The Process
Favor (Part 2)
The Purpose of This Series: Few people ever learn how to walk in the favor of God. Others
have been walking in His favor for years and did not recognize it. In this series we will learn
how to identify activate the key components that attracts the favor of God and the favor of man
toward our life as a believer. Too few have enjoyed the rich blessings that God has for each of
His children, it's time we engage in this open opportunity to find favor!
The Purpose of This Message: Todays message is to open up our understanding to the
purpose and power of God given favor. God’s deliberate plan for mankind by sending His Son
to die for our sins didn’t end there. He provided for us an opportunity to grow in His Favor. It
would be an absolute waste to know that we all had a wonderful opportunity to have the best of
God and walked right by it. Today we are going to stop and take notice of God’s continued
provision for us as sons and daughters!
Radio
For each series, I go down to the radio station and make a 30 second spot to communicate the
series and give an invitation to come and visit one of our church services. As I opened my
mouth, the words came out, “I’m favored of God!” and then I went on with the rest of the
message. When I was finished with the recording, I turned to the technician and said, “That
sounded a little arrogant didn’t it?” She did not give much of a response, what was she
supposed to do, “Yes you were absolutely arrogant!”
But something I can say today, because I am with those who are like me, “We are favored of
God!” We carry the FAVOR of God in our lives so we can accomplish something
significant for Him. One thing you may be lacking in your life is a strong infusion of the
supernatural quality of God that marks you and sets you apart from others so you can
carry the purpose of God in your life and bring it to full life. That what FAVOR can do.
Favor is a special affection of God toward you that releases an influence on you, so that
others are inclined to like you or to cooperate with you!
God is attracted to you so that He might impart through you a special grace that can change
the lives of others. Favor is the irresistible charisma of Christ that comes upon a person,
that God is attracted to, so that a force begins to operate in and through them to
empower them to achieve the purpose for which favor came. God is drawing you near
Him so He can put something in and on you, the force of FAVOR.
One word that we could all utilize is FAVOR. The Bible is incredible. Everything in it is literally
yours if you know how to access it and allow it to have full manifestation in your life. Here is
the sequence to a full manifestation of God’s favor in your life. At one point, you will need
this Word of God to have full manifestation in your life. You may need a healing, a financial
breakthrough, a revelation, a supernatural insight to a situation or an authority to combat an
evil force attempting to destroy your life.
At some point, you will need to translate your Sunday morning experience with God’s
Word into a reality in your everyday week! Here’s the sequence of that happeing:
Knowledge= (Information) > Illumination > Revelation > Transformation > Manifestation
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• Knowledge (Information)- Jesus argued with the Priest of His day because they held
back the key of knowledge to keep people in the dark. Knowledge gives you information
so the Holy Spirit can go to work and give you Illumination.
• Illumination- Once the Spirit of God starts giving illumination on the information you start
getting revelation.
• Revelation- A revelation is an unveiling of something which is for you and hidden from
the world. It is a personal unveiling of God’s truth to your heart and life.
I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things
from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children...
Matthew 11:25
The advancing of the Kingdom of God is not dependent on our IQ! Once you
have revelation you have a vehicle that can carry into transformation.
• Transformation is when you are no longer the same. You think and act differently
because of the revelation that took place. Something has changes about you in
substance and not just theory. There is something different about you. And when you
walk long enough in that transformation you will begin to see manifestations.
• Manifestation- Manifest is a reflection of what you posses, you get it and it gets you!
One of the many questions I’ve been asked is, “Why aren’t there any miracles today like
there used to be?” Here is what I’ve seen in Africa, Mexico, India, the more literal that
you take the Word of God, the more power, manifestation you see the display of
God. I believe...
The power of God is publicly manifested only to the level that faith in God is privately
invested! The more factual that the Word of God is believed, the more powerful the
Word of God is received!
