Based on a series of messages and the book The Favor of God by Jerry Savelle. See Acknowledgments.
What is Favor?
The dictionary says something done or granted out of goodwill, rather than from justice or for remuneration; a kind act: to ask a favor. friendly or well-disposed regard; goodwill: to win the favor of the king.
Another definition is demonstrated delight. When you have favor in someone else’s eyes, that person is disposed to doing beneficial acts towards you.
2 Chronicles 16:9 9 For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.
Favor is closely related to grace. We often say that grace is unmerited favor.
GRACE = God’s unmerited favor
In Greek, the word translated “favor” is charis, meaning gift. Charis is most often translated grace (130 times) and favor (6 times) in the NT according to Strong’s concordance.
In Hebrew, chen, it means favor, kindness, and graciousness
People actually confuse grace with mercy. Mercy is when we don’t receive (the judgment) that we do deserve. Grace is when we receive blessing that we don’t deserve.
Whenever you see the word grace, translate it as divine favor. They are the same thing.
Yes, it is unmerited. But many Christians emphasize the “unmerited” part so much that they forget it is favor! It is not just the forgiveness of our sins – that is mercy.
Hebrews 4:16 AMPC Let us then fearlessly and confidently and boldly draw near to the throne of grace (the throne of God’s unmerited favor to us sinners), that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find grace to help in good time for every need [appropriate help and well-timed help, coming just when we need it].
Notice that grace is there to help. Another definition of grace that I like is God’s willingness to use His power in our behalf. He wants to do things for us.
Divine Favor is Extended towards us
Psalm 84:11 AMPC For the Lord is a Sun and Shield; the Lord bestows [present] grace and favor and [future] glory (honor, splendor, and heavenly bliss)! No good thing will he withhold from those who walk uprightly.
Job 10:12 12 You have granted me life and favor, And Your care has preserved my spirit.
Psalms 30:5 5 For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning.
Psalms 5:12 12 For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous; With favor You will surround him as with a shield.
This last verse applies to us, because in the New Testament it says
2 Corinthians 5:21 21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
[See Righteousness – Theory and Application]
Abraham was a man in the Old Testament that was greatly blessed and favored by God.
Genesis 12:2 AMPC And I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you [with an abundant increase of favors] and make your name famous and distinguished, and you will be a blessing [dispensing good to others].
The result on Abram’s life:
Genesis 13:2 AMPC Abram was extremely rich in livestock and in silver and in gold.
Later in Genesis 13, the livestock of Abraham and Lot (his nephew) grew so numerous that the land could not support them. They had to split up.
“But that was for Abraham”.
Genesis 17:7 KJV 7 And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.
Galatians 3:29 KJV 29 And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Therefore we have just as much right to the promise of favor and blessing of Abraham in our generation as he did in his.
Divine Favor Results in Divine Blessing
Another word that is closely associated to favor is blessing. Or maybe we can say it as divine favor results in divine blessing.
The word in Greek translated blessing or to bless is eulogio, which literally means to speak well of. We get the English word eulogy, where people say nice things about a person at their funeral.
What God speaks comes to pass, so when He speaks well of us, good things result in our life. We call these blessings.
Grace and favor in our lives produce blessing.
Proverbs 10:22 22 The blessing of the Lord makes one rich, And He adds no sorrow with it.
Psalms 35:27 27 Let them shout for joy and be glad, Who favor my righteous cause; And let them say continually, “Let the Lord be magnified, Who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.”
Amos 9:13 MSG “Things are going to happen so fast your head will swim, one thing fast on the heels of another. You won’t be able to keep up.
Everything will be happening at once – and everywhere you look – blessings! Blessings like wine pouring off the mountains and hills.
Benefits of Favor
Favor opens doors no man can shut
A huge part of the favor of God is that it provides opportunities. Sometimes that manifests just by being in the right place at the right time.
A key to this is being sensitive to the leading of the Lord so he can steer you to those right places at the right time. And then you have to be obedient to that leading. He can open a door for us, but it’s up to us to walk through that door. Often that will require faith and taking a risk.
