Joel Osteen - The Power of Favor: The Force That Will Take You Where You Cant Go on Your Own

W hat God has in your future you cant accomplish on your own. There are places Hes going to take you that you cant get to by yourself. There will be obstacles that look too big, dreams that seem impossible. Youre going to need assistance for where youre going. The good news is, God has put something on you that gives you an advantage, something that will open doors that you cant open, something that will make you stand out in the crowd. Its called favor. Favor will cause good breaks to come to you. Favor will take you from the background to the foreground. Favor will give you preferential treatment, things you dont deserve. You werent next in line, but you got the promotion. On paper it didnt make sense, but the loan went through. That person who was so against youfor some reason theyve changed. Now theyre for you. That wasnt a coincidence. That was the favor of God.

We can work hard, be faithful, be diligent, and thats important, but that will only take us to a certain level. Well go as far as our education, as far as our background allows. But when God breathes His favor on you, things will happen that you couldnt make happen; opportunities will open that you didnt see coming. The right people will track you down. Ive heard it said, One touch of favor is worth more than a lifetime of labor. Just one good break, one phone call, meeting one person can catapult you to a new level. Youve worked hard. Youve been faithful. Youve honored God. Now get ready for favor. Get ready for God to show out. Hes about to do something unusual, something that you havent seen, good breaks that you didnt work for, a promotion that you didnt deserve. You cant explain it. You cant take credit for it. Its the favor of God.

God told Noah to build an ark, a 450-foot-long boat. Noah wasnt a builder. That wasnt his profession. It seemed impossible, but God will never ask you to do something and not give you the favor to do it. You have favor. The question is, Do you have the faith? Are you going to talk yourself out of it? I dont have the resources. I dont know the right people. I dont have the talent. Thats okay, because you have something that makes up for all of that: Favor is on your life.

Its good to have education, but education alone is not enough. Talent alone is not enough. You need favor for where youre going. You may not know the right people, but dont worry, God does. He has already lined up divine connections, people who will come into your life and use their influence to open doors, to give you opportunity that will push you forward. You dont have to manipulate people, try to convince them to like you, or compromise to get your way. If someone is not for you, you dont need them. Dont waste time trying to win them over. The people whom God has lined up for you dont have a choice. They may not like you, but they will help you anyway. They will go out of their way to be good to you. You dont have to find them. They will find you. You keep honoring God, believing and expecting. The favor on your life will cause the right people to show up.

The people in Noahs day didnt care anything about God. They were living wildly, partying, and worshipping idols. God was so upset that He was about to destroy the Earth through a great flood. He could have wiped everyone out and started over, but the Scripture says, Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. Why did he find favor and not all the other people around him who were about to perish? The next verse says, Noah continually followed Gods will and did what was right. Noah could have compromised, fit in, done what everyone else was doing, but he made the choice to walk in obedience. When you honor God, when you keep Him first place, you will find favor in the eyes of the Lord. There is a blessing on your life that will push you up when others are going down.

Favor Brings You into Prominence

Well, if I have favor, why am I having these difficulties? Why did these people come against me? Why did business slow down? Having favor doesnt mean you wont have challenges, but favor is whats going to keep the challenges from defeating you, and sometimes God will put you in a situation so He can show you His favor. One definition of