When I had my daughter, I was in labor for nearly 24 hours. I’d never had a baby before, and being the type of person who likes to be prepared, I had read all the information I could find on “what to expect during labor”. I would speak often with other mothers about their experiences, I was planning to sign up for childbirth classes -- the whole nine yards. Though a part of me knew that nothing would fully prepare me for what labor would feel like, I figured I would at least do what I could. From the very beginning of my pregnancy, the nurses, doctors, and midwives all asked me if I was planning to take anything for pain during labor. I’m not a big medicine-taker, so I was never completely sure how to answer that question. I would always respond with, “I think so, but we’ll see”. Obviously, they knew how severe labor pains could get and wanted me to have a realistic expectation of the experience. But nothing I’d heard or read or researched could’ve prepared me for what happened.
When my very first contractions began, the sensation was not quite like anything I’d ever felt before, but not unbearable. I had been tracking my pregnancy weekly through websites and online newsletters, so I figured I was right on time for Braxton Hicks contractions. I was only 23 weeks pregnant. There was no way I was in labor. But after about 15 hours of the mild, but continuous discomfort and pain, I called my doctor and soon after found myself in Labor and Delivery at the hospital. My contractions were nearly 6 minutes apart and not slowing down. The whole thing was progressing faster than my brain wanted to accept. But the fact that I wasn’t ready, became irrelevant. The fact that I was only 23 weeks pregnant, didn’t seem to matter. The reality? I was in full-blown labor.
There seemed to be a million things happening around me. Nurses rushing in and out, whispering to one another, sticking and probing me, trying to stop a labor process that was imminent. I was trying to keep up with everything that was happening along with fighting the long, painful contractions. I was doing okay, I guess. Although with how fast everything was going, there was no time to get me any significant pain relief. The one thing they tried to give me, my body rejected, so I was on my own.
This was one time in my life that I was really glad that I was a fast learner. See, I had been advised to sign up for childbirth classes around the 28th week of pregnancy. This is where they teach you how breathe and when to rest and how to push and all those wonderful tips that are supposed to help you through labor. But there I was at 23 weeks, on a delivery table being encouraged to “just breathe through the contractions”. They tell you to breathe through them because when you’re in true labor, there is no way to stop or ease contractions, but you can work with them instead of fighting against them. It took a little while, but eventually I found a method of breathing that worked for me. The pain didn’t stop, but I wasn’t resisting it anymore. Then at some point (it was such a blur, I don’t remember exactly when), we switched to pushing. And I didn’t understand. The midwife was holding my hand, telling me to hold my breath and push, and I just didn’t get it. I had just gotten the hang of “breathing through”, now they wanted me to hold my breath? Push? So there I was fighting the pain again, because I didn’t understand what the instructions were for. But this was it. My baby was coming. It was time to deliver. Then the midwife gave an order that flipped an “on switch” in my brain.
“Don’t waste the pain!”
I immediately got the message! The contractions, though so very painful, were helping to birth my baby girl. Each one was an involuntary push, but once it got to that critical point (though not a moment sooner), I had to help it out. For all those hours of mild, bearable discomfort to extreme pain, I was being prepared for this moment. And I couldn’t waste the pain.
After those instructions and about 3 or 4 more good pushes, I delivered my daughter, Karis Alayna. She was healthy and whole and beautiful. She was long. She had pretty hands and long fingernails. She had cute, fat little toes. Her eyebrows were full and thick. Her skin was brown and even. She had my nose, but she looked like her father. She was perfect. That was the very first thing the midwife said before I ever saw her:
“She’s perfect.”
And she was. But she was premature. She needed more time to develop. We had already spoken with someone from neonatal intensive care. They would try everything they could to save her. But their cut-off weight for an attempt was 500g. My Karis weighed in at 484g.
At 23 weeks, she didn’t have much chance of survival outside of me. My doctor had already explained to me before the delivery that she didn’t have enough lung tissue to survive, and I understood. But I also knew that my God could do miracles.
My baby girl was born alive. She lived for nearly 2 hours. Her mouth opened, though no sound escaped. She moved her head. I saw her tiny chest rise and fall as I held her in my arms. I told her that I loved her and I knew she could hear me. As my mother and father held her, the room was thick with prayer and hope. I have never known such hope. Alas, my daughter died. . .
