Faith and favor are two of the most positive words in the universe, and they are both gifts to us from our Heavenly Father through the Lord Jesus Christ. Faith and favor demonstrate that God is an Excellent Giver. Not only does He give us extraordinary spiritual gifts, but He gave us His Word, and it teaches us exactly how to master the gifts and use them to get some things done in the earth. 2Timothy 3:16-17(NLT) tells us, “16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 17 God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.” God has an agenda. Jeremiah 29:11 assures us that it is a good plan, and He is accomplishing it through His children. We’re on this earth to pass on to others what has been so freely extended to us.
Hebrews 11:1(NKJV) gives us the definition of faith. It tells us, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Faith is a supernatural substance that God deposited internally the moment we believed Jesus Christ died for our sins and was resurrected. Galatians 3:26-27 The Message (MSG) tells us, “25-27 But now you have arrived at your destination: By faith in Christ you are in direct relationship with God. Your baptism in Christ was not just washing you up for a fresh start. It also involved dressing you in an adult faith wardrobe—Christ’s life, the fulfillment of God’s original promise.” So after everything that God accomplished through Jesus Christ, He put the cherry on top by giving us a Christ kind of faith. And not only that, through his example Jesus showed us exactly how to wear our faith wardrobe, so that our entire life is a spiritual fashion show of epic proportion.
People talk a lot about God’s favor these days. If we really think about it, every day we live and breathe is drenched in His favor. It’s an extreme blessing to be above ground and see the sun shine every day. God handpicked each one of us. To have a relationship with Him through the Lord Jesus Christ means that He’s smiled on us with His favor, but as with many of His blessings, there are levels. We will never exhaust God’s blessings, and wherever we are in life, we should be motivated to go higher. The highest level that any of us could hope to achieve is to please God, and to receive from Him in a way that lets us know that He is well pleased.
Hebrews 11:6 tells us that it’s impossible to please Heavenly Father without faith. It also tells us that God is a Rewarder. He rewards those of us who put our whole hearts into seeking Him. Matthew 6:33 cosigns this and tells us that we must seek God first, before we seek anything or anyone else. This verse tells us that if we do this, if we always put God in the number one priority spot, all blessings will be added to us. Talk about favor, this is it! It’s the place we should aspire to reach as sons and daughters of the Almighty God.
An incredible season of God’s favor is upon us, and many of us are going to miss it because we’ve gotten too comfortable. Our refusal to step outside our comfort zones sends a signal that we’re not flexible to the Will of God, or that we want to do things our own way. God is very clear in His Word, and His statues and directives are not ambiguous or negotiable. If we refuse to believe His Word and trust His promises, we will not be obedient to His call. We will not see faith and favor working together and partnering with our conviction to walk in destiny.
Favor and destiny are inextricably linked; and obedience opens the door to God’s favor. We can see many examples of this truth in God’s Word. In the Book of Esther, her obedience is notorious. She came from humble beginnings. Her parents died when she was very young and she was raised by her cousin, Mordecai, who was a father to her. To say that she was an unlikely queen is an understatement, but that was her destiny, to take Vashti’s place and become King Xerxes’s queen. God found in Esther a person that He could count on. She didn’t know all the details of God’s plan, and probably never dreamed that through her, God had a plan to rescue His people, but her obedience was steadfast, and it was rewarded handsomely with God’s favor. The same thing will happen to us when we seek to please Him.
God wants us to have favor with Him, and this requires that we be committed to do what He wants us to do. In His Word, we see countless records of how God blessed His people and showed them His divine favor. He could rely on their obedience, and He should be able to count on our obedience as well. Life is not always easy. In fact, it can be extremely challenging at times. There are many Christian soldiers that are giving up on God’s mission, but they are denying themselves the glory He has in store for them. Don’t let this be said of you. Understand that your part in God’s plan for the entire universe is consequential. Let this truth marinate in your heart and increase your faith, because God promises that if you continue to seek His face and walk by His Will through faith, you will be clothed in His grace and favor. ■
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
“Faith and Favor” written by JMack. 4theChristianMan.Com© 2018. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.