All posts tagged: favor

Intro: Life and Prayer of Jabez

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“A man whose soul never “calls,” never cries, never looks, never waits upon God, is not living to the end for which a man should live; he is not truly living at all.” Bible Illustrator the lifestyle of waiting upon the Lord… this waiting upon the Lord is something that  completely out of style. The kind of life that an ordinary person lives – day in and day out (I acknowledge) is extremely difficult. Especially if you’re putting in a completely masked out work week. The only time you have is a little window on Sunday morning. But I believe if we truly want to live – making the time to live in this posture of waiting upon the Lord will be worth it! Our study of the Jabez Prayer is going to help jump start this lifestyle. 1 Chronicles 4:10 Jabez called upon the God of Israel, saying, “Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from harm …

Day #8: I am Blessed & Highly Favored

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God’s unmerited favor is the only reason why all things, including the bad and the ugly, work together for good. Luke 1:28, “you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” If you believe that God has favorite sons and daughters, you’ve believed a lie. Truth is, God favors every one of us equally. It is this unmerited favor – grace, if you will, that allows Him to meet each and every one of us at the point of our need. How do I know I and blessed and highly favored? I am always on his mind “Who am I that you are mindful of me. That you have set your affection upon me, paying me regular visits every morning?” Job 7:17. The Psalmist also has a similar word in Psalm 8: Who am I that you are mindful of me. That you care for me. That you crowned me with glory and honor. That you gave me dominion over your work. The thoughts He thinks of me For I know the plans I …

Let Him set you up!

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Every hard working person deserve a promotion and or a raise. Unfortunately, the way of hard work is not the usual route taken today. There is a game, for lack of a better description, that is being played everyday in the work place. People are trying by the minute to position themselves, set themselves up for promotion every minute of the day. Everyone’s trying to get ahead, and they do it at the expanse of others. It happens all the time, a team member or a friend steals the ideas of others and take credit for them. Co-workers, business partners and close associates put roadblocks in the way of others in order to take what belongs to them. Sadly, people forge friendships with the sole goal of using others to get to where they want to go – professionally, politically, socially, etc… This same scenario is played out in “the church.” Yet, these people stand behind pulpits and act as if they are more spiritual than every body else. But when you take a closer …

I will not offer the Lord anything that costs me nothing

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1 Chronicles 21:24 But King David said to Ornan, “No, but I will buy them for the full price. I will not take for the LORD what is yours, nor offer burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” I have always heard this passage use in the context of a fundraiser. Where the preacher urges the congregation or his audience to reach deep within their pockets and give an extravagant financial gift. I love the simplicity and the power of this challenge, but too often my desire to give disappear because the challenge is coming from, well, another TV evangelist, who always seem to want my money. My somewhat skeptical feeling is somehow true – because half or none of what I am being asked to give, really goes toward that cause. I think, in many ways, we have lost the act of motivating others to make greater impact with their substance and the act of inspiring them at the same time because of so much abuse from the pulpit. People are longing to be moved, …

The curse of Generational curse

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The idea of a generational curse has captured the thinking of many Christians because it sounds so reasonable. Without doubt, parents have an influence on their children through inherited traits and parental teaching and example. But God holds individuals responsible for their choices and sins, not the sins of ancestors. The biblical passage on which the extreme teaching of generational curses is based must be revisited in order to see how Scripture has been misapplied. Instructing the Israelites concerning the second commandment, God said, You shall not bow down to them [idols and other gods] or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generationsof those who love me and keep my commandments (Exodus 20:5,6). Let’s unpack the verse by sharing some arguments against generational curse that I find compelling: – The word “curse” is nowhere found in the Exodus passage. -If the punishment God …