You position yourself for divine favor through your attitude

When the angel of God appeared to Mary to inform her of the good news, that she will be the vessel through whom Jesus will be born, she was initially afraid and apprehensive - Luk 1:28-29. This was a natural reaction to being told that as a virgin betrothed to a man she was going to conceive supernaturally. How will she explain this to Joseph and the rest of her family she must have been thinking.

The angel of God sought to reassure her. He told her not to be afraid because she had found favor with God - Luk 1:30. Why did God select Mary out of all the women He could have selected? Friend, Mary was positioned for the favor of God. She had the right attitude for what God was set to do through her. This is evident in her eventual response to the angel. In Luk 1:38 she said to the angel "let it be according to your word." Other people would have gone on to add doubt and unbelief to their initial apprehension.

By her response Mary demonstrated her attitude towards God and His Word. This was likely not the first time. God must have observed her obedience prior to the encounter with the angel in Luk 1, and found her to be the right candidate for favor. You see even though God has made His favor available for you, you must do your part by positioning yourself for the manifestation of divine favor through your attitude. Then you will walk in the fullness of God's favor.

You must act consistent with the operation of divine favor

There is an appropriate dress code for favor. You must dress in a way consistent with how you expect men to deal with you. This goes beyond just the physical clothes. It also refers to observing the right protocols, having the right attitude, and using the right words.

In Es 5:1-2, Esther had to appear before the king. Even though Esther was the queen she did not take her appearance before the king for granted. She prepared meticulously, she dressed appropriately and had the right demeanor before the king. This caused the divine favor of God to be activated on her behalf, and caused her to be favored before the king.

So it is not just enough to have the favor of God in operation in your life. Additionally, you must act, think, speak and dress consistently with the operation of divine favor in your life. So make a decision now that everything you do will be consistent with the flow of God's favor in your life.

With divine favor in operation nothing can stop you

God is able and willing to make available all the grace or favor that you need in order to accomplish all that you were created to do. According to scripture in 2 Cor 9:8, "He is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work". Favor is synonymous grace. In this scripture it clear that the favor of God can cause you to be sufficient in everything that is needed and to have an abundant supply of very resource that you need for your God-given dream.

The favor of God will cause you to be connected to the right people at the right time; divine relationships needed for your destiny. The favor of God will cause the right resources that you need for that God-given project to be supernaturally drawn unto you. The favor of God will cause your efforts to be magnified and cause you to enjoy outstanding results in all your endeavors. This is what it means to live a life of divine favor. You see with divine favor in operation in your life nothing can stop you. As you build and release your faith for favor you will indeed experience manifestations of divine favor.

Enjoy the overflow of God's favor

One of the keys to accessing the favor of God is your tithe. In Mal 3:10-11 God threw out a challenge. The challenge was that if you try out His word and instruction to bring the tithe to Him watch and see whether He will not do what He said He will do.

What did God say He will do? God said that as a result of bringing in the tithe He will open the widows of Heaven over you and pour out such a blessing upon you that there will not be room enough to contain it. He also said that He will protect the works of your hands and your harvest from the enemy who seeks to destroy. The windows of Heaven is a reference to the favor of God. God declares that your tithe will cause an outpouring of His favor upon you beyond anything you can think or imagine.

Friend the tithe represents a tenth of your income. Abraham paid the tithe unto God through Melchizedek - Heb 7:1-2. Jesus was called in the priesthood of Melchizedek - Heb 7:15-17, and Abraham is the Father of our Faith - Rom 4:16. So God still expects us to pay our tithe in this dispensation. As you continue in this vein, God's promise to cause you to be favored beyond measure is still in effect. Enjoy the overflow of God's favor.

Your relationships help to determine your path to greatness

There is a right association that ensures that you walk in the fullness of God's favor. Conversely the wrong association can move you away from the favor of God. Ruth recognized the power of association. She refused to dissociate from Naomi, her mother-in-law even though her husband had died. She recognized that by the favor of God she had been divinely connected - Ruth 1:16. This relationship eventually led her to her next husband. Today she is named in the lineage of Jesus. That's the favor of God - Ruth 2:10 & Ruth 4:13.

The power of association is evident in this story of Ruth and Naomi. According to Pro 13:20 you are encouraged to surround yourself with wise men and not fools so that you don't experience a manifestation of foolishness but rather the wisdom of your companions will rub off on you. Likewise you must be sensitive to the divine relationships that God has place around you. God intends that these relationships will be channels through which His favor will flow into your life. I see you walking in a greater dimension of the favor of God as you maximize the divine relationships He has surrounded you with.

This is your season to be rewarded

God has the ability to influence the hearts of those in authority over you from the president to your boss - Pro 21:1. He is willing to do this in order for you to be favored. In Es 6:1-3 the bible records that the king could not sleep. The king's sleep was disturbed. He could not sleep any further until he had addressed Mordecai's reward. You see Mordecai's had informed the king about an evil plot, and God caused the king to lose his sleep so that Mordecai could be rewarded. That was the favor of God in operation - Pro 3:4.

It is the favor of God that causes men and women to remember your seed of good and to reward you beyond your efforts and results. It is the favor of God that causes others to look on you favorably irrespective of the circumstances. It is the favor of God that causes people to notice you. Friend with God's favor on your side you can be assured that your reward will never be forgotten. This is your season to be rewarded.

It's time for your promotion

Many times believers erroneously subscribe to the world's way of doing things. They believe and act as though man is the source of promotion. This is as a result of a lack of revelation. The psalmist in Psa 75:6 accurately declares that true promotion comes from God.

You see men can promote you but unless it is from God it will not be fulfilling and lasting, and will not be consistent with the plan and purpose for your life. So instead of looking unto men for promotion you should look unto God. God is ready, willing and able to promote you from where you are currently to where you ought to be. However you must release your faith for God's favor.

You start by meditating on scriptures related to the favor of God. You meditate on these scriptures until you come to a place of revelation. At this point God's favor becomes more real to you than any situation that you are facing. Then you begin to confess the favor of God and begin to speak about the relevant situations in a way that is consistent with what God's word says about favor.

As you release your faith for favor and begin to walk in the consciousness of God's favor there will be a manifestation of God's favor that will lead to your promotion. Friend, it is your time for promotion. Make a commitment to do what it takes to lay hold on your promotion from God. See you at the top.

The right words can activate favor in your direction

Your words are very powerful. How and what words you choose to use are very important. They have the ability to build up and encourage others or to pull down and discourage them. If you choose to use your words rightly then they can become a delight to others and activate favor in your direction - Pro 16:13. However the wrong use and choice of words can cause pain and draw people away from you.

Friend, every moment of your life you are faced with a choice to use and choose the right words. Friendships and relationships designed by God to maximize destinies have been destroyed because of the wrong words. If you want to live a life characterized by divine favor before men then make the right choice. Fill yourself up with the Word of God. Allow the Holy Spirit to inspire you to choose to use the right words in every situation. Let your words be a delight.

Happy Father's Day - A Celebration of Fatherhood

Happy Fathers Day! Fathers are often criticized and maligned, and rarely celebrated. It's interesting that as important as fathers are society focuses more on pointing out the bad fathers rather than celebrating the great fathers. It's time to tip the balance because fathers are so important in society.

Let's start from the beginning. Fathers are meant to be the foundation of the family and to develop the potential and gifts of his children. Every male man was created with a seed of fatherhood in him. Irrespective of whether he has physical children every man has the potential to exhibit traits of fatherhood.

Consider that the male man was created first; before the female. God gave the male an assignment to tend and to keep - Gen 2:15. As a father the male is called to instruct his children - Pro 1:8-9 - with love and without provoking them - Eph 6:4. Fathers are called to raise up their children in the ways of God - Pro 22:6.

God has already given us the blueprint for fatherhood. Love is one of the roots of great fatherhood - Psa 103:13. God loved us so much that He gave what was most precious and valuable to Him so that you and could be redeemed from the enemy - John 3:16. It is love that drives a father to discipline his children - Pro 13:24.

Today many of the issues in society e.g. crime, lack of honor, degeneration of moral values, etc., are as a result of poor or absent fatherhood. There is a lot of absent or inadequate fatherhood. Even when fathers are present they are not fulfilling their roles consistent with God's Word. It is time for fathers to rise up and take their rightful roles in the families.

As you celebrate Fathers Day today make a decision to align yourself with God's purpose for fathers. If you are not a father commit the fathers around you into the hands of God; that they will succeed in their roles as fathers. Once again, Happy Father's Day!

Honor leads to favor

The favor of God will be needed in order for you to enjoy the fullness of God's plans. It is the favor of God that will cause you to receive things that you did not qualify for in the natural.

One of the keys to walking in the favor of God is honoring your parents - Eph 6:1-3. God instructed HIs people in Deut 5:16 that they must honor their fathers and mothers in order for them to love long lives. He went on to say that as they honored their parents things will go well for them in the promised land. The phrase "that it may be well with you" refers to the favor of God i.e. the favor of God causes things to go well for you.

