The Spirit of Favor on Your House Read online

  Declaring God’s Favor

  It’s not enough just to have a revelation of the importance of God’s favor—that is, just to think the favor of God is important. We also need a revelation of the importance of declaring that favor. There’s a divine connection between our declaring the favor of God and the subsequent manifestation of it. Not a day goes by in which I’m not declaring the favor of God over my life, whether I’m believing God for an airplane or looking for a parking space.

  Most of us face challenges (both large and small) on a regular basis, oftentimes referring to the larger challenges as mountains. Take debt, for instance. When we’re facing a mountain of debt, that mountain will talk to us. It will keep us up all night, trying to convince us it’s too big to deal with and that it’s been with us too long for us ever to get rid of it. Truth be told, in the natural we don’t have the ability to change the situation. But Jesus said we have to talk to our mountains: “For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says” (Mark 11:23).

  You may be wondering what God’s favor has to do with mountains. We’re all familiar with the verse in Zechariah that says, “‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the LORD of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6). Most of us stop reading at this point, but let’s see what verse 7 says: “Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain! And he shall bring forth the capstone with shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!’”

  According to the Word of God, we are to shout grace, or God’s favor, to our mountain. When we declare and shout divine favor to our mountain, what we are doing is speaking words of faith, just as Jesus said we should do. We’re expressing our faith in the favor of God to move that mountain.

  The apostle Paul’s revelation of favor became a revelation of the power of declaring that favor over the lives of those he ministered to. He wrote thirteen of the twenty-seven epistles, or letters, contained in the New Testament. In each one he began with a greeting of grace, or divine favor, and usually concluded with a reminder to his readers that the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ would be with them all.

  In his letter to the Romans, Paul wrote, “Grace [divine favor] to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 1:7). To the church at Corinth he also said, “Grace [divine favor] to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 1:3; 2 Corinthians 1:2). Concluding his letter to the Galatians, Paul wrote, “The grace [divine favor] of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen” (Galatians 6:18).

  Time and time again, we see Paul declaring God’s favor over the Church, the Body of Christ. He was endeavoring to cause them to get a revelation of God’s favor. He wanted them to understand that the favor of God brings with it blessing, prosperity, and victory over every adversity. He wanted them to understand they didn’t have to be poor anymore, they didn’t have to be sick anymore, and they didn’t have to live “under the circumstances.”

  Neither do we.

  A Heritage of Favor

  Before God ever spoke forth the words “let there be light,” setting in motion the creation of all things that exist, He had a marvelous plan for mankind. The Bible tells us God’s plan was that all people would be redeemed by faith, as Paul explained in his letter to the Galatians.

  And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed.” So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.

  For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.” But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for “the just shall live by faith.” Yet the law is not of faith, but “the man who does them shall live by them.”

  (Galatians 3:8–12)

  The covenant God made with Abraham extended to both his natural and his spiritual posterity. Abraham’s natural lineage included his son Isaac and his grandson Jacob, who later became Israel, for whom the whole Hebrew nation is named. The term Gentile applies to all non-Jewish people, tribes, and nations. And it is by faith in Jesus Christ that Gentiles become the spiritual seed of Abraham, as Paul goes on to explain.

  Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

  Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,” who is Christ.

  And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

  (Galatians 3:13–14, 16, 29)

  If you and I belong to Christ, if we’ve made Jesus the Lord of our lives, the Bible says we are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise. In other words, whatever God promised to Abraham, He has also promised to us, as we see in Romans 4:16: “Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace [divine favor], so that the promise might be sure to all the seed.” The apostle Paul is telling us these promises are “sure” to the seed. The word sure means “certain, unfailing, or infallible.” We could say that God’s promises are a sure thing.

  Genesis 12 contains a particular promise God made to Abraham that applies to us as heirs of the promise. God said, “I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing” (Genesis 12:2). The Amplified version of this scripture says, “I will bless you [with abundant increase of favors].” In other words, God is promising to increase His favor in Abraham’s life. And as we follow Abraham’s story, we see that God’s favor indeed caused him to become a very prosperous man.