Investment opportunity. It might not even look that good at the present, but since God knows the future, He knows there will be a big payoff. But even after you take that step of faith, you may have to exercise patience before the reward comes to pass.
Hebrews 10:35-36 NIV 35 So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.
36 You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.
Recognition
A person can have great ability, but if they never have the opportunity to showcase that ability, their destiny in that area can go unfulfilled.
1 Peter 5:5-6 5 Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”
6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,
Remember whenever we see the word grace we can substitute divine favor.
The word exalt literally means to be lifted up. It implies recognition and honor in the eyes of other people. Often it is accompanied with promotion – being lifted from a lower position to a higher one.
Someone who is proud exalts themselves. They are self- centered, and try to put themselves above everybody else.
When you walk in the favor of God and are humble, He will exalt you – bring you into places of higher position and authority (even when there might be people who have higher qualifications!) and recognition.
[See Humility]
Preferential Treatment
When favor is manifesting, you will get preferential treatment. People will do things for you, and may not understand why. You’ll hear them say, “I don’t know why I’m doing this for you….” That’s the favor of God!
Proverbs 22:1 1 A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, Loving favor rather than silver and gold.
Favor produces things that money cannot buy.
Protection
Psalm 5:12 says that favor surrounds us like a shield. What is a shield used for? Protection! Plus it says that the shield surrounds us. They didn’t have language for it back in that day, but what is being described is a force field.
Psalm 91 describes someone who dwells in the shelter and shadow of the Almighty. The Lord is your refuge and fortress. These are places of safety and protection. It then goes on to describe several things you will be protected from (read it!). It concludes with
Psalms 91:14-16 14 “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
15 He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation.”
Psalms 41:11 11 By this I know that You are well pleased with me, Because my enemy does not triumph over me.
Job 5:19-26 MSG From one disaster after another He delivers you; no matter what the calamity, the evil can’t touch you —
20 In famine, He’ll keep you from starving, in war, from being gutted by the sword.
21 You’ll be protected from vicious gossip and live fearless through any catastrophe.
22 You’ll shrug off disaster and famine, and stroll fearlessly among wild animals.
23 You’ll be on good terms with rocks and mountains; wild animals will become your good friends.
24 You’ll know that your place on earth is safe, you’ll look over your goods and find nothing amiss.
25 You’ll see your children grow up, your family lovely and graceful as orchard grass.
26 You’ll arrive at your grave ripe with many good years, like sheaves of golden grain at harvest.
Proverbs 16:7 7 When a man’s ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.
Evidence of God’s favor on your life is a witness to the world
People will listen to your message when they see the favor on your life.
People of the world are material minded. They need something they can see to get their attention. Favor puts a delineation between you and the world that is tangible and observable.
Isaiah 61:9 AMPC All who see them [in their prosperity] will recognize and acknowledge that they are the people whom the Lord has blessed.
What We Need to Do
Although the favor of God is available to us to walk in on a consistent basis, it will not come our way if doubt and unbelief fill our thoughts.
Jerry Savelle
The favor of God (remember grace is divine favor) is on every born again believer. But there definitely are things we can do to maximize the manifestation and operation of favor in our daily lives.
Expect to experience Favor
1 Peter 1:13 AMPC So brace up your minds; be sober (circumspect, morally alert); set your hope wholly and unchangeably on the grace (divine favor) that is coming to you when Jesus Christ (the Messiah) is revealed.
We are to set our hope on the grace. Hope is “the happy anticipation of good”. It has to do with your expectancy. We need to expect grace and favor to operate in our lives. It is a mindset: we need to become “favor minded”.
Declare we have favor
Job 22:28 AMPC You shall also decide and decree a thing, and it shall be established for you; and the light [of God’s favor] shall shine upon your ways.
Put a demand on favor by declaring it.
Now don’t get bent out of shape by the word “demand”. In our context it means to claim something that is already offered. That actually is the meaning of the word receive – to take something that is offered. It is the Greek word lambano, which is translated receive 133 times in the New Testament, and 106 times as take.
