mountains!

Instead of the mountains in our life being cast into the sea, sometimes it seems as though they become greater problems. Mountains have a way of keeping us in turmoil all the time! They tell us, There is no way you will ever get rid of me! Who do you think that you are, Oral Roberts? Your ministry is destined to remain small and insignificant. Can you hear one of my personal mountains speaking to me? Indeed I take authority over that

mountain! I reject its LYING message; on the contrary, I say, Oh Mountain against  _______________________ put your name their, by faith in the Favor of God; I say unto you, that you will be cast into the sea and our ministry will become exceedingly large over the very place where you once stood! 

 

Now what does Divine Favor have to do with our mountains? Surely you have heard Zechariah s prophecy,

Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts? (Zech 4:6). Of course, we have all heard that verse quoted in services many, many times! Unfortunately as a result of the thrust and focus of those messages, the preacher usually stops quoting at verse six. However, there is another significant and important message that is hidden in the very next verse, Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace ( khane graciousness, kindness, favor), grace unto it. The first time that we find the Hebrew word khane in the Old 
Testament it is used as a reference to Noah, But Noah found grace ( khane graciousness, kindness, favor), in the eyes of the LORD (Gen 6:8). Abraham used the Hebrew word khane when he was visited by three visitors, My Lord, if now I have found favour ( khane graciousness, kindness, favor), in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant (Gen 18:3). Just as the Favor of God destroyed Zerubbabel s 17-year-old mountain, it will also destroy ours.

So I can say with total conviction, Oh Mountain against _______________________ put your name their; by faith in the Favor of God, I say unto you that you will be cast into the sea of nothingness and I will become a great servant of God on the very plain where you once stood! Who are you Oh Great Mountain, I have a word (rhema) for you! The word is charis! We have the Divine Favor of God! It will remove you from your place and turn you into a vast plain! By speaking such things and believing in my words, I am removing my mountains and each of you will live to witness the plain which resulted through the removal of the impostor mountain before my life! You too can speak to your mountains and expect God s Divine Favor! Give thanks to God

for His Divine Favor and speak to your mountains!