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Bible Study Series: May 5, 2021
How Favor Impacts Your Relationships Part 2 Synopsis of Bible Study 05/05/21 Delivered by Pastor Lee Bynum, MDiv. Favor of the Lord We throw this word “Favor” around loosely. The truth is Favor costs something. First, there is a responsibility of stewardship that comes with Favor. 1. When Favor is on your life, you got to be able to trust God enough to know that if he gave it, and you are supposed to use it to bless His name. 2. Psalm 106:4 (NKJV) says 4 Remember me, O Lord, with the Favor You have toward Your people. Oh, visit me with Your salvation, – The author here is saying, “Lord don’t let Favor skip my house. Let it fall right here”. We need God’s Favor on everything connected to us. 3. Having Favor on our life brings many rewards. It allows us to experience the benefits. Psalm 103:2 (NKJV) says 2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: – Favor brings about benefits. A. One benefit of walking in Favor is you have the power of attraction in your life. When you have power of attraction on your life, you can attract people as well as things. When you have Favor, you no longer chase stuff, stuff chases you. In other words, things are drawn to you. 4. There is a responsibility to be careful of what comes and tries to attach itself to you. It can be drawn to you, but everything drawn to you, might not have been attended to be attached to you. You must ask God for discernment, so that you will be able to know the difference between what God sends (that was drawn to you) and what Satan sends (that was drawn to you). When Favor is in your life, stuff has a way of finding you whether it be good or bad. 5. The Favor of God is so precious, it must be handled with care. Matthew 5:16 (NKJV) says 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven. – It is important to know that the Favor of God is to demonstrate the glory of God in the earth. You cannot use the glory of God in such a way that it draws all the attention to you. You ought to want your light to shine that God might be glorified. Example- People that live in the south know that if you turn on the lights in the dark, bugs, flies, and everything thing else is attracted to it. When you turn on the light, you will begin to see everything that flies around in the dark. In the same way, when you let your light shine, God will reveal the stuff around you. He will reveal the bugs that are trying to get close to you.
How do I maintain a season of Favor? 1. You got to believe Favor is for you – Favor is on your life, placed there by God. Just like Jacob who placed a coat of many colors on Joseph, God has placed Favor on you. Do not be afraid of the coat that was placed on you. Do not be ashamed to wear your coat. Wear your Favor with pride. If God blesses you or opens a door for you, wear your coat. Stop hiding your blessings. After all, God gave it to. Psalm 90:17 (NKJV) says 17 And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us, And establish the work of our hands for us; Yes, establish the work of our hands. – When God blesses you, it is to establish his work here on the earth. How can you sing the song “he’s blessing me … ” or “… He’s leaning in my direction…”, and never allow us to see the blessing? At some point, people need to see God blessing you. A. The Favor is not in what your drive or where you live, it is in who you are. The brothers stripped Joseph of his coat, thinking they were taking the Favor off him. You must understand that when you have favor, the favor is on you no matter where you are. B. Joseph’s brothers stripped Joseph, lied on him, put him in the pit, but Potiphar found him. When he was accused of coming on to his wife, he was thrown into prison, but Favor still found him. As a result, Joseph ended up in the midst of Egypt working right next to Pharaoh. Joseph ended up being the one who passed out the bread to those suffering from the famine. Joseph was so humble, he even passed out bread to the same brothers that tried to strip his Favor and sold him into captivity. Genesis 50:20 (NKJV) says 20 But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. – Sometimes you got to thank your enemies, because if they had not done what they did, you would not be where you are today. 2. When you are responsible or left with Favor, know that the people that did you wrong might later need what you have. Like Joseph, when you walk in Favor, you do not get to choose who you pass bread out to. Sometimes you must bless (or pass bread to) the very people that did you wrong. Remember Psalms 23, God will make your enemy your foot stool. 3. When Favor is on your life, you must remain humble and committed. – When you are recipients of Favor, it triggers humility. Proverbs 29:23 (NKJV) says 23 A man’s pride will bring him low, But the humble in spirit will retain honor. – You cannot walk around like you are entitled to this “Favor”. When Favor is on your life, you have put your life into context. When you put your life into context, you realize that you do not deserve nothing that you have. A. Proverbs 29:23 (NKJV) says 23 A man’s pride will bring him low, But the humble in spirit will retain honor., B. 1 Peter 5:6 (NKJV) says 6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, – You got to learn to stay humble! How do we manage shifts with family and friendships? A. Learn your family’s role in your season – Do not leave family behind as you navigate where God is taking you. Having said that, do not drag those that are not supposed to come along with you. Hebrews 11:1 (NKJV) 11 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. In Genesis 12, God told Abraham he would make him a great nation. One of the first things Abraham did was take his wife Sarah. Why would God give you vision that would not include your spouse? Some people do not birth the vision, because they left the person behind that they were supposed to birth vision with. B. After Abraham took Sarah his wife, he took his nephew Lot with him. He discovered that everyone cannot go with you from level to level in Favor. i. Genesis 13:5-9 (NKJV) 5 Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks and herds and tents. 