“Oh, now you’re talking about “name it and claim it!”
There is a definite principal in the Word of God that what you believe in your heart and say with your mouth will come to pass. It’s how you get saved (Romans 10:9-10). Jesus talked about it in Mark 11:22-24.
The problem comes when people get beyond what the Word of God promises and concentrate almost exclusively on using it to gain material possessions. That’s getting on the ditch on one side.
Getting in the ditch on the other side is when people see some of these that have gone to the extreme in claiming/declaring things, and throw out the whole principal because some have abused it.
Psalms 5:12 12 For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous; With favor You will surround him as with a shield.
Think of it this way: that “shield” is like a magnetic field that draws blessing to us, or a force field that provides protection.
This is a declaration / confession that I make every day:
I live continually in a state of God’s favor: it surrounds me like a shield, it follows me all the days of my life, and will manifest in some way this day.
You need to get your speech in order. You will draw the things to you that are coming out of your mouth. If you are constantly complaining about how bad things are, you will draw more of the same to you. Conversely, if you confess/declare the promises of God and that blessings are coming to you, you will draw that.
“Oh, now you sound like you’re talking about that New Age ‘Laws of Attraction’”. The New Agers stole it from the Bible and took God out of it. It is a Biblical principal that many Christians have forsaken. Some outside the Church discovered it, put it into practice, and achieved some results – because it is how God designed human beings to operate.
[See Life is in the Power of the Tongue]
Acknowledge Favor when it comes
This has to do with maintaining an attitude of gratitude. Just as we should declare the favor of God before it happens, we should declare it when it happens. Say out loud, “That’s the favor of God!” No matter how big or small the event is, acknowledge it. Acknowledge when you get a space in a full parking lot as well as when you get that big promotion. Whenever you experience a blessing, declare the favor of God. You will become more aware and more thankful of blessings, and they will happen more and more often.
It is especially important to do this when you are going through difficult circumstances. Our tendency is to focus on the bad; we need to acknowledge the good, no matter how small. This falls in line with Paul’s instruction in Philippians (Paul certainly had his share of difficulties!).
Philippians 4:6-8 6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;
7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy–meditate on these things.
2 Peter 1:2 AMPC 2 May grace (God’s favor) and peace (which is perfect well being, all necessary good, all spiritual prosperity, and freedom from fears and agitating passions and moral conflicts) be multiplied to you in the [full, personal, precise, and correct] knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord
Pursue Wisdom
Solomon had many things to say about wisdom, and in pursuing wisdom, finding the favor of God.
Proverbs 3:1-4 1 My son, do not forget my law, But let your heart keep my commands;
2 For length of days and long life And peace they will add to you.
3 Let not mercy and truth forsake you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart,
4 And so find favor and high esteem In the sight of God and man.
Proverbs 8:34-35 34 Blessed is the man who listens to me, Watching daily at my gates, Waiting at the posts of my doors.
35 For whoever finds me finds life, And obtains favor from the Lord;
Proverbs 14:9 9 Fools mock at sin, But among the upright there is favor.
Proverbs 18:22 22 He who finds a wife finds a good thing, And obtains favor from the Lord.
Proverbs 22:1 1 A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, Loving favor rather than silver and gold.
Increasing In Favor
Certainly it is possible to grow in favor in the eyes of other people, but it is also possible to grow in favor in the eyes of God. Even Jesus did.
Luke 2:52 52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.
Consider Your Ways
Psalms 119:58-60 58 I entreated Your favor with my whole heart; Be merciful to me according to Your word.
59 I thought about my ways, And turned my feet to Your testimonies.
60 I made haste, and did not delay To keep Your commandments.
David is asking for favor, but in the next breath he said he thought about and considered his (own) ways, and “turned his feet toward” – i.e., changed his direction – towards God’s testimonies.
To increase in favor, our ways have to be pleasing to the Lord. If you consider your ways, and something is not right in God’s eyes, then change it! That will help you increase in favor.
Proverbs 11:27 27 He who earnestly seeks good finds favor, But trouble will come to him who seeks evil.
