Walking in Divine Favor
In today’s message I felt impressed to minister on the subject entitled “You’re Somebody Special to God.” You’re very special to me but more importantly you’re very special to God.
I) I’m sure there’s been times that you FELT LIKE A FAILURE in life. Most of us have EXPERIENCED INSECURITY from time to time; it might have been in INSECURITY ABOUT your APPEARANCE, your ABILITIES, your FINANCES, your PERSONALITY, or YOUR LIFE.
A) And most of us at one time have felt UNLOVED and WORTHLESS.
1) We’ve all have thoughts like “I’M NOT ATTRACTIVE,” or “I CAN’T DO ALL THE THINGS THAT PERSON CAN DO,” “and I’M NOT GOOD ENOUGH,” “NOTHING EVER GOOD HAPPENS IN MY LIFE,” “I’M A FAILURE.”
2) If your mind is often filled with thoughts of WORTHLESSNESS, SHAME, EMBARRASSMENT and LOW SELF-ESTEEM it’s TIME TO GET RID OF THAT INSECURITY.
a) Now you might ask, “How can I get rid of the insecurity that’s been there my whole life?”
b) By realizing that you are God’s most prized possession.
(i) If God had to choose the finest thing He ever created, He’d choose you. You are somebody very special to God.
3) Those thoughts and feelings of inadequacy and insecurities are lies from the Devil aimed at getting you so down on yourself that you’ll never experience God’s best for your life.
a) They try to make you feel you are “JUST NOT GOOD ENOUGH” so why would God want to bless you?
b) God does not have one child who is not good enough to receive His love.
4) There are a lot of people who never enjoy victories in their lives because of such low self-esteem.
a) Low self-esteem is really a result of a lack of knowledge.
b) The reason so many Christians live way below their privileges as a child of God is that they don’t know THAT THEY ARE HIGHLY FAVORED OF GOD.
B) Turn with me to Psalms 8:3-6.
1) In this particular passage, the psalmist is overwhelmed at just how marvelous and magnificent God is and with His ability to create the universe.
a) Have you ever stopped and looked around at God’s creation? Sometimes we take it for granted.
(i) But you don’t have to go far. You can look at the magnitude of the mountains, the vastness of the oceans, the splendor of the Grand Canyon. It’s overwhelming.
(ii) Have you ever looked at the sky, the stars, or the sun and think that God created that. It’s amazing.
2) The psalmist is saying, “Lord, you’re so magnificent and creative, why would you have anything to do with man? Why did you create man?”
a) But God is saying that you are His most prized possession.
b) In fact, in the mind of God, you are more valuable than the stars, the Moon, the heavens, and all His handiwork.
C) Religion tries to teach us that we are in a sinful state and all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
1) It’s true that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, but that’s the reason why Jesus came.
2) God didn’t leave us in a sinful state. He sent Jesus to redeem us from Adam’s transgression and from the curse the law.
a) The blood of Jesus worked and it will never lose its power, therefore we’re not an old sinner anymore.
b) We’ve been washed in the blood and as (2 Corinthians 5:21) tells us, “For he (God) hath made him (Jesus) to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”
(i) Nothing you did in your past could be so terrible that God wouldn’t forgive you.
(ii) You’re washed in the blood of Jesus and you’ve been made a new creation in Christ Jesus.
c) Now you’re in the family of God and it’s a royal family.
(i) You have a crown on your head that can’t be seen with the natural eye, but it’s there, and it’s a CROWN OF HONOR.
3) When you begin to see yourself the way God sees you (crowned with glory and honor), then you’ll begin to EXPECT FAVOR AND SUCCESS.
a) You’ll expect every adversity to be turned into victory.
b) You’ll expect to have authority over your circumstances, why?
c) Because your God’s prized possession.
D) The word “HONOR” from (Psalms 8:5) comes from the Hebrew root word “HAWDAR” which means, “GREAT VALUE OR PRICE,” but also means “TO SHOW PARTIALITY.”
1) Because you are so valuable to God you have God’s divine favor.
2) Doubt and insecurity will vanish as you become more and more conscious of just how much favor and honor you have been given by God.
a) Jesus said in (John 12:26) “If any man server me, him will my Father honor.”
(i) If you’ve chosen to serve Jesus, then Jesus himself said because of your decision, “My Father will honor you.”
(ii) When you’re honor by someone, then you can expect to receive preferential treatment.
E) In order for you to walk in God’s best you must begin to walk in your God given authority.
1) You have authority over the circumstances that seem to be controlling your life.
a) You should expect, through the name of Jesus and the Word of God, to change those circumstances into something that turns out for your good.
2) When you truly know that God has crowned you with glory and honor, then you will walk in an expectancy of good things to happen in your life, and no one will be able to convince you otherwise.
II) In (Numbers 6:25-26) it says that “God will make His face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee; and He will lift up His countenance upon thee and give thee peace.”
A) What is He saying?
1) You are the object of His affection.
a) If you were the only human being alive, God would have sent Jesus to die for you.
b) That’s how much the Father loves you.
2) Even when your going through the hard places, you should have the confidence that everything is going to be all right because God is on your side, and He will never let you down.
B) (Romans 8:31-32) says, “What shall we then say to these things? If God before us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with Him also freely give us all things?”
1) No matter what the Devil says to you, or what he tries to bring upon you, you’re so highly favored with God that He says that “No weapon formed against you will prosper.”
a) Paul said in (Romans 8:38-39), “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
(i) Nothing can separate us from the love of God. You’re somebody special.
(ii) Don’t talk about how unworthy you are.
(iii) You’re loved, and highly favored of God.
2) Expect greater victories in your life because you’re favored by God.
3) Don’t get discouraged when a storm comes, know that you’re favored by God and somehow, some way God will turn it around.
a) Begin to expect to win in every situation simply because you are highly favored of God.
b) Your life will become more enjoyable because you know that God’s going to work everything out no matter how impossible it may look.
C) You are very special and precious in God’s site. REMEMBER HE’S ON YOUR SIDE; THEREFORE, YOU CANNOT BE DEFEATED.
W. O. L. C. C. Sunday, October 11, 1998 from Jerry Savelle’s book “Walking in Divine Favor” Chapter 1.