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God’s favour is always available to everyone to whom He chooses to favour. But let me be quick to say here that God can actually show His favour to as many as sincerely desire His favour unlike what many people usually think that, maybe, God is selective in showing His mercy and favour to some special sects. However, God’s favour is given on purpose and must therefore be on request through diligent seeking and craving. Psalm 119:58, Prov. 11:27
God is not a respecter of persons. Anyone that sincerely deserves to be favoured by God will be. God’s favour is not an exclusive right of any but preference and benevolence received from God. In the above text, we are going to use Joseph as our case study.
What does it mean to operate in God’s favour?
Operating in God’s favour means to be aware of God’s provisions for strength, grace, perfection etc. and one goes ahead to leverage on it knowing that all of life’s race has actually be made simple by totally relying on/ trusting God. God’s favour does not just fall on people’s lap; man also has a part to play. Favour, just like an idea, flows to those who are worthy to receive it.
Gen. 37:2 showed clearly one of those things Joseph did that made him attract God’ favour asides the fact that at a tender age of seventeen, he already had an intimate relationship with God as to know the plan of God for his own life through his dreams.
Joseph was also able to keep the fear of God of Israel with him even when all things seemed rosy for him in Potiphar’s house. He preferred to suffer for a sin he did not commit than to commit a sin he did not prefer.
The part we must play
Like it’s been said, we surely have roles to play in attracting God’s favour and operating in it. Some of those parts we must play include but not limited to the following:
1. Knowing and acknowledging God – God is the one that shows and gives favour to whoever He wills, His immediate concern therefore is for as many as have relationship with Him, because favour from God is like the bread of the children. Favour can only come from God and not from man (Gen. 39:21, Prov. 14:35).
2. Asking and craving for God’s favour – It is very important to ask and indeed crave for God’s favour in all the phases of our life. God’s favour actually place people of God in an advantage position so that where some are struggling, the ones with God’s favour simply thrive. Every good gift from God however, starts from asking (Prov. 11:27).
3. Recognising God’s favour at every point – Ability to recognise God’s favour at every point in life cannot be gainsaid. The presence of adversities does not always mean that God’s favour is absent. But if we are able to recognise that God’s favour is always with us at every point, it helps stay focused on God that whatever we are going through is just for a moment (Psalm 30:5).
4. Optimising God’s favour – One major part we have to play as Christians is to optimise the favour of God upon our lives. One way by which we can do this is through our prayer and studying the word until we begin to see His favour optimised in all we do (Psalm 102:13)
5. Appreciating and reverencing God’ favour – Finally, as the beneficiary of God’s favour, we must be full of appreciation and able to reference God at all time. On many occasions, we refuse to see the invisible hand of God that strengthened the human vessel and we start to praise the vessel instead. Whatever favour we receive, it first flows from God through the human vessel (Prov. 3:4, 1Sam. 2:26).
Benefits of operating in God’s favour
1. Men are directed to show favour unto you – Gen. 39:6
2. You experience accelerated promotion – Gen. 41:41 -44
3. You are led to the path of effortless achievement – Psalm 37:23
4. You are surrounded with people that will connect you to your next level – Gen. 41:9 – 13
5. Your vision and dreams will all come to fulfilment – Gen. 42:6 – 9
PASTOR RAPHAEL ATODE
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