Activate FAVOR

INTRODUCTION
Favor in this world has different depths and meanings. We all want it in one shape or form. When I started this book, I was so excited to talk about favor. There are times I could feel God’s favor and others not so much. I want to take you through my journey as favor can be viewed or defined by where you have been, where you are now, and where you are going. It reminds me of the American Express Centurion Card, often referred to as the “Amex Black Card,” distinguishes those who carry it above the rest. The card comes with an initial cost, as well as an annual renewal that can exceed the dollar amount that many do not even charge on purchase each year. Very few receive this prestigious card. There are benefits that come with this card that you would not receive with other cards. When you walk into a merchant, a hotel, or a restaurant and present this card for payment, people recognize you as someone who has financial favor in this world. The favor of God comes with priceless benefits that you will not get anywhere else. Now imagine that everywhere you go, people recognize you as someone who has His favor. Picture what that would look like in your life and the lives of those you encounter.
I am so glad that you chose to pick up this book. You have the interest, the drive, the curiosity, or maybe the hope to walk in the middle of God’s favor. Many of you may have the same perception of obtaining God’s favor that I held onto for years. You are searching for a way to earn the favor of God. I figured that much like at work; there are certain boxes I would have to check off to earn it. The boxes include paying tithes and offerings, doing right, avoiding evil, serving at church, being a good neighbor, and more. Ironically, I was a pastor teaching on the grace of God, but personally, I was striving to earn His approval. I understood I was going to heaven when I died, but while on this earth, I put pressure on myself to work for God’s favor and approval. I did not truly understand what I was looking for. My idea consisted of money, health, and that my children would be okay and not go astray. We all have an idea of what favor looks like for us, but what is it really? In this book, I would like to share what God revealed to me. I believe it can and truly hope you will apply it and allow it to change your life. The concepts in this book can open your eyes to not only see what God’s favor is but also equip you to walk in it through your everyday life.
As a teenager, I participated in a mission trip to Mexico with some of the other youth in our church. When I decided to sign up for the trip, I had no idea what I was in for. Our group departed Montana, arriving in Mexico to spend time with the missionary our church supported. As a teen, this was an opportunity to travel and see the world, much like a vacation. I was not quite ready to get up at five o’clock in the morning for the early morning prayer service at the church. After leaving the building, I could have woken up the rooster to prepare him to crow his wake-up call to the community. Afterwards, we would pack into the suburban like sardines, with some people sitting on top and hanging off the back to get there. I am not sure what the weight limit was, but I am sure we were challenging it.
The suburban would take occasional stops along the way. Some of the adults in our group would exit the vehicle, going into the home at that stop, and pray for the sick at that location. We could end up waiting for extended periods of time in the vehicle, depending on the length of time needed for the ministry there. We attended small group meetings inside church members’ homes. They would serve us meals with the best food they have. This would often consist of field corn and all parts of the chicken. I was not prepared for their menu. I am generally selective in what I eat. I want to be able to recognize it, and I prefer it not come from a garden.
My Joseph moment occurred at one of these house meetings. This is the moment where God revealed my future purpose, just like He did for Joseph in the Bible. It took years before that future for Joseph played out. My moment happened during a time of sharing at a small group meeting. Those of us who were teens were asked what we thought we were going to be when we became adults. Most of us in the group really did not have a plan for our future. When the question went around the circle, I could feel the nervousness in that moment. With all eyes on me, I blurt out that I believe someday I will be a pastor. The words hit like a shockwave. I was not living out my best Christian life at the time. Even on the trip, there was too much time dedicated to using the restroom between meals and sleeping during prayer service. I would not score high on the spiritual aptitude test at that moment. Just like in the story of Joseph, just because God reveals to you something in your future, it is not necessarily meant to be shared with others around or closest to you. God wants us to prepare for our future but not necessarily shout it out to the world.
The trip opened my eyes to ministry in another country. We would hike into villages in the afternoon, set up, and show the Jesus movie after dark to the villagers. God used this movie in a powerful way, and many accepted Jesus as a result. When the movie was over, we would pack up and head back out of the village. We would hike back in the moonlight through the cactus-filled terrain. The missionary carried the lone flashlight to help guide us along the path if we stayed close to him. I got a better understanding in this moment of the verse below in Psalms while watching the missionary with the flashlight. The closer we were to him, the better we could see the path.
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” – Psalms 119:105
When I begin to position myself where God’s word is the lamp to my feet and focus on the next step He reveals to me, I start to walk in His favor. He will light my path so I can see where I am going. Favor can look like a lot of things to a lot of people. We all paint a different picture of it. My perspective is that I need God to give me wisdom and direction, guiding my every step. I have tried in the past to blaze my own trail. Like those in the mountains of Mexico, I can come home with cactus souvenirs when I go off on my own.
I came back home trying to walk out the Christian teenager life during the eighties. The church went through a very legalistic movement. There were accountability partners whose roles were to catch you in the act of your sin, so they did not feel condemned for their own. The church would police and condemn their own for their sins. The prayer chain became the quickest form of self-righteous gossip. While I believed in the grace of God, I continually strived for His approval. God did not wait for me, nor does He wait for you, to get religious and walk a perfect life, to have His Son die and rise again for His acceptance. I am approved, so now I can walk in the favor of God. Like Paul in the New Testament, I am a bondservant of Jesus willingly giving my life back to Him, because of all He has done for me. Honestly, if the only thing He ever did for me was to die on the cross that would have been enough. Is it enough for you? Salvation from the eternal penalty we deserve is our first opportunity to accept His favor in our lives.