Now, as I am faced with a new, unprecedented pain, I am reminded of my last instructions:
“Don’t waste the pain.”
As I find myself replaying the account of my baby girl’s birth, I am careful not to give the doctors too much credit. I sometimes wonder, what might have happened if they had tried to save her? I’ve seen smaller babies in the NICU. Couldn’t they have done something, anything? But God is still God. If He wanted her to live, He could’ve spoken a single word, He could’ve breathed life into her little body at any moment, without the help of machines and injections. God can do miracles, but He also does as He pleases.
“The Lord does whatever pleases Him, throughout all heaven and earth, and on the seas and in their depths.” Psalm 135:6 (NLT)
As I review that scripture, my faith grows. I’m reminded of where it needs to be redirected. I know that I have a relationship with God, as do so many others that were praying on behalf of my daughter. I know that He heard us. And before I began to doubt Him, I had to ask myself: “Is my faith in God, or in my ability to pray to God? Am I trusting in Him or in the strength of my prayers?” God is the Almighty, nothing is impossible with Him. Yes, He can do miracles. But what if He doesn’t? Just because He didn’t do what I asked for so desperately, is He not still God?
“If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if He does not. . .” Daniel 3:17-18a (NIV)
I know that God loves me. I like to believe that all that He does and allows in my life, good and bad, blessings and rebuke, is because of His love for me. I don’t think any parent ever expects to outlive their child. It feels so unfair. It seems out of the natural order of things, but God does whatever pleases. I don’t know what this pain is for; at times it seems unbearable. I feel sad and angry and inadequate and cheated. It’s really hard. But God is still God. Just as my labor pains were a necessary part of bringing forth my amazing baby girl, I have to believe that the pain of losing her is serving a purpose in His plan for me. I am determined not to waste it.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Spiritual Snob
The Bible admonishes us as believers not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers. This is true wherever relationships can be formed, whether in business, friendships, social groups, romantic relationships -- whatever. My question is this: At what point do we cross that line in between not being unequally yoked and being Spiritual Snobs? Admittedly, I believe that I suffer from this at times; I’ve been self-diagnosed. I’m such a thinker and there seem to be so many things to consider. I’m in the world but not of the world. At this point I’m already separated. Not that this is a bad thing. On quite the contrary, it’s exactly what being holy is all about -- being called out, set apart for God’s use and ultimately, His glory. But we’re still to go into all the world and preach the gospel of Jesus. So we do have a responsibility to interact with and even gain the trust of non-believers. The basis of this trust has to come from some type of relationship, no matter how seemingly small. Having attained any level of spiritual maturity and trying to be a witness to someone who isn’t even born again, well, the differences there are blaring. It’s hard not to think of it in a condescending manner; having to “come down” to where they are. Now if the context of the relationship stays at that level, there’s not much to worry about. You’ll always be on guard to protect your witness.
But what about on a different playing field, one where everyone is a believer? Just like you would protect the effectiveness of your witness, shouldn’t you protect the level of spiritual maturity you’ve grown into? Is it possible to be unequally yoked with a believer? One of the main reasons for Christians not to join themselves with nonbelievers is because the door to compromise would be left wide open. Can not the same phenomenon be said true amongst believers? If a Pastor or Bishop had an inner circle comprised of saved, spirit-filled “lay members”, would his witness not suffer? Would not his growth be stunted? Could not even he (or she) be led to compromise? It’s easier to see in a Pastor to Lay Member comparison. But you know where you are in your walk and relationship with God. You know how far you’ve come and the level of maturity you’ve attained. As you continue to live and meet new people, other Christians, who are drawn to you and want to become close to you, how do you determine if relationship would be an “equal yoking”? Moreover, if you feel that it wouldn’t be, how do you relay that without coming across as a Spiritual Snob? Especially when so many other things seem to fall into place and spirituality seems to be the only hindrance to furthering a relationship of any kind?
From Fear to Faith...to Faith
I grew up in church. My dad was my pastor, and I was raised according to biblical principles and standards. As I got older and began to meet different people from various backgrounds, especially in college, I realized how protected my life had been. I had always been surrounded by people who put God first in their lives, making His Word their standard. It was quite unsettling when I saw how many people believed in God, but didn’t want to make Him their Lord. The reason that prevailed among most of these individuals was the fear of what they would be giving up to become Christian. The fear of what they couldn’t see in a future with God kept them in their current, more tangible conditions and lifestyles. The idea of “evidence of things not seen” was too hard to grasp. The obvious choice that had been so early instilled in me was the primary hindrance for so many people in coming to Christ. Admittedly, I felt sorry for these people, even pitied them. Who wouldn’t choose the God who gave them their very existence? He promised life more abundantly than any life we may have experienced before Him. It was all beyond my comprehension until I realized the paralyzing potential of fear.
Once I understood that God had invested gifts and talents in me, I was so grateful to be living with purpose that I wanted be used wherever I could. The more I continued to use my talents for Him, the more He blessed them and increased me. This increase included a higher level of responsibility and accountability, and I began to see more clearly that the more work I did for God’s Kingdom, the more my life became an example to other people, both saved and unsaved. With each level of spiritual promotion, I felt that my life was less and less for me and more for others. This frightened me. I became afraid to fully pursue God because of how much of myself, my own desires, and my own dreams I would have to forgo. Plus, I was so embedded with scripture phrases (though not accurate scriptures) reminding me that I was “bought with a price” and “not my own.” I thought that the more I worked in my gifting, the further it pushed me away from the things I wanted for myself. The same fear that I had been so judgmental of in unbelievers had now crippled me and stunted my spiritual growth. When I thought that this was my only choice, to live fully for God and forfeit my life’s ambitions, I was devastated. But I loved God and I knew that He deserved my all, even if it meant the loss of my goals and aspirations. So, in a very tearful prayer, I surrendered.
Prayer is powerful and completely transforming. Going into this prayer of submission, I was ignorant and confused, but my heart was sincere in pursuit of more of God; thankfully He already knew and was ready to receive me. In those moments alone with Him, He reminded me of His will for me, not just His plan of how to use me as a light to others, but His promises concerning me and my hopes and my heart’s desires. His plans are to give me a hope and a future. Delighting myself in Him guarantees the desires of my heart. Seeking Him first only adds to me. He also made me to understand another aspect of His complete will for me and anyone who has made Him their Lord. The privilege of choice is a gift that God intended for each of us to enjoy from the beginning. In the original plan, the choice between life with or without God was never meant to be. Sin separates us from God and has done so since it entered the Garden of Eden. Because we live in a world where sin exists, the first choice that we can make that has any lasting value is to choose life in Christ. This was a choice we should never have had to make, and because God loves us so much, he instructs us very specifically: “Choose life!”
“This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live.”
Deuteronomy 30:19
After we choose Him, His Holy Spirit resides in us and we have access to His perfect will. Before the entrance of sin into the earth, the gift of choice was present in the Garden of Eden. God created Heaven and Earth, saw all that He had made, and declared that it was very good. He then formed Adam and gave him choices. Adam got to decide what food he wanted to eat, what to name every animal, even what creature he though was most suitable for companionship. In a world of perfection, God still allowed man the right to choose. And in God’s perfect will, our only choices are between very good and very good. Once we make the initial choice to move from fear into faith, if we will allow Him, God promises to always move us from faith to faith.
For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, the just shall live by faith.
Romans 1:17
As I remembered my prior ignorance and fears, I was so encouraged. God not only created all things for me to enjoy, but also cares about my personal preferences. The idea that I had to choose between God and my personal happiness was absurd. It suggested that God was insufficient and I was settling for His plans for me. I had compared my limited thinking to a boundless God. What a mistake! What I like, my favorite things and my heart’s desires are important to Him, and He makes provisions for me to obtain them. I don’t have to think and wonder if this is the Lord’s will for me anymore; I know it according to His word. This is all part of the abundant life that Christ died for. This knowledge opened doors in my thinking and tore down barriers that I didn’t even know existed in my mind. Satan wanted to rob me of this breakthrough and his weapon of choice was fear. On the other side of fear, God is always waiting with another level of Himself that He wants to reveal to you. Satan understands that every level of knowledge and spiritual growth is a threat to his kingdom. The enemy knows the potential of fear and attempts to instill fear in us hoping to keep us from obtaining all that God has promised. Fear is not of God, and He has given us power and authority to dispel this spirit.
“For God has not given the spirit of fear; but of power, of love, and of a sound mind.”