  An abundant increase in favor brought good things into Abraham’s life, and it will bring good things to us, as well. This kind of abundant favor is our heritage; it is available for us because we are the seed of Abraham. And we have an even more sure promise of favor because the Word tells us that God “is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20).

  In other words, there are benefits that come when we are walking in the favor of God.

  Ten Benefits of Walking in God’s Favor

  In the more than forty years that I’ve been studying and walking in the favor of God, I’ve come to identify ten specific benefits I’ve experienced repeatedly in my personal life. I’m not just putting forth anecdotal information here; each one of these benefits is biblically based.

  1. We will experience supernatural increase and promotion.

  The life of Joseph, which we will examine in the final chapter of this book, gives us a clear picture of this aspect of God’s favor. Because God’s favor was upon him, after being sold into slavery by his brothers, he was placed in charge of everything his master possessed. The Bible says that the Lord blessed the house of the Egyptian for Joseph’s sake.

  Later, when Joseph was imprisoned after being falsely accused, he found favor with the keeper of the prison and was put in charge of the prisoners. But Joseph’s story doesn’t end there. He went on to become governor of Egypt, overseeing all the wealth and commerce in the land.

  2. We will experience the restoration of everything the enemy has stolen from us.

  God’s people had been captives in Egypt for 430 years when He spoke these words to Moses: “And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and it shall be, when you go, that you shall not go empty-handed. But every woman shall ask of her neighbor, namely, of her who dwells near her house, articles of silver, articles of gold, and clothing; and you shall put them on your sons and on your daughters. So you shall plunder
the Egyptians” (Exodus 3:21–22).

  God didn’t intend for His people to walk out of captivity empty-handed. That’s why He said they would plunder the Egyptians, which means “to spoil, to recover, to rescue, and to snatch away.” But notice that the people had a part to play in this restoration; they had to put a demand on God’s favor by asking for those things God had promised them.

  We, too, can put a demand on favor by making this declaration: “The favor of God will restore to me everything the enemy has stolen!”

  3. We will receive honor—even in the midst of our adversaries.

  As a result of the ninth plague released against Egypt, the land had just experienced three days of what the Bible describes as a thick darkness that could be felt. Yet Moses and the children of Israel had light in their dwellings throughout those three days. The Bible says, “And the LORD gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants and in the sight of the people” (Exodus 11:3).

  Perhaps the most widely recognized of the psalms is the Twenty-third Psalm. We have all read these words penned by David: “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies” (Psalm 23:5). David was not the first person to experience honor in the presence of his enemies. He may have been inspired by the story of what God did for Moses and the Israelites.

  God has said, “I am the LORD, I do not change” (Malachi 3:6); therefore, we know that what He has done for Moses and for David, He will most certainly do for us as His favor brings us honor in the midst of our adversaries.

  4. We will increase in assets, especially in the area of land and real estate.

  Following the death of Moses, God told Joshua to arise and take the people across the Jordan into the land He was giving them. He said, “Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said to Moses” (Joshua 1:3). Just as God had promised, He delivered the land into their hands—and they didn’t have to fight for it. God said, “I delivered them into your hand. I sent the hornet before you which drove them out before you” (Joshua 24:11–12).

  When we declare that God’s favor will manifest as an increase in land and real estate, it happens. And guess what? We don’t have to pay the world’s price for it, either.

  5. We will experience great victories in the midst of great odds.

  One of the thing’s I’ve come to understand about walking in the favor of God is that the more impossible the battle looks, the easier the victory will come. That’s what happens when God’s favor is upon us. When speaking of the armies gathered against Israel, the Bible says, “And the LORD delivered them into the hand of Israel, who smote them and chased them. For it was of the LORD to harden their hearts, that they should come against Israel in battle, that he might destroy them utterly, and that they might have no favour” (Joshua 11:8, 20 KJV).

  Although the enemy armies surrounding the Israelites were a multitude that possessed countless horses, chariots, and presumably vast weapons of war, there was one thing they did not possess: favor. When the favor of God is upon us, we can expect to experience great victories in the midst of the greatest of odds.