Kingdom Mind
Manifestation! What does this have to do with our message, FAVOR? I believe that there are
many who cry out for the manifestation of God not so much for the glorying of God, but for
approval on themselves. In other words, they are looking for a sign to prove them right.
Let me put it this way. In our nation, God can’t afford to show up with signs following
because it would seem like God approved their doctrine or public beliefs. There are so
many screwed up beliefs today that do not line of with God’s Word, they are publicly
accepted, politically positioned, but they are EVEL IN THE EYES OF GOD. These beliefs
are so wrong and distorted, yet these so-called Christians, are publicly, openly
disbelieving in the written Word of God.
The message of John the Baptist and the first teaching of Jesus was,
Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.
Matthew 3:2 (4:17)
Listen, this may not be a great argument, but if you were to stand in the presence of God
Himself, to which you will, do you want to tell Him that you didn’t believe His Word? Would you
rather make the mistake of following after people who gave their lives such as the apostles,
proving again and again that the faith they invested their lives in was true, or would you follow
the thoughts and opinions of people who can’t get along with anyone, who argue all the time
and have no manifested power of God in their life...oh, and have suffered nothing for the cross!
Come on, wake up! These guys are wolves in sheep’s clothing. They take pot shots at those
who take the Word of God for what it says, and they minimize their faith!? Where’s the faith of
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these accusers? In their own opinion, they have literally elevated their own thinking and
opinion to the level of God’s Word. Wow, this is not a doctrinal change, this is a cult challenge.
They are heretics, blind, conceited and full of poison. They delight in the destruction, failure,
division and confusion in any level of any church, among the leadership, it’s people and it’s
public appearance so they can somehow feel better about themselves and find approval for
their stance the vulnerable, simple, disillusioned, hurt and confused people. They don’t love,
but they teach they have the purest expression of it. They are in bed with everyone who
despises those who take the Word of God literal.
Too often God has more blessing for you than He can get to you. I think it’s imperative
that we find out and learn what it is that gives us the favor with God and man. God provided
a Spirit of inclination to give Esther, Daniel, David, Mary, even Jesus favor to succeed in
the kingdom. God’s favor wants to rest on you!
Favor is people experiencing God’s affection toward you. The Lord’s anointing puts the favor of
God on you.
When you are walking in the Spirit of favor it produces a perimeter of divine influence
that brings everything under the authority of the agenda that God is given you to
accomplish.
God doesn’t give favor for people just to make more money and to have more friends. He
gives them favor for the same reason that He would give Esther, Joseph and Daniel favor, so
they could influence a kingdom. He put a spirit of favor on David because he was going to
take over a kingdom. And God is giving you favor to take over kingdoms and influence them
for Him and His glory.
When you receive this fully you will no longer be self-conscience, or awkward around
people, fumbling your words and actions, you won’t be touchy, resentful, over sensitive,
hyper, easily irritated or addicted, you are free!
• Favor produces Envy and Temptation
God Luck Charm
It’s easy to miss the whole idea of the FAVOR of God, because it sounds like a God Luck
Charm. It looks like a way to twist God’s arm or manipulate His Word to get what you want.
Many people are offended because of the ways others have treated the Word of God, prayer
and fasting as a supernatural slot machine and have pushed away of the whole idea, settling
for less. God is not a good luck charm, but He does have FAVOR!
Three People Who Experienced The Favor Of God And Man
I.
Jehoahaz
The Bible tells us in II Kings 13 the 23 year of King Joash’s reign over Judah, Jehoahaz
became king of Israel. In his 17 years of rule all he did was evil in the eyes of the
Lord,(verse 2). It’s important here to understand that doing what is evil can have
different interpretations. Right now there are unacceptable behaviors trying to be
passed on as acceptable behaviors. The farther and farther we go, because of
our constitution, men will interpret it to justify what is EVIL IN THE EYES OF GOD.
To justify that, many will have to reinterpret what God meant, what was written then
doesn’t apply now or, it’s all a fairy tail and you need to get a life!