2 Timothy 1:7
The knowledge of God’s will for me concerning choice was a breakthrough in my life and my understanding of it was critical to the success of my next level in Him. Are there any areas where fear has paralyzed you? Examine your life for any instance or situation where your spiritual growth may be stunted. Ask God to reveal these areas to you. The tools and weapons you need for the success of your next level await you beyond that fear. God wants to reveal more of Himself to you. Recognize any fear as a device of the enemy and reclaim that territory for God’s purpose in your life.
Once I understood that God had invested gifts and talents in me, I was so grateful to be living with purpose that I wanted be used wherever I could. The more I continued to use my talents for Him, the more He blessed them and increased me. This increase included a higher level of responsibility and accountability, and I began to see more clearly that the more work I did for God’s Kingdom, the more my life became an example to other people, both saved and unsaved. With each level of spiritual promotion, I felt that my life was less and less for me and more for others. This frightened me. I became afraid to fully pursue God because of how much of myself, my own desires, and my own dreams I would have to forgo. Plus, I was so embedded with scripture phrases (though not accurate scriptures) reminding me that I was “bought with a price” and “not my own.” I thought that the more I worked in my gifting, the further it pushed me away from the things I wanted for myself. The same fear that I had been so judgmental of in unbelievers had now crippled me and stunted my spiritual growth. When I thought that this was my only choice, to live fully for God and forfeit my life’s ambitions, I was devastated. But I loved God and I knew that He deserved my all, even if it meant the loss of my goals and aspirations. So, in a very tearful prayer, I surrendered.
Prayer is powerful and completely transforming. Going into this prayer of submission, I was ignorant and confused, but my heart was sincere in pursuit of more of God; thankfully He already knew and was ready to receive me. In those moments alone with Him, He reminded me of His will for me, not just His plan of how to use me as a light to others, but His promises concerning me and my hopes and my heart’s desires. His plans are to give me a hope and a future. Delighting myself in Him guarantees the desires of my heart. Seeking Him first only adds to me. He also made me to understand another aspect of His complete will for me and anyone who has made Him their Lord. The privilege of choice is a gift that God intended for each of us to enjoy from the beginning. In the original plan, the choice between life with or without God was never meant to be. Sin separates us from God and has done so since it entered the Garden of Eden. Because we live in a world where sin exists, the first choice that we can make that has any lasting value is to choose life in Christ. This was a choice we should never have had to make, and because God loves us so much, he instructs us very specifically: “Choose life!”
“This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live.”
Deuteronomy 30:19
After we choose Him, His Holy Spirit resides in us and we have access to His perfect will. Before the entrance of sin into the earth, the gift of choice was present in the Garden of Eden. God created Heaven and Earth, saw all that He had made, and declared that it was very good. He then formed Adam and gave him choices. Adam got to decide what food he wanted to eat, what to name every animal, even what creature he though was most suitable for companionship. In a world of perfection, God still allowed man the right to choose. And in God’s perfect will, our only choices are between very good and very good. Once we make the initial choice to move from fear into faith, if we will allow Him, God promises to always move us from faith to faith.
For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, the just shall live by faith.
Romans 1:17
As I remembered my prior ignorance and fears, I was so encouraged. God not only created all things for me to enjoy, but also cares about my personal preferences. The idea that I had to choose between God and my personal happiness was absurd. It suggested that God was insufficient and I was settling for His plans for me. I had compared my limited thinking to a boundless God. What a mistake! What I like, my favorite things and my heart’s desires are important to Him, and He makes provisions for me to obtain them. I don’t have to think and wonder if this is the Lord’s will for me anymore; I know it according to His word. This is all part of the abundant life that Christ died for. This knowledge opened doors in my thinking and tore down barriers that I didn’t even know existed in my mind. Satan wanted to rob me of this breakthrough and his weapon of choice was fear. On the other side of fear, God is always waiting with another level of Himself that He wants to reveal to you. Satan understands that every level of knowledge and spiritual growth is a threat to his kingdom. The enemy knows the potential of fear and attempts to instill fear in us hoping to keep us from obtaining all that God has promised. Fear is not of God, and He has given us power and authority to dispel this spirit.
“For God has not given the spirit of fear; but of power, of love, and of a sound mind.”
2 Timothy 1:7
The knowledge of God’s will for me concerning choice was a breakthrough in my life and my understanding of it was critical to the success of my next level in Him. Are there any areas where fear has paralyzed you? Examine your life for any instance or situation where your spiritual growth may be stunted. Ask God to reveal these areas to you. The tools and weapons you need for the success of your next level await you beyond that fear. God wants to reveal more of Himself to you. Recognize any fear as a device of the enemy and reclaim that territory for God’s purpose in your life.
