STEPS TO FACILITATE FAVOR

January 13, 2023

For it is You who blesses the righteous man, O Lord,
You surround him with favor as with a shield. Psalm 5:12

Favor is a gift from God. We don’t earn it. It is like grace, unmerited and undeserved. But there are things that can hinder it, and there are things that can facilitate it.

1. WALK IN RIGHTEOUSNESS. Because of Jesus, we all can be in right standing with God: “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Our righteousness is not earned or deserved. It is given. When we are in Christ, we become new creatures. The old things pass away, and all things become new (2 Corinthians 5:17).
 

My son, do not forget my teaching,
But let your heart keep my commandments.
For length of days and years of life,
And peace they will add to you.
Do not let kindness and truth leave you;
Bind them around your neck,
Write them on the tablet of your heart.
So you will find favor and good repute
In the sight of God and man.
Proverbs 3:1-4

2. WALK IN LOVE. When someone asked Jesus what the greatest commandment is, Jesus replied, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” And then he said, “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:36-40). When we walk in love toward God and our neighbor, all the other commandments flow from that. We aren’t going to want to lie, commit adultery, or any of that stuff because we know it brings displeasure to the heart of our father and messes up our relationships.

3. WALK IN KINDNESS AND TRUTH. These two things should stay in tandem. The Bible tells us to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). A lot of people are adamant about things being black and white. That’s important. You don’t want to compromise your belief system or your values, yet the Bible says lovingkindness and truth have met together. We need to be kind to one another, tenderhearted, and forgiving of each other. As we bind these two together in our daily lives, a dividend of favor awaits us!

God bless you!
Pastor Jeff Perry

DAILY CONFESSION:
Because of Jesus, I am made righteous, which means made right with God. I do not forget God’s teaching. I let my heart keep His commandments. Length of days and years of life and peace they will add to me. I do not let kindness and truth leave me. I write them on my heart so that I will find favor and a good reputation in the sight of God and people (2 Corinthians 5;21; Proverbs 3:1-4).

_{Copyright © 2023 St. Louis Family Church, All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reprinted or distributed in any form without prior written permission of St. Louis Family Church. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation}