Favor: Removing Barriers

Favor: Removing Barriers

What causes a prosperous soul inwardly to become a prosperous life externally? Favor is the mechanism that moves the internal prospering of your soul, to something that occurs outside of you, impacting your 'journey'. 

FAVOR IS A BIBLCAL WORD:

• Luke 1:51 And Jesus grew in favour with both God and man.  
• 1 Samuel 2:26 (NLT) Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew taller and grew in favour with the Lord and with the people.
• Genesis 6:8 But Noah found favour in the eyes of the Lord.
• Genesis 39:21 (ESV) But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison.
• Psalm 30:7 (NLT) Your favour, O Lord, made me as secure as mountain.
• Psalm 5:12 (ESV) For you bless the righteous, O Lord; you cover him with favour as with a shield.
• Psalm 90:7 Let the favour of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!
• Provers 3:1-4 My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments, for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you. Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favour and good success in the sight of God and man.
• Esther 7:3 (NLT) Queen Esther replied, “If I have found favour with the king, and if it pleases the king to grant my request, I ask that my life and the lives of my people will be spared.
• Acts 2:46-47 And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.

A HEALTHY SOUL IS AN ATTRACTIVE SOUL. What we are reading here is that it is possible to grow in favour with both God and man. That favour covers us like a shield, opens doors with mankind, and is something that highlights us in the sight of the Lord. 

SO WHAT IS FAVOR? 

LUKE 1:28-38

28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” 29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” 34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.” 38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

1) GRACE FOR MARY- THE ATTRACTION FACTOR:

" FAVOUR is the 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.”- Lance Wallnau

The Greek word used for favor towards Mary is actually charis (pronounced khar’-ece) and it is translated here and throughout the NT to mean ‘grace’. This form of grace doesn’t necessarily have to do with our salvation- rather, it has to do with the attractiveness of our souls towards God (and, as a byproduct: to man)…  As we walk in the grace OF our Salvation, and are lead by His spirit, that grace begins to transform us, heal our soul, and enhance our ‘attractiveness’ to both God & man. 

***FAVOR IS NOT FAVORITISM*** Now it is really important here to mention that favor and favoritism are not the same thing! The difference is actually equality. You see- we ALL have access to Gods grace. We have access to Salvation through Jesus, and we have access to His soul- transforming Holy Spirit, which allows us to live in His grace, impacting our attractiveness. Consequently, FAVORITISM is not equal. James describes it as partiality, and the Bible is very clear that partiality is not of God.

2) FAVOR HAS A PURPOSE

We see through the story of Mary that Gods favour was attached to a DIVINE PLAN AND PURPOSE- the birth of Jesus Christ. 

• HAVE YOU EVER ASKED SOMEONE TO DO YOU A FAVOR?  What are you asking for??? You are asking that someone in your life to do something special for you.  That they stop what they are doing and focus on you.  That they give you time, resource, counsel, wisdom money,  the help you need to do what you need to do. 

*When someone turns their time attention/energy towards us, that’s favor. The way we receive favor is by being attractive to that person- normally out of relationship! This changes our 'journey' (making it one that prospers) as individuals also feel compelled to help REMOVE BARRIERS ALONG YOUR PATHWAY.

• Sometimes we can want, or are frustrated that we don’t have ‘Gods favor’ but the reality is we do not understand that His favor normally means a DIVINE purpose (not one led by our flesh).

3) FAVOR REQUIRES CHOICE ON OUR END- Obedience! 

• Just like when a friend asks for a favour, God’s favour is ‘granted’ but has to be accepted. It’s not a favor if your friend forces you to do something; and so it is with God. 
• In Verse 38 we see that Mary says “May your word be fulfilled”- SHE SAID YES to the plan! 

For Mary, there was great cost that came with favor ON THE JOURNEY- BUT the divine plan- (the resurrection of Jesus), was what made the race worth running!

A prosperous journey is a GOOD journey to a GOOD destination. You see, when we ALIGN our soul with the will of God, our destination- our PUPOSE becomes clear and becomes kingdom-minded. 

To have a good journey, to be able to walk out our divine callings, we need to understand that a healthy soul leads to our attractiveness. It is the quality of the revelation of HIS GRACE in us that begins to transform our flesh, into a reflection of His nature and His spirit. That affection causes men to lend supports and resources along the way; removing the barriers that hinder us following through on Gods divine plan for our lives.