God's Favorite
favor (fa ver) n. - (1)a helpful or considerate act; the attitude of friendliness or approbation; (2)the condition of being held in the regard
v. (1) to choose, esteem, or prefer; (2) to assist, promote, advance, or increase
favorite (fa ver it) n. - (1) anything regarded with special favor, backing, support, or given preferentiality above all others; (2) most desired; (3) in competition, the contestant considered to be the most likely winner
How do you choose a favorite? Better yet, how does one become a favorite? My favorite color is green. I’ve always liked it. The thing is, green didn’t do anything differently than red or yellow or cerulean. It’s not even necessarily the color that looks best on me. I just like it. If I have to make a choice based solely upon color, and green is in the running, it wins every time. No contest. Just because it’s my favorite, I favor it. Favor isn’t synonymous with popularity. Popularity fades; favor is constant. In my world, green doesn’t have to fear becoming the new black or being “last season”. Green never gets old or boring to me. By no action of
its own, it lives safely in favor, simply because of my personal choice.
Does this mean that becoming a favorite requires no action? Well, let’s take a more personal example. Consider your best friends. Why have you given these persons such an esteemed title? “Best Friends”. That’s a bit intense. How often do you speak to these people or hang out with them? They probably make you feel pretty important and appreciated. They must on some level, or surely you wouldn’t regard them as the best friends you have. If they never spoke well of you, never congratulated or complimented you, never told you “Thank you.” for kind gestures or deeds, would you still regard them as the best? Your favorite? In a world of millions, would you still favor them?
God delights in us. We’re His favorite. I am, and so are you. He doesn’t have to choose between us because, well, He’s God. (Though feel free to make it as personal as you like. I certainly do!) He didn’t have to choose between us; instead he selected us as a collective unit to serve Him (1 Peter 2:4, 9). While serving as one body, He’s given us each individual purposes and plans designed uniquely for our lives. God has a favorite life and destiny for each of us --- His perfect will (Jeremiah 29:11). The good news is that, like my green, we didn’t have to do anything to be picked. We didn’t have to earn it or even deserve it. He did it before the foundation of the world. We were born with the title “God’s Favorite” (Ephesians 1:4-6).
You may be thinking “If I’m God’s Favorite, why aren’t things different for me? Why haven‘t my prayers been answered? Has He even heard me?” While it’s true that our position with God is inherited, He has charged us with activating His favor. Think of those best friends again. How does it make you feel when they speak highly of you? How about when they go out of their way to show appreciation? We all like to feel that we matter to the people we care about most. I know that when a friend shows appreciation or celebrates me, it makes me want to do all that I can to ensure that our relationship stays strong and in tact. This inner desire to maintain close relationship may manifest itself in any number of ways from “just because” gifts to heartfelt hugs, not as repayment, but as an expression of genuine love and delight for the person. God feels the same way. But all that we can offer God is praise and gratitude --- and that’s all we need to activate His preferential treatment in our lives. He’s given us the ability while He holds all of the response ability. Our praise, worship, and thanksgiving will invoke a response from Heaven that is unexplainable. Because God has chosen you, others will choose you. Doors will open. Promotion and elevation will come. Miracles will happen. (Psalm 84:11) Though you may not always be popular, because you are the Lord’s favorite, His favor will be evident in your life. He’s obligated Himself to you, simply because of His personal choice. If you continually employ His responsibility to you, the favor that follows, surrounds, and even waits for you, will be undeniable.
GOD’S PROMISES CONCERNING HIS FAVOR:
1. God’s favor is eternal.
Psalm 30:5
For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life.
2. Wisdom guarantees God’s favor.
Proverbs 9:35
Whoever finds me finds life, and obtains favor from the Lord.
3. God favors marriage.
Proverbs 18:22
He who finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favor from the Lord.
4. Disobedience deactivates God’s favor.
Jeremiah 16:11-13
“Because your fathers have forsaken Me,” says the Lord . . . “and have forsaken me and not kept My law . . . Therefore I will cast you out of this land into a land that you do not know, neither you nor your fathers; and there you shall serve other gods day and night, where I will not show you favor.”