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Jehoahaz had no conscience toward God and never hesitated to think if he was
right or not. So God’s anger burned against him. And because of that, God kept the
whole country in bondage under the rule of Hazael, king of Aram. Look what happens,
Then Jehoahaz sought the LORD's favor, and the LORD listened to him, for he saw how
severely the king of Aram was oppressing Israel.
II Kings 13:4
Jehoahaz said to God, “I’ve had a thousand opinions, I’ve done it my way, I’ve had faith
in what I believed to be true, but I’m bankrupt, they are all proven to be nothing but my
human opinion, and now, I’ve got nothing! Help God!
That’s when God listened. In desperation, Jehoahaz sought the Lord’s favor. He
wasn’t trying to rub the genies bottle or the rabbit’s foot. He was depleted, on his
face, without arrogance or any demands. All he had was a real cry for help, for
God’s favor...and God listened. God didn’t even see Jehoahaz, He heard him, but he
“SAW HOW SEVERELY THE KING OF ARAM WAS OPPRESSING ISRAEL.”
Why was the king of Aram oppressing Israel? Because God placed him there because
without that limitation on king Jehoahaz’s God’s full judgement would have to come on
Israel. I believe if God does not come back, America will come under the bondage of
leadership that it has never experienced and will not recognize as bondage until years
later.
The LORD provided a deliverer for Israel, and they escaped from the power of Aram. So the
Israelites lived in their own homes as they had before.
II Kings 13:5
II.
Manasseh
When Manasseh was twelve years old he became king, and reigned in Jerusalem fiftyfive years. The Bible tells us,
He did evil in the eyes of the LORD, following the detestable practices of the nations the LORD
had driven out before the Israelites.
II Chronicles 33:2
He rebuilt the high places, erected altars to other Gods, (Baal) and made Asherah poles
and began to worship the stars. He even used the temple of God for worship of all the
other God’s, the very place where God said, “My Name will remain in Jerusalem
forever.” In other words, “No other God is to be worshiped here!” (Hey, if you don’t know
it, God is still saying that!)
Verse 6 tells us that he was so committed to this psycho worship that he sacrificed his
sons in the fire believing that he was truthfully worshiping God. Listen, when you walk
away from God, you can actually get more religious, just farther away from God! He
practiced everything, worshiped carved images, sorcery, divination and witchcraft,
and consulted mediums and spiritist’s.
The Bible says that Manasseh did much evil in the eyes of the LORD. Now let me
ask you a question, and I believe the answer today would be much different than a few
years back. Here’s the question, do you see the worship of carved images, stars or
being involved in sorcery, divination, witchcraft and consulting mediums and spiritist as
EVIL? Would you use that word to describe it? Does that Word sound to harsh? Does
it even fit when you think about it? Why I’m telling you this is because in our society
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today, these things are now called, “Entertainment!” Evil has the idea that it’s spooky
and frightening, noticeably bad.
God sees this as EVIL! When you try to blend the worship of other god’s, He sees it as
EVIL. It is something that should launch a huge RED LIGHT! It’s beyond yellow. But
listen, you have got to hear this. I believe that it is only a matter of years if things don’t
turn around that it will be illegal to have one God. Why I believe the communist may be
more poised and have a greater opportunity than America for a national, spiritual
revolution is that China says their is no God, but there is pressure, political pressure to
become more accepting of ALL forms of worship.
Why am I taking the time to point this out? Because how God responded to it then is
how God is responding to it now...IT IS PROVOKING HIM TO ANGER! There are far
too many people who call themselves Christians who are covering their ears, screaming
to the top of their lungs, “He is full of grace! He is full of love!” Yes He is, but He is full
of truth and justice! Evil PROVOKES GOD TO ANGER. God’s anger always positions
man in bondage before it places him in judgement!
But Manasseh led Judah and the people of Jerusalem astray, so that they did more evil than
the nations the LORD had destroyed before the Israelites.