6 Now the land was not able to support them, that they might dwell together, for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together. 7 And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. The Canaanites and the Perizzites then dwelt in the land. 8 So Abram said to Lot, “Please let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brethren. 9 Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left.” ii. – Who did Abraham take? a. Sarah – Abraham took Sarah his wife because she was necessary. b. Abraham also took Lot with him. He took Lot who had flocks, herds, and tents. If everyone you take with you depends on you, because they do not have anything, then it will not be long before you do not have anything either. c. Some people in your family have herds, flocks, and tents. These are value added relationships. You need relationships that are value added when working vision. C. What does Favor do? Gen 13:9 says 9 Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left.”- The promise is on Abram. Abram gets wind that there is strife between his herdsmen and Lot’s herdsmen. If you will notice, he goes to Lot who is over them and not the herdsmen. Because of Favor, Abraham know he and Lot are on another level, therefore he brings his concern straight to Lot. D. Favor initiates communication, to avoid drama. Favor do not let stuff linger. Favor does not look for the best side. Abraham could have easily said let me pick out the best land for myself and give Lot what was left, but he did not do it that way. When he got Favor, it does not matter, which land you end up with. Wherever we are, Favor follows us. Therefore, Abraham tells lot if you go left, I will go right. § When Gods hand is on your life, do not allow relatives to delay your blessing. Genesis 31:49 (NKJV) says 49 also Mizpah,[a] because he said, “May the Lord watch between you and me when we are absent one from another. – You might have to quote this one when it comes to relatives. Taking relatives that were not intended to be part of where you are going, can hinder your blessing. 1. Real friends stick with you no matter what. Proverbs 18:24 (NKJV) says 24 A man who has friends must himself be friendly,[a] But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. – You must be friendly to have friends. Real friends will stick with you during your season of lack, as well as seasons of plenty. You got to learn to be nice to people, before things drop off. A. A friend loves at all times. No man is your friend that denies your gift to grow. Know the significance of every opportunity. God blesses you for more than just your generation. When God blesses you, he blesses you for generations to come. B. Nehemiah had sons that died. As a result, she was going back to where she came from. The daughter-n-laws wanted to follow her. Nehemiah tried to get them to return back to Moab. Orpah went back, but Ruth refused to leave Nehemiah’s side. a. Orpah remarried and one of her sons ended up being Goliath who David slain. C. Ruth worked in fields and the man that owned the field became attracted to her. Because the owner of the field was attracted to her, she gained Favor. Later she married Boaz. This is how favor works. She didn’t have to do anything, and she attracted the guy that would later be a blessing to her. She went on to become the great-grandparents of King David. D. David had so much Favor, he was called one after God’s own heart. Favor came to Solomon, because of the Favor of David. Esther 5:2-3 (NKJV)2 So it was, when the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, that she found Favor in his sight, and the king held out to Esther the golden scepter that was in his hand. Then Esther went near and touched the top of the scepter. 3 And the king said to her, “What do you wish, Queen Esther? What is your request? It shall be given to you—up to half the kingdom!” – The king was drawn to Esther so he chased her. The king asked what he could do for her. She got offered half the kingdom, because of the Favor on her life. i. Mary had Favor. She gave birth to Jesus. Luke 2:52 (NKJV) 52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in Favor with God and men. When you understand the Favor on your life, you raise your expectations. 1. Raise your level of expectation. Proverbs 8:35 (NKJV) says 35 For whoever finds me finds life And obtains Favor from the Lord; – When you chase after God, when you find him, you find life.
2. Psalm 75:6-7 (NKJV) says 6 For exaltation comes neither from the east nor from the west nor from the south. 7 But God is the Judge: He puts down one and exalts another. – If we are where God wants us to be, doing what God wants us to do, and giving God the glory, then no matter how circumstance look, God will create a spot for you. There is Favor on your life!
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