If you
follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands, I will send you rain in
its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees of the field
their fruit. Your threshing will continue until grape harvest and the grape
harvest will continue until planting, and you will eat all the food you want
and live in safety in your land. I will look on you with favor and make you
fruitful and increase your numbers, and I will keep my covenant with you. You
will still be eating last year’s harvest when you will have to move it out to
make room for the new. Leviticus Chapter 26 verses 3 to 5, 9 to 10, NIV,
Women's Devotional Bible.
Mary
the mother of Jesus Christ was highly favored. That is to say she had tons of
favor from God. Please see Luke Chapter 1 verses 26 to 37. The Bible records
that Mary found favor with God and received grace to become the mother of our
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Mary
was an unknown young woman from the linage of Aaron (Luke Chapter 1 verses, 5,
36) who was betrothed to Joseph, a descendant of David. But Mary achieved
global fame, honor and eternal security in Christ Jesus because she was highly
favored by God. Please read Luke Chapter 1 verses 26 to 30 to birth the Lord
Jesus Christ. The favor of God upon Mary elevated Mary above her peers.
Beloved,
you can be suddenly elevated above your peers by the favor of God upon your
life if only you will allow God take charge of your life. Mary was a chaste
young woman; she was engaged to be married but was suddenly found to be with
child – pregnant outside of wedlock. Joseph considered putting her away but
rescinded his decision after God spoke with him through His angel. Please read
Matthew Chapter 1 verses 18 to 25. Beloved, the circumstances were not pleasant
for Mary, a young unmarried woman pregnant; not even by her fiancé. But God
intervened and Joseph did the right thing.
This
implies that the pathway to global fame, honor, increase, great wealth and
eternal security in Christ Jesus are not necessarily smooth pathways. They are
sometimes strewn with stumbling blocks and challenges that if managed with the
wisdom of God produce the desired results of increase and greatness. But when
such bottlenecks are managed in the flesh, the result is failure. Esther and
Mordecai though favored by God experienced such challenges which they
surmounted with the wisdom of God. Joseph was greatly favored of God but it was
an uphill climb amidst envy, hatred and persecution from his siblings and much
later, the highly immoral wife of his master, Potiphar. Fortunately for Joseph,
he feared God and walked in wisdom and God delivered him from the satanic trap
set by Potiphar’s wife.
The
leverage of favor is great but at the same time, the recipient of God’s favor
should always ask God for the wisdom of God and walk in the wisdom of God to
surmount the challenges which usually show up in the pathway of divine favor.
A
person who is divinely favored can always call the shots. Please read Daniel
Chapter 2 to gain insight into how Daniel requested time from the King to get
the dream and tell both the content of the dream as well as its interpretation.
The king granted Daniel’s requests. He also requested to be excused from eating
the King’s meat, an unusual request which had never being made and would never
be granted. But because Daniel enjoyed divine favor, the request was granted.
Significantly, Daniel’s requests were bold; for instance some of the wise men
of Babylon had been killed on account of the King’s decree when Daniel went in
to see the King to request time and because God was in control, his request was
granted.
The
favor of God also attracts the mercy of God. Please read Isaiah Chapter 60
verses 1 to 13 to bring about divine wealth transfer, a precursor to increase,
wealth and overflowing abundance. Please see also Psalm 105 verse 24, Job
Chapter 1 verse 10, also 42 to 45.
The
leverage of divine favor is a precursor to addition, multiplication and
increase. Please read Acts Chapter 2 verses 46 to 47. As the members of the
early Church lived in unity and peace with one another, sharing their resources
with one another, studying and practicing the word of God and praising God, God
gave them favor before all the people; favor to have the liberty of preaching
and teaching the Word; favor to praise God unhindered; to live Christlike lives without being harassed
and persecuted. Subsequently, God increased the Church by daily adding to the
Church those who were being saved.
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