  6. We will receive recognition even when we may be the least likely to be selected.

  As a boy, David was the youngest and the smallest of the sons of Jesse, from whom the prophet Samuel was to anoint a new king. When Jesse presented his sons to the old prophet, at first he didn’t even include David. But when the young boy arrived, the Lord said to Samuel, “Arise, anoint him; for this is the one!” (1 Samuel 16:12).

  After being anointed, David went back to tending his father’s sheep, but it wasn’t long before Saul, the reigning king, sought him out. “So David came to Saul and stood before him. And he loved him greatly, and he became his armorbearer. Then Saul sent to Jesse, saying, ‘Please let David stand before me, for he has found favor in my sight’” (1 Samuel 16:21–22).

  When the favor of God is upon us, we will be recognized. All we have to do is confess that favor to ourselves and praise God for it. When we do, it won’t be long before we receive recognition—even if we’re the least likely to be selected.

  7. We will experience preferential treatment.

  I’ve learned that if we will come before God with a humble spirit, He will lift us up and give us preferential treatment.

  The Bible says, “Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time” (1 Peter 5:6). That is just what had happened centuries earlier to a young woman named Esther who was taken before the king. “And Esther obtained favor in the sight of all who saw her. The king loved Esther more than all the other women, and she obtained grace and favor in his sight more than all the virgins; so he set the royal crown upon her head and made her queen” (Esther 2:15, 17).

  Esther obtained favor and, as a result, was beloved by the king, who made her his queen. When the favor of God is on our lives, prominence and preferential treatment come right along with it.

  8. Our petitions will be granted—even by ungodly civil authorities.

  After learning of Haman’s evil plot to kill all of the Jews in the kingdom, Esther formulated her own plan to petition the king for the lives of her people.

  The Bible says, “At the banquet of wine the king said to Esther, ‘What is your petition? It shall be granted you. What is your request, up to half the kingdom? It shall be done!’ Then Esther answered and said, ‘My petition and request is this: If I have found favor in the sight of the king, and if it pleases the king to grant my petition and fulfill my request, then let the king and Haman come to the banquet which I will prepare for them, and tomorrow I will do as the king has said’” (Esther 5:6–7).

  Although the king did not worship the God of the Jews—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—he was willing to grant Esther’s petition because the favor of God rested upon her.

  9. Policies, rules, and laws will be changed or reversed to our advantage.

  The decree calling for the death of all Jews had already gone forth, and the date had been set. Yet because of the favor of God that rested upon Esther, a new decree went forth. “Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther and Mordecai the Jew, ‘Indeed, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and they have hanged him on the gallows because he tried to lay his hand on the Jews. You yourselves write a decree concerning the Jews, as you please, in the king’s name, and seal it with the king’s signet ring; for whatever is written in the king’s name and sealed with the king’s signet ring no one can revoke’”(Esther 8:4–8).

  Notice that not only did the king agree to set forth a new decree, but also he allowed Esther and her cousin Mordecai to write the decree as they pleased, and then they sealed it with the king’s own signet ring. The Bible goes on to say, “In every province and city, wherever the king’s command and decree came, the Jews had joy and gladness, a feast and a holiday” (Esther 8:17).

  10. We won’t have to fight some battles, because God will fight them for us.

  Most of us are familiar with the words young David spoke to the Philistine giant before killing him with a stone: “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel. Then all this assembly shall know that the LORD does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the LORD’s” (1 Samuel 17:45, 47).

  When we put our faith in God and His great favor, He will fight our battles for us. That’s not to say we will never have to take a stand and exercise our faith, but we will certainly never have to fight our battles in our own strength. The psalmist wrote, “For they did not gain possession of the land by their own sword. Nor did their own arm save them; but it was Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your countenance, because You favored them” (Psalm 44:1–3).

  ■■■

  Coming to the place where we have knowledge and understanding of God’s favor and what it takes to tap into t
hat favor in a way that will produce benefits in our life is just the beginning. Simon Peter penned these words to believers:

  Grace [divine favor] and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

  For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

  Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make you call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble.

  (2 Peter 1:2, 8, 10)

  When God called Abraham to leave his country, his family, and his father’s house, He made this declaration: “I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing” (Genesis 12:2). The Amplified Bible says, “I will bless you [with abundant increase of favors] and make your name famous and distinguished.”