Duane Vander Klok - Unleashing the Force of Favor: How to Experience More of Gods Abundance

H ave you ever noticed how little the Bible mentions about the first thirty years of Jesus life? God condensed what happened during those years into only two verses. If you had to condense thirty years of your life into two lines, what would be important enough to include?

In the two Scripture verses about Jesus early life, God chose to emphasize the importance of favor: Then he [Jesus] went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men (Luke 2:5152, NIV , italics added). To warrant a mention in these two verses, growing in favor must have been one of the most important developments in the Saviors young life.

Since Jesus is our example, growing in favor must be extremely important in our lives as well. When we discover what the favor of God is, understand that it is freely given to us and learn how to grow in it and realize its full effects, our lives will be changed dramatically.

Jesus knew how to unleash the force of favor. His life is the most powerful example we have of Gods favor being fully released in someones life.

Others in Scripture also operated within favors mighty force.

Noah found favor with God and saved himself and his family from the flood.

Moses found favor with God and led Gods people, the Israelites, as they followed Gods presence to freedom.

Joseph found favor with both God and men. One day of favor in Pharaohs court gained Joseph more than a lifetime of labor ever could have.

Ruth traveled with favor (her mother-in-laws name, Naomi , literally meant the favor of God), and she became the great-grandmother of King David.

Nehemiah found favor with the Persian king and rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem.

King David was so highly favored that he was called a man after Gods own heart, and from his lineage came the Messiah.

What is this favor that was so important in their lives and that we so greatly need to experience in our own? One definition of the word favor is the friendly disposition from which kindly acts proceed; to assist; to provide with special advantages; to receive preferential treatment. We all like it when kindness, assistance, special privileges and preferential treatment are directed our way! That is the favorable disposition God has toward each of us. The Creator of the universe Himself desires for us to enjoy this kind of relationship with Him. He loves us: If God didnt hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldnt gladly and freely do for us? (Romans 8:32, MESSAGE ).

God wants to bless us, assist us and give us preferential treatment and special advantages in life. Not only that, but when we are fully enjoying Gods favor, He also increases our favor with other people: When a mans ways please the L ORD , He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him (Proverbs 16:7).

Favor makes a tremendous difference in life. When we begin to walk in higher degrees or levels of favor, we experience a flood of blessings. God protects us, opens doors for us that otherwise would be shut, pours out financial increase, gives us health and healing, helps us find new ways to bless others and kindly disposes other people toward us. As a result, people are stirred to give us preferential treatment, promote us and help us succeed.

Every area of our lives will be changed as we allow favor to be released in our lives. And it is possible for us to grow in this favor with both God and men, as Jesus did. We first need to realize, though, that favor is not automatic. We need to take action to see its full force unleashed. Any believer can learn how to take the steps necessary to grow in favorit is simply a matter of knowing how favor works.