5. Living in God’s favor makes prayer more effective.
Exodus 33:17
So the Lord said to Moses, “I will also do this thing that you have spoken; for you have found favor in My sight, and I know you by name.”
v. (1) to choose, esteem, or prefer; (2) to assist, promote, advance, or increase
favorite (fa ver it) n. - (1) anything regarded with special favor, backing, support, or given preferentiality above all others; (2) most desired; (3) in competition, the contestant considered to be the most likely winner
How do you choose a favorite? Better yet, how does one become a favorite? My favorite color is green. I’ve always liked it. The thing is, green didn’t do anything differently than red or yellow or cerulean. It’s not even necessarily the color that looks best on me. I just like it. If I have to make a choice based solely upon color, and green is in the running, it wins every time. No contest. Just because it’s my favorite, I favor it. Favor isn’t synonymous with popularity. Popularity fades; favor is constant. In my world, green doesn’t have to fear becoming the new black or being “last season”. Green never gets old or boring to me. By no action of
its own, it lives safely in favor, simply because of my personal choice.
Does this mean that becoming a favorite requires no action? Well, let’s take a more personal example. Consider your best friends. Why have you given these persons such an esteemed title? “Best Friends”. That’s a bit intense. How often do you speak to these people or hang out with them? They probably make you feel pretty important and appreciated. They must on some level, or surely you wouldn’t regard them as the best friends you have. If they never spoke well of you, never congratulated or complimented you, never told you “Thank you.” for kind gestures or deeds, would you still regard them as the best? Your favorite? In a world of millions, would you still favor them?
God delights in us. We’re His favorite. I am, and so are you. He doesn’t have to choose between us because, well, He’s God. (Though feel free to make it as personal as you like. I certainly do!) He didn’t have to choose between us; instead he selected us as a collective unit to serve Him (1 Peter 2:4, 9). While serving as one body, He’s given us each individual purposes and plans designed uniquely for our lives. God has a favorite life and destiny for each of us --- His perfect will (Jeremiah 29:11). The good news is that, like my green, we didn’t have to do anything to be picked. We didn’t have to earn it or even deserve it. He did it before the foundation of the world. We were born with the title “God’s Favorite” (Ephesians 1:4-6).
You may be thinking “If I’m God’s Favorite, why aren’t things different for me? Why haven‘t my prayers been answered? Has He even heard me?” While it’s true that our position with God is inherited, He has charged us with activating His favor. Think of those best friends again. How does it make you feel when they speak highly of you? How about when they go out of their way to show appreciation? We all like to feel that we matter to the people we care about most. I know that when a friend shows appreciation or celebrates me, it makes me want to do all that I can to ensure that our relationship stays strong and in tact. This inner desire to maintain close relationship may manifest itself in any number of ways from “just because” gifts to heartfelt hugs, not as repayment, but as an expression of genuine love and delight for the person. God feels the same way. But all that we can offer God is praise and gratitude --- and that’s all we need to activate His preferential treatment in our lives. He’s given us the ability while He holds all of the response ability. Our praise, worship, and thanksgiving will invoke a response from Heaven that is unexplainable. Because God has chosen you, others will choose you. Doors will open. Promotion and elevation will come. Miracles will happen. (Psalm 84:11) Though you may not always be popular, because you are the Lord’s favorite, His favor will be evident in your life. He’s obligated Himself to you, simply because of His personal choice. If you continually employ His responsibility to you, the favor that follows, surrounds, and even waits for you, will be undeniable.
GOD’S PROMISES CONCERNING HIS FAVOR:
1. God’s favor is eternal.
Psalm 30:5
For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life.
2. Wisdom guarantees God’s favor.
Proverbs 9:35
Whoever finds me finds life, and obtains favor from the Lord.
3. God favors marriage.
Proverbs 18:22
He who finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favor from the Lord.
4. Disobedience deactivates God’s favor.
Jeremiah 16:11-13
“Because your fathers have forsaken Me,” says the Lord . . . “and have forsaken me and not kept My law . . . Therefore I will cast you out of this land into a land that you do not know, neither you nor your fathers; and there you shall serve other gods day and night, where I will not show you favor.”
5. Living in God’s favor makes prayer more effective.
Exodus 33:17
So the Lord said to Moses, “I will also do this thing that you have spoken; for you have found favor in My sight, and I know you by name.”
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