II Chronicles 33:9
Evil has a spiraling affect downward. It gets worse, not better. When we call evil
according to our descending appetite, you can’t believe how far you will go. Nazi
Germany is a perfect example. When they had a check in their spirit, they let it go and
redefined evil. Here is a most important fact,
Evil is defined by God, not our conscientiousness or societies rule.
Until we submit to God’s definition of evil, we will remain in bondage to the
appetite to sin and will never have full freedom in Christ. His Word is only seen
as a suggestion, not a means for provision and manifestation.
If take the Word of God literal, you will see and know what is evil and contrary to
the Word of God. This does not mean that you are moved to judgement, anger
and forceful response, rather you are moved to brokeness, a love for the lost and
an aggression for the redemptive power of God to be displayed on this earth!
That’s where God can and will show up. When He hears us humble ourselves on our
knees and cry out for a nation, a people, a person who has no interest at all to turn from
their declining, descending beliefs. Some of the saddest words written is here,
The LORD spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they paid no attention.
II Chronicles 33:10
God tried to get their attention about the horrible decline that they were in but they
couldn’t call evil, evil. They couldn’t hear God, they paid no attention. God brought the
Assyrian army to take the kingdom and they took Manasseh prisoner. They put a hook
in his nose and led him like a cow with bronze shackles all the way to Babylon. (Vs. 11)
In his distress he sought the favor of the LORD his God and humbled himself greatly
before the God of his fathers.
II Chronicles 33:12
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And when he prayed to him, the LORD was moved by his entreaty and listened to his plea;
so he brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the
LORD is God.
II Chronicles 33:13
There are two things here worth mentioning:
1.
For some, it takes losing everything to realize that you had nothing at all! Not
only did God hear him but he placed him back at his original position...then
Manasseh knew that the Lord is God!
Sometimes it’s not in our devastation, but our restoration that we see God for
who He is! That’s why many fail and are restored and fail and are restored. If the
failure doesn’t wake them up, God is hoping the restoration will.
2.
Manasseh reinforced his military and defense, got rid of all the god’s and images, altars
and restored the altars of the Lord and started sacrificing to Him. (Verses 14-16)
III. Ezra
Last week I shared how there were a number of people throughout the Bible who had
the favor of God on them, Joseph, David, Esther, Daniel and Mary and more are
prominent examples. But Ezra is also a man whom God favored, even though he is not
so well known as those other men are.
We first meet Ezra in the 7th chapter of the book that bears his name. There is a 57-58
year gap between the events in chapters 6 and 7. Those who returned. Scholars tell us
that the temple in Jerusalem had been in a rebuilding process under the ministries of
Zerubbabel and Jeshua, aided by the preaching of the prophets Haggai and Zechariah.
Those who had returned to Jerusalem during that first wave were children of those
taken captive 70 years before. Ezra was going to help resettle the area where people
had either died or were very old by now. They had lost vision of their task at hand and
like in many cases, they had begun to blend together with the people that surrounded
them in outlining areas. Jerusalem was a mess, the walls were still broken down and
had not been rebuilt, leaving the city vulnerable to attack. God raised up Ezra and later,
Nehemiah, to bring spiritual reform to His people and prepare His kingdom!
Scholars tell us that both Ezra and Nehemiah were born in captivity, in Babylon. But in
both cases, it was God’s favor that gave them close connections with the ruling King,
King Artaxerxes. There was nothing in either of their lives that would make them
consider bailing out on the luxuries and prestige they had come to experience in their
lives. Slaves to servants to the king. But something would not settle in their spirit.
Something continued to engage their hearts and minds toward noble things for of God.
What is different about God’s favor on Ezra and Nehemiah than the others is, God’s
favor was to use their position in the kingdom to finance and build a prestigious
temple and community for the glory of God.
Deep in their hearts while living in one of the most privileged levels anyone could live at
that time, (as part of the kings administration), both men, at different times had this
unending gnawing to abandon their comfortable positions in Babylon and endure
the hardship and hassles of bringing life and vision back to a community whose
hope had all but died down to a flicker. But this was an overwhelming task, it was
unthought of. It was crazy! It was social and financial suicide.
