How do we find favor with God?

When you have someone's favor, you have their support. How do you show favor? You can't receive rejection and favor with someone at the same time.


Exodus 33:9-16--
As Moses went into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and stay at the entrance, while the LORD spoke with Moses. 10 Whenever the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance to the tent, they all stood and worshiped, each at the entrance to his tent. The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent. Moses said to the LORD , "You have been telling me, 'Lead these people,' but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, 'I know you by name and you have found favor with me.' If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people." The LORD replied, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." Then Moses said to him, "If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?" And the LORD said to Moses, "I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name."


It's god's purpose and will to give you favor.n The Bible shows us how he operate in the lives of others. He reveals his ways in the Bible. How did God show His favor to Moses?


Saved his life. Allowed him to be raised by his own mother. Escaped Pharohs murder attempt. Gave him the 40 years of growth. Burning bush experience. Leading Israel to deliverance. Gave him strength and courage. Performed miracles through him.


Psalm 30:5--For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.


God limits the time of hurt and pain in our life.


Luke 1:?--But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.


God gives us unusual experiences and opportunities in our life.


He gave us Jesus Christ, forgiving our sins, giving us the Holy Spirit. He provides for us. Gives us our desires. Gives us friends. He understands us.


How do we find favor with God? Is based on His will or something that He looks for in us?


Grace=unmerited favor. "Every good thing that comes our way comes from god


Genesis 6:8-9--But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD. This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God. Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth.


One way we can have His favor is to walk with Him. To walk with Him means this: trust, obey, seek, love , worship, serve Him.


Proverb 3:1-4--My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity. Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.


A second way we can find favor with God is to feed on the word of God; to learn how He thinks, put His principles into practice. Also we should treat others with truthfulness and kindness.


Proverbs 12:1-2--
Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid. A good man obtains favor from the LORD, but the LORD condemns a crafty man.


A good man is a man who's heart is bent towards God. They desire to obey, love, serve, please God.


1 Peter 2:19--
For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God. 20But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. 21To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.


When we go through hardship and we've done what's right, instead of complaining, we bear up under it; we endure it, trusting God to see us through it.
God favors us out of his Grace. Other times He gives us favor for the work we do.


Colossians 3:23-25--Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism.


God expects me to do my best, to give all that I've got, heartily, to do my labor, to work for Him. It is the Lord Christ whom I serve. Whatever I do, do it heartily as if for the Lord. God is interested in holiness: a clean heart. God is interested in timeliness, cleaniness, orderliness, etc. We are on loan from God to do our business. We are accountable to God. If I want God's favor, then I must do MY best.


God favors people who are not Christians. Evrything we have comes from God. Brilliant, unsaved people are given brilliance from God. Eventhough God has favored them, it is purposed to lead them to repentance [Romans 2]. God has the right to favor whomever He chooses to accomplish whatever goal He wills. These people, if they die without Christ, they are still lost.


We must acknowledge God's sovereignty.


There are reasons why people don't feel God's

1. Things don't go the way we expect them to.

2. He fails to answer our prayer.

3. He delays the answer to our prayer.

4. We don't understand the pain, disappointment, heartache, suffering we experience.

5. We suffer loss (death, finance, divorce, etc.)

6. We look at our life and compare ourselves to others. We often overlook how God is favoring us.

7. We fail to achieve God's goal and purposes for our life.

8. Sometimes God is not favoring us because of our sin. He withdraws His favor from us. He also doesn't favor us because of our ingratitude.


If we have these feelings, we must look at ourselves to find the problem. God favors us in many ways that we often overlook.


Sometimes people have a false sense of guilt. Sometimes God favors us but we don't feel it because of our false sense of guilt, our poor self-esteem, etc. We still feel guilty for something that God has already forgiven us.

Faith versus Reason

The first battle between faith and reason occured in the Garden of Eden between Satan and Eve. The world's reason is insufficient. People who use the world's reason apply this to the things of God. They make decisions based on reason not faith.

1 Corinthians 1:18-21--For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate." Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.

1 Corinthians 1:27-29--But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things--and the things that are not--to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.

God's message appears foolish to those who are perishing. To the world, God's message seems absurd. But God has chosen the weak things.

Many people operate under the idea that life is about doing more good than bad. This is man's "clever approach." Cults, too, are performance based; acceptance is based on performance. But rejecting/refusing God's word is just as foolish.

What are they to perform? How much? How long? How do they know when they've performed? When will they know that the quality of their performance meets the standard for their god?

Nobody can come to know Jehovah God Almighty without knowing Jesus Christ.

2 Cor 4:?

1 Cor 2:12-16--We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man's judgment: "For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?" But we have the mind of Christ.

The way of reason dethrones God. People reason set up their own values and standards. This leads to destruction. Believers do this too. When God tells us no and we say yes, we dethrone God. The way of fiath requires our presonal acceptance of Jesus Christ and His atoning work on the cross.

God's Master Plan of Finance

God is in control of everything; even when things look uncertain. His plan is the best plan. God cares about our finances.

Luke 6:38-Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

God cares about how we handle our finances. Finance is a vital part of our life. God blesses us, pressed down, shaken together, not settled and filled with air.

Malachi 3:8-"Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. "But you ask, 'How do we rob you?' "In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse-the whole nation of you-because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit," says the LORD Almighty. "Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land," says the LORD Almighty.

When we disobey God, God discontinues His blessing.

Our first investment is our bringing our tithe (1/10) of our increase to God's storehouse. This is the first step in God's financial plan. We are to give God the FIRST 1/10, not what's left after we've spent everything. Tithing helps people stay out of debt, which is bondage. If you spend the tithe, you rob God and God cannot honor that. God manages the finances of those who entrust their finances to Him.

God's plan for money is not accumulation. It is distribution and multiplication. God does not want to keep us poor.

Obedience to God's financial plan and ALL other aspect of life. God will honor obedience when we are obedient in ALL areas of our life.

2 Corinthians 9:6-8--Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

God will meet your needs AND provide for you something to give. If I want to be blessed beyond the tithe, I will give beyond the tithe. Give cheerfully, not out of obligation. The blessings come when we give as much as we can, not as little as we can. God promises to bless us for our giving to Him. If we sow bountifully, the we shall reap bountifully.

The bounty is not just money. We receive the riches of God's promises (eternal life.)

Are we reservoirs or channels for God's money? Wise people choose God's plan of distribution and multiplication, not the world's plan for accumulation.