You honor your parents by listening to and obeying their instructions which are aligned with God's word and instructions. Another way to honor your parents is to honor them with money. Sow into their lives. Buy them gifts. Pay for things that are important to them. You also honor your parents by treating them with respect, holding them in high regard, and speaking well about them to others.

As a child of God you must resist the temptation to follow the world's leaning towards a lack of honor and respect. In society you can see that the common culture is not high on respect and honor. However it is clear from scriptures that honor and respect are important to God. Honor is part of the Kingdom culture. Friend make a commitment to stand for what is right and honor your parents.

You are favored

Have you ever wondered why you were born in the year you arrived in this world? Have you ever wondered why you live in such a time as this? Have you ever been curious what it would have been like if you lived in another time and era? These are all questions that many of us have asked previously. The truth is that you were born when you were born and you are living in this era because there is a gift inside of you that is needed in this season. You are a solution provider for your generation.

The gifts that God has given you when properly expressed in the right context and situations will cause men to seek you out and favor you - Pro 18:16. You must be committed to developing your gifts throughout your life. This is what qualifies you to deploy your gifts.

Friend, discover, develop and deploy your gifts. As you do so you will be favored by others and those in higher positions will seek you out. It is your season to be favored.

The favor of God makes a difference

Favor is firstly divine. Favor is a concept of God. It is a system that God intends every believer to operate in. God's desire is that every believer will operate by His divine favor.

The favor of God is what sets every believer apart from the world. The favor of God causes you to enjoy benefits that you did not qualify for. The favor of God multiplies the impact and effects of your labor. The favor God makes a way for you where people have said there is no way. The favor of God causes natural policies to be suspended on your behalf.

According to Pro 16:7 the favor of God will even cause those who have set themselves against you to be be at peace with you. You may be asking: How? Why?. Divine favor causes men to be drawn unto you and to treat your favorably - Pro 3:4.

Friend factor in the divine favor of God as your go about your day to day life. As you do this watch as God pours out such favor over you in all of your endeavors..

You must have the right attitude for divine favor

The Psalmist declares in Psa 5:12 that God will surround the righteous with favor like a shield. You see it is God's desire that you live by favor and not just by your labor. Favor is a supernatural advantage. Favor is defined as preferential treatment, something done out of goodwill, excessive kindness, and something that is freely granted.

Friend favor does not exclude you from labor. Rather God has granted favor to every believer as a supernatural advantage. He expects you to function wherever He has placed you with a consciousness of His favor. It is the favor of God that causes the efforts of a believer to be magnified. It is the favor of God that causes you to be noticed from a crowd.

However in order for you to maximize the favor of God over your life you must have the right attitude. When Jesus was on the cross, there were 2 thieves - 1 on either side of Him. One thief had the right attitude and the other did not. Jesus favored the thief to his right and granted this thief access to Paradise because of his attitude.

Your attitude qualifies you for favor. You have to have the right attitude in every situation so that you can walk in the fullness of the favor of God.

You are supernaturally equipped for your assignment

Rain is synonymous with fertilization, fructification and ripening. These are all stages that a seed goes through on the way to full maturity. Friend you are seed sent forth to your generation. You were sent here on an assignment. In order for your seed that seed to come to full maturity there is a need for the rain of God.

The Bible mentions the former rain and the latter rain - Joel 2:23. In Bible time, the former rain described the rain that fell in the Fall. This rain served to fructify the seed i.e. to make the seed fruitful and productive. The latter rain served to ripen the grain or the fruit.

That seed inside of you has been watered. However it will take the latter rain of God upon you for you to mature and become all that God has called you to be. Ask the Lord for rain - Zec 10:1. This rain refers to the rain of His Spirit. God wants the influence of HIs Holy Spirit upon your life to rise to the point that you are empowered to fulfill your destiny.

You are not alone. By the power and influence of the Holy Spirit you will be supernaturally equipped for your assignment.

Nothing can stop you, you are an overcomer

When you accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior and became a child of God, you entered into a covenant with God. A covenant is an agreement between 2 parties that cannot be broken except by death. One of the benefits of this covenant is your partnership with the Holy Spirit. This partnership makes you unbeatable.

Rom 8:13 illustrates the strength of this partnership. According to this scripture no one can successfully stand against you if God is for you. Listen friends you must settle it in your heart that God is always on your side. This is evidenced by the fact that the Holy Spirit lives on your inside.

Jesus said that there will be trials and tribulations. However you have what it takes to overcome in every situation because the Greater One is on your inside - 1 Jn 4:4. Be cheerful and courageous in the face of challenges because you know that you have the supernatural advantage - 1 Jn 4:4.