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But there was something very appropriate for us today that stands out while reading
Ezra and Nehemiah. What stands out occurs six X’s in Ezra 7:6, 9, 28; 8:18, 22, 31,
and then two times in Nehemiah 2:8,18, eight occasions,
God’s hand was on Him!
God’s hand is another way of saying God’s favor. God blessed these two men and
the passion they had for Him. It would be good for us to study these two men’s lives to
learn about having the favor of God on our lives. Ezra 7:6 says that he was “skilled in
the law of Moses.” The word “skilled” means “swift” or “ready,” implying that Ezra was
quick to understand and put together the various parts of God’s Word. Many Bible
scholars believe that Ezra wrote the great Psalm 119, which extols God’s Word for 176
acrostic verses.
For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the LORD, and to
teaching its decrees and laws in Israel.
Ezra 7:10
It was a deliberate decision on his part to spend time in God’s Word. Here in Ezra 7, the
connection between Ezra and God’s Word is repeated no less than eight times
(7:6,10,11, 12,14, 21, 25, and 26)! You could not separate the Word of God from the
man. He lived it, ate it, talked it, carried it around in his hand, (verse 14). He was a
teacher, well versed in the Law of Moses, (Vs. 6). He was a man learned in matters
concerning the commands and decrees of the LORD for Israel (Vs. 11), full of wisdom in
the Word, (Vs. 25).
Blessed are all who fear the LORD, who walk in his ways.
Psalm 128:1
God’s favor on Ezra is seen in that this pagan king “granted him all he
requested” (7:6). The king granted five things:
1.
2.
3.
He authorized Ezra to go to Jerusalem to teach and establish (7:14, 25).
He provided the funds to buy supplies and temple vessels for the temple worship
(7:15-20).
He commanded the treasurers in the provinces to supplement anything else that Ezra
needed, up to:
• Unlimited silver and gold for the furnishings, sacrifices and needs of the temple,
approximately $2,000,000. (7:15-20)
• 33⁄4 tons of silver, 7,000+lbs of silver, @12 ounces/troy= $2,816,520 @ todays rate of
$33.53 lb. (7:21-22)
• 600 bushels of wheat @ conservative at $8.50 a bushel= $5100
• 600 gallons of wine
• 600 gallons of olive oil
• Unlimited salt
4.
5.
He exempted all temple officials and workers from taxation (7:24).
He authorized Ezra to set up a judicial system to see that these laws were obeyed
and that violators were properly punished (7:25-26).
The king was motivated, he was convinced that Ezra had to go. Wouldn’t that be
amazing that fell on you not so much for what you did, but what people felt? Look what
the king says,
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Whatever the God of heaven has prescribed, let it be done with diligence for the temple of the
God of heaven. Why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and of his sons?
Ezra 7:23
Favor on Ezra was a combination of a passionate pursuer of God mixed with a man
moved supernaturally by God. You can’t beat this! The king was generous in allowing
people to leave and go to Jerusalem and to supply their needs while they were there.
Praise be to the LORD, the God of our fathers, who has put it into the king's heart to bring
honor to the house of the LORD in Jerusalem in this way...
Ezra 7:27
...and who has extended his good favor to me before the king and his advisers and all the
king's powerful officials. Because the hand of the LORD my God was on me, I took
courage and gathered leading men from Israel to go up with me.
Ezra 7:28
Conclusion: Because of the favor of the Lord it revolutionized Ezra. Favor Kept Ezra From
Doing Three Things:
1. He Didn’t See Himself The Same: Before the king, his advisers, all the king’s powerful
officials!
2. He Didn’t Feel The Same: He took courage!
3. He Didn’t Do Life The Same: He gathered leading men from Israel to go up with him!
When the hand of the Lord is upon you, you do what Ezra did, YOU PRAISE GOD!
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