The Favor of God

by Jerry Savelle

Notice that there is no indication that Joseph ever defended himself. He never told his master, “Your wife is lying.” He didn’t have to defend himself, because he knew the favor of God was on him. He knew the favor of God would vindicate him, and that’s just what happened.

  But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners who were in the prison; whatever they did there, it was his doing. The keeper of the prison did not look into anything that was under Joseph’s authority, because the LORD was with him; and whatever he did, the LORD made it prosper (Gen. 39:21-23).

  Once again, the favor of God was with Joseph to fulfill the course of his destiny. Joseph got thrown into prison, and he became the warden. Now, that’s favor. Nothing could stop this man from being victorious, despite how low his circumstances had taken him. The favor of God kept bringing him to the top—and the best was yet to come.

  NOTHING COULD STOP JOSEPH FROM BEING VICTORIOUS, DESPITE HOW LOW HIS CIRCUMSTANCES HAD TAKEN HIM. THE FAVOR OF GOD KEPT BRINGING HIM TO THE TOP—AND THE BEST WAS YET TO COME.

  Two years after Joseph was imprisoned, Pharaoh had a disturbing dream that no one could interpret for him. Pharaoh’s butler told him of a young Hebrew man, Joseph, who could interpret dreams. Joseph was summoned from the prison, and he interpreted the dream, providing Pharaoh with an answer that gave him peace. Once again, the favor of God altered Joseph’s destiny.

  So the advice was good in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of all his servants. And Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the Spirit of God?”

  Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Inasmuch as God has shown you all this, there is no one as discerning and wise as you. You shall be over my house, and all my people shall be ruled according to your word; only in regard to the throne will I be greater than you.” And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.”

  Then Pharaoh took his signet ring off his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand; and he clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. And he had him ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried out before him, “Bow the knee!” So he set him over all the land of Egypt (Gen. 41:37-43).

  Joseph spent years of his life as a captive after his brothers turned against him. He was sold into slavery and then thrown into prison. One would never expect him to end up in the presence of Pharaoh himself, much less have the entire land of Egypt placed under his oversight. But Joseph emerged victorious, because the favor of God was on his life—and all of this happened before he was 36 years old.

  To be clear, having the favor of God on our lives does not exempt us from trials. It does not mean we will never have another problem or be faced with another challenge. (Remember, Joseph faced the problem of his master’s wife’s advances and the trial of imprisonment, even after God’s favor had clearly been at work in his life.) What it does mean is that we will not be destroyed by trials, problems or challenges. We will not be defeated; rather, we will be victorious.

  Joseph is by no means the only example in the Bible of someone who found favor in the sight of God and man. Genesis 6:8 tell us that Noah “found grace in the eyes of the LORD.” Ruth found favor with Boaz, saying, “Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me?” (Ruth 2:10). The young boy, Samuel, “grew in stature, and in favor both with the LORD and men” (1 Sam. 2:26).

  In each instance, people overcame their trials because of the favor of God on their lives. Noah literally faced a storm of proportions that the world had never seen. Ruth not only lost her husband, but also left her family and all that was familiar to her to live in a foreign land. Samuel’s mother had given him over as a young child to be raised and mentored by Eli the priest.

  These and many other biblical stories describe people who faced dire circumstances and came through victoriously because of God’s favor upon their lives. One of the most memorable of these accounts tells of Job, a man who lost everything he had: his children, his property, and eventually his health. The first 42 chapters of the book of Job describe what may be the greatest personal crisis ever recorded in history, all of which happened in a period of only 9 to 12 months. Despite his terrible suffering, Job made this statement in a prayer to God: “You have granted me life and favor, and Your care has preserved my spirit” (Job 10:12).

  At the time Job made this declaration, he was still in the midst of his trial; God did not restore him until some time later. One time, when I was reading these words of Job, the Spirit of God asked me, “Do you suppose the declaration Job made in the midst of that adversity had anything to do with the turnaround in his life?” Even as everything around him was falling apart, Job declared that the favor of God was upon him. In the natural, it would have made sense for him to just give up on God and quit, as his wife suggested that he do. Instead, he declared that he had been granted the favor of God.

  Psalm 84:11 says, “The Lord God 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” (AMP). Psalm 30:5 tells us, “His favor is for a lifetime” (NASB). Could it be that in the midst of adversity, the key to our victory lies in declaring God’s favor in our lives? If God’s favor brought victory to all of these people under the old covenant, how much more so will it bring favor to us who have a new covenant founded on promises of grace?

