Favor is so important to us. We not only want to have favor with God, but also with those around us, especially those we consider to be our spiritual leaders. They’re like our mamas and daddies in the faith.
We also want favor from our friends, our children, and our family.
As human beings, we desire favor. It’s something God put in us. It’s a good thing to desire God’s approval.
And, that’s simply what it is … approval. It’s someone acknowledging, “Hey, I like you and I think you’re doing a good job at whatever.” It’s also partiality, which is where it can get tricky for a lot of us. (Some of us have more favor than others. It’s just the way it goes, not only from God, but from the people around us.When we’re not the one being favored or on the receiving end of the partiality, we tend to feel less than what we really are. It can affect us both positively and negatively. It’s up to us to determine which way we’ll react to any type of partiality.)
To have favor is a blessing.
But, I don’t want to seek God just for His favor … His pat on the back. I want to seek God simply for who He is. That’s it. Plain and simple. I want to seek God to know Him more and for Him to change me.
I desire His change more than His favor.
I know He loves me. I want His approval. But, I want Him to transform me into someone who’s usable. I want to be usable.
I was thinking about favor this morning because of a word that was spoken over me when I was in El Salvador. Crazy how deep spiritual things can happen that, at the time, we think we’ll never forget, and we do forget. We just do.
As we were all praying together one night before we were going out to minister the next morning, the missionary there spoke to me and said He felt like what he was about to say was from the Lord. After He said it, I knew it was. It was an exact response to what I was dealing with.
(Side-Note: You know I tend to throw in the towel. It’s just easy that way. Even as I sit on my couch, typing this, I think how easy my life would be if I could just quit everything and simply be a wife and mom. However, I know that’s not what God’s called me to at this time. There was a time that He did and I stepped back from most things and was just that … a wife and mommy. Now, He’s stretched me in more ways than I could have ever imagined and seems to continue to do so, despite my hesitation.)
His word was this:
You can’t work for the favor of God.
(which I also tend to do … always agonizing over things)
The favor of God already rests upon you. Like Joseph, you will have favor with those you need to have favor with.
That statement: “The favor of God already rests upon you” was huge to me.
It’s already there. Mama Belle, stop trying to downplay your role and pass it off to someone else who you think has more favor or is more worthy. Just continue in your obedience and He will direct your next step.
And, having “favor with those you need to have favor with,” also spoke volumes. It took a load off of me, a burden gone. Mama Belle, you’re not going to please everyone or make everyone happy, and that’s OK. Again, just continue in your obedience and He will direct your next step.
I already have the favor. And, if you are a Christ-follower, who lives your life to please God, then honestly, you have His favor too. We need to walk in that favor and stop trying to seek it so much.
I continuously speak this Scripture over myself. It’s for all of us.
Isaiah 61:1-3 (The Message)
The Spirit of God, the Master, is on me because God anointed me.
He sent me to preach good news to the poor,
heal the heartbroken,
Announce freedom to all captives,
pardon all prisoners.
God sent me to announce the year of his grace—
a celebration of God’s destruction of our enemies—
and to comfort all who mourn,
To care for the needs of all who mourn in Zion,
give them bouquets of roses instead of ashes,
Messages of joy instead of news of doom,
a praising heart instead of a languid spirit.
He sent me to preach good news to the poor,
heal the heartbroken,
Announce freedom to all captives,
pardon all prisoners.
God sent me to announce the year of his grace—
a celebration of God’s destruction of our enemies—
and to comfort all who mourn,
To care for the needs of all who mourn in Zion,
give them bouquets of roses instead of ashes,
Messages of joy instead of news of doom,
a praising heart instead of a languid spirit.
It’s our calling. We just need to walk in it and walk it out. We walk in the favor of God when we do as He commands. We just need to believe it.
Such a powerful message! Thank you!
This kind of reminds me of what our pastor preached about, how we need to seek God's favor and not the world's. What we do, we should do for the right reasons, to help others and please God, instead of to please men or seek our own self-satisfaction. It's hard sometimes, because we're taught to seek a good reaction from others', but we have to remember that God's favor comes first.