We must hear instruction
Proverbs 8 is a wonderful chapter. It is Wisdom personified, calling out to people.
Proverbs 8:1-5 1 Does not wisdom cry out, And understanding lift up her voice?
2 She takes her stand on the top of the high hill, Beside the way, where the paths meet.
3 She cries out by the gates, at the entry of the city, At the entrance of the doors:
4 “To you, O men, I call, And my voice is to the sons of men.
5 O you simple ones, understand prudence, And you fools, be of an understanding heart.
Proverbs 8:32-35 32 “Now therefore, listen to me, my children, For blessed are those who keep my ways.
33 Hear instruction and be wise, And do not disdain it.
34 Blessed is the man who listens to me, Watching daily at my gates, Waiting at the posts of my doors.
35 For whoever finds me finds life, And obtains favor from the Lord;
When the Bible talks about hearing it does not just mean that some sound waves have hit your ears. It means to listen and take heed. We are instructed to not only listen, but watch for it, wait for it, in hope that we will find it. That takes an intentional effort on our part.
Get understanding
Proverbs 13:13-15 13 He who despises the word will be destroyed, But he who fears the commandment will be rewarded.
14 The law of the wise is a fountain of life, To turn one away from the snares of death.
15 Good understanding gains favor, But the way of the unfaithful is hard.
The word despise can mean to hate, but it also carries the meaning of disrespect. And along that line, disrespect means not giving it the respect or weight that it is due. So treating something as unimportant, that you lightly esteem, is despising it.
We must hold the Word of God in the highest regard, recognizing that it holds the words of life.
The purpose of all this seeking is to get understanding.
Obedience
Get understanding of what? For what purpose?
To understand the ways of God. In the Old Testament they talked about the law and commandments.
Jesus said that we should seek first the kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33). Seek His kingship. When you are in a kingdom, you have to obey the commandments of the king.
We need to be doers of the Word, and not just hearers (James 1:22).
The goal we should be striving for is to be in God’s will.
Romans 12:2 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
We are admonished not to conform to the world – its customs, values, way of thinking and worldview – but be transformed by the renewing of our minds. [See Transformed series]. The result is that we may prove – i.e., have personal experience in, have proved out – the will of God. It then describes three levels of being in the will of God.
“Good” will of God – you do those things we would say make a good Christian. Read your Bible, go to church, walk in love. “Good” means “beneficial”.
“Acceptable” will of God – means well-pleasing. This is where you listen/hear what the Holy Spirit is saying, and do it. Being led by the Spirit.
“Perfect” will of God – this is walking in God’s purpose for your life, and fulfilling your destiny.
There is a certain amount of blessing and favor that comes with being a good Christian. To get to the place where the favor of God on your life is downright supernatural – i.e., people look at what happens to you and recognize God’s hand on your life – you’ll need to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit so He can steer you into opportunities where blessing will come.
It is also important to be consistent in the things we have been talking about. Most Christians are great starters, but not always the best finishers. The Bible uses the word perseverance – which means to be constant and immovable, even in the face of pressure and opposition. You have to keep it up and don’t quit. Yes, you may lose a battle sometime. But you get back up and keep going.
Align with God’s purposes
If you really want to see favor maximized in your life, find out what God wants to do in the earth and get involved with it. Align your heart with God’s heart.
There will be a specific part for you to play in that purpose.
Biblical Examples of Favor
Noah
The earth had been infected with sin and grew wholly corrupt, to the point that Genesis 6:5 says that the thoughts and intents of man’s heart was only evil continually.
Genesis 6:6 AMP But Noah found grace (favor) in the eyes of the Lord.
Abraham
Abraham was chosen by God to be the founder and patriarch of God’s people. He had a close relationship with God – they were friends.
James 2:23 23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God.
Joseph
Joseph was the poster boy for receiving God’s favor, resulting in gaining favor in the eyes of people. Early on he had a prophetic dream showing that he would be exalted above his brothers and parents. He blabbed it (probably not wisely), and it set off a chain of events that led him to be sold into slavery, then thrown in prison, then the second highest position in Egypt.
