December 23, 2020
Highly Favored of the Lord
Beloved, does God have favorites? Are you highly favored of the Lord? I walk in the favor of God, but you don’t just start walking in favor. If you are truthful, loyal, and kind and you wear the Word of God like a necklace and hide it in your heart, then you will find favor with God and man and gain a good reputation! (Proverbs 3:4-5 TLB) Solomon shared these secrets to walking in the favor of God!
Gabriel, the angel of the Lord, appeared to Mary and said, “Congratulations, favored lady! The Lord is with you! Blessed are you among women.” He said, ‘Don’t be frightened, Mary, “for God has decided to wonderfully bless you! Soon, you will become pregnant and have a baby boy, and you are to name Him ‘Jesus.’ (Luke 1:28-31) He shall be very great and shall be called the Son of God. And the Lord God shall give Him the throne of His ancestor David. And He shall reign over Israel forever; His Kingdom shall never end!” Mary asked the angel, “how can I have a baby? I am a virgin.” The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit shall come upon you, and the power of God shall overshadow you, so the baby born to you will be utterly holy—the Son of God. (Luke 1:32-35) Mary said, “I am the Lord’s servant, and I am willing to do whatever He wants. May everything you said come true.” And then the angel disappeared. (Luke 1:38) God highly favored Mary!
Zacharias was in the sanctuary, and suddenly an angel appeared! Zacharias was terrified. But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zacharias! I have come to tell you that God has heard your prayer, and your wife, Elizabeth, will bear you a son! You are to name him John. You will both have great joy and gladness at his birth. He will be one of the Lord’s great men. He must never touch wine or hard liquor—and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from before his birth! (Luke 1:11-15) And he will persuade many a Jew to turn to the Lord. He will be a man of rugged spirit and power like Elijah, and he will precede the coming of the Messiah, preparing the people for his arrival. He will soften adult hearts to become like little children’s!” Zacharias said to the angel, “This is impossible! I’m an old man, and my wife is also up in years.” (Luke 1:16-18) The angel said, “I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was He who sent me to you with this good news! Because you haven’t believed me, you are to be stricken silent, unable to speak until the child is born. For my words will certainly come true at the proper time.” (Luke 1:19-20) He didn’t believe God and suffered the consequences. (Luke 1:22) There are consequences for not believing God!
The Lord appeared to Abraham in (Genesis 18) because he believed God; he was favored. God gave Daniel had divine favor in (Daniel 1:9) Ruth had divine favor, so did Esther and Hannah – and a host of many others! You walk in the favor of God when you are truthful, loyal, and kind; you hide the Word of God in your heart and wear it like a necklace. (Proverbs 3:4-6 TLB) What does each of these mighty men and women have in common? They were sons and daughters of God. All God’s children are favored – He doesn’t have favorites! If you obey His commands and believe God, then you will walk in the favor of God! Favor is grace! The Greek word for favor is ‘charis,’ which means the gift of grace. Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord because he believed God. (Genesis 6:8). By grace, you have been saved through faith, and you find grace with God because you believe! (Ephesians 2:8) When you received God’s grace, you received eternal life. (1 John 5:13) Faith is believing God! Everyone who believes God and trusts Him has His favor on their lives, and as a gift, you now walk in the abundant life. (John 10:10)