But everywhere he found himself in – even the adverse circumstances of being a slave and a prisoner – he excelled, caught the attention of those in charge, and was promoted.
Genesis 39:1-4 1 Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. And Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him down there.
2 The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.
3 And his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made all he did to prosper in his hand.
4 So Joseph found favor in his sight, and served him. Then he made him overseer of his house, and all that he had he put under his authority.
What was it that Potiphar recognized? That the Lord was with him and made everything he touched prosper.
He gained favor in the eyes of Potiphar’s wife – but not the type he needed. She got the hots for him, but being a righteous man, he rebuffed her. And as the woman scorned, she falsely accused him and he was thrown into prison.
Genesis 39:20-21 20 Then Joseph’s master took him and put him into the prison, a place where the king’s prisoners were confined. And he was there in the prison.
21 But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.
Of course we know where Joseph ended up. He gave the interpretation of Pharoah’s dream of coming famine, and had a solution for it. And like Potiphar, Pharoah recognized the hand of God on Joseph’s life, and promoted him to second in command of Egypt. And Egypt prospered under his hand. And that original dream that Joseph had – that his brothers and parents would bow before him – came to pass.
Moses
Moses had great favor with God. The Israelites were afraid to approach God, but Moses spoke to Him face to face.
Exodus 33:11 11 So the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. And he would return to the camp, but his servant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, did not depart from the tabernacle.
Even those who were his enemies held Moses in high regard. And when the Israelites left Egypt, they too gained favor in the eyes of the Egyptians.
Exodus 11:3 3 And the Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants and in the sight of the people.
Samuel
Samuel was one of the greatest prophets of the Old Testament. Here is what the Bible says about him:
1 Samuel 3:19 19 So Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground.
Mary
Luke 1:28 28 And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”
Jesus
Jesus of course walked in great favor with God, Who declared over Him, “This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17; 17:5).
Jesus was such an extension of the Father God, that He could tell Phillip, “If you’ve seen Me, you’ve seen the Father” (John 14:9). He did many miraculous things. “Oh, but that was Jesus, the Son of God”. If Jesus did miracles because He was the Son of God, how could He say “The works I do you will do also, and greater works than these, because I go to My Father” (John 14:12)?
The reason Jesus had so much power manifested in His life, is because He only did what He saw His Father do, and He only said what He heard His Father say [see The Secret of Jesus Power]
Examples of Favor in my life
I’ll start with one of those small things, but it well illustrates the favor of God.
My Dad had developed dementia, and my stepmom eventually had to put him in a home, and she was feeling pressure and guilt from that. So we wanted to take her out and have a fun day. We decided to take her to Muir Woods, which is a national park in the San Francisco Bay Area featuring a redwood grove. It is hugely popular. So we went, but all the parking lots were full. You could still park along the road outside of the park, so we drove down the road – and drove and drove still without seeing any spaces, probably for at least three miles (since then they developed a reservation system – you have to register to get into the park, to avoid this kind of thing).
We knew that if we drove back up over the hill into Mill Valley, they had a shuttlebus to Muir Woods, so we figured we would need to do that. So I made a U-turn and we headed back.
As we neared the first parking lot where the turn was to head back over the hill, I had a distinct impression that I should turn into the lot (that was the Holy Spirit). As I did so, there was a couple putting stuff in their trunk, and they waved at me and pointed at their spot. We waited for them, then pulled into the spot God had prepared for us – 50 feet from the park entrance! That was the favor of God.
Next time, I’ll tell the testimony our house in Redding.
Acknowledgements
As I mentioned at the beginning, this post was inspired by Jerry Savelle, and especially by his book The Favor of God.
Divine favor has been the life message of Brother Savelle for decades. When he was only four months old in the Lord, God told him to study out favor, and that one day he would be known worldwide for the favor of God on his life. He wrote it down and kept it to himself, until it started proving out to be true.
He has done numerous messages on favor. You can search on Jerry Savelle favor in You Tube to find a number of them. Also go to his ministry website https://www.jerrysavelle.org/ to find more.
Highly recommended.