  Declaring God’s Grace and Favor

  It’s not enough simply to have a revelation of the importance of God’s favor—that is, just to recognize that the favor of God has the power to transform our lives. We also need a revelation of the importance of declaring that favor. There’s a divine connection between our declaring the favor of God and the manifestation of that favor. Not a day goes by in which I’m not declaring the favor of God over my life, whether I’m believing God for an airplane or looking for a parking space.

  Most of us face challenges—some large, some small—on a regular basis. Oftentimes, we refer to the larger challenges as mountains. For instance, we may describe ourselves as facing a mountain of debt. When we are in such a situation, that mountain will talk to us. It will keep us up all night, trying to convince us that it’s too big to deal with and that it’s been with us too long for us ever to get rid of it. Truth be told, in the natural we may not have the ability to change our circumstances. But Jesus said we have to talk to our mountains: “For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says” (Mark 11:23).

  There’s a familiar verse in Zechariah that says, “‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the LORD of hosts” (Zech. 4:6). Most of us stop reading at that point, but verse 7 teaches us something crucial about God’s favor and the mountains in our lives: “Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain! And he shall bring forth the capstone with shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!’ ”

  According to the Word of God, we are to shout grace, or God’s favor, to our mountains. When we declare and shout divine favor to the obstacles we face, we are speaking words of faith, just as Jesus instructed us to do. We’re expressing our faith in the favor of God to move that mountain.

  The apostle Paul’s revelation of favor became a revelation of the power of declaring that favor over the lives of those to whom he ministered. Paul wrote 13 of the 27 epistles, or letters, contained in the New Testament. In each one, he began with a greeting of grace, or divine favor, and he usually concluded with a reminder to his readers that the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ would be with them all.

  In his letter to the Romans, Paul wrote, “Grace [divine favor] to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 1:7). He off
ered the same greeting to the church at Corinth (see 1 Cor. 1:3; 2 Cor. 1:2). Concluding his letter to the Galatians, Paul wrote, “The grace [divine favor] of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen” (Gal. 6:18).

  WHEN WE SHOUT DIVINE FAVOR TO THE OBSTACLES WE FACE, WE ARE SPEAKING WORDS OF FAITH. WE’RE EXPRESSING OUR FAITH IN THE FAVOR OF GOD TO MOVE THAT MOUNTAIN.

  Time and time again, we see Paul declaring God’s favor over the Church, the Body of Christ. He was endeavoring to cause his fellow believers to receive a revelation of God’s favor. He wanted them to understand that the favor of God brings with it blessing, prosperity, and victory over every adversity. He wanted them to understand that they didn’t have to be poor anymore, they didn’t have to be sick anymore, and they didn’t have to live “under the circumstances.” Neither do we.

  The Early Church faced its share of challenges. Those believers had to deal with unthinkable opposition and persecution, but God blessed them in the midst of their trials. The Word says, “With great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace [divine favor] was upon them all. Nor was there anyone among them who lacked” (Acts 4:33-34).

  When the favor of God—or, as the Scripture actually says, His “great favor”—is manifesting in the lives of His people the way He desires it to be, there will be no lack among them. Great favor was upon the Early Church, with remarkable results. We should expect nothing different today.

  The Word of God says that we are all partakers of God’s grace, or divine favor (see Phil. 1:7). The Word also says that, as God’s children, we are His heirs:

  For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ (Rom. 8:14-17).

  There was a time when I didn’t know that I was an heir of God and a joint heir with Jesus Christ. I was raised in a Christian home, and my family was very faithful to the church we attended; I was even nominated for the title of Mr. Vacation Bible School. Of course, I only went because my mama made me go, but still, I don’t remember ever not believing that Jesus was the Son of God. I’ve always believed that He was crucified and raised from the dead, and that He is coming back. You know, a person can believe all of these things and still never make Jesus Lord of his life. I heard the call of God in 1957, at the age of 11, as I watched Oral Roberts on television. But I didn’t completely surrender my life to Jesus until February 1969.

  It was through the ministry of Kenneth Copeland that I began to learn about righteousness, faith, and the fact that we are joint heirs with Christ. I’ll never forget how revealing and exciting the Bible became for Carolyn and me as we began learning these truths and applying them to our lives. (To be perfectly honest, Carolyn knew a little more than I did at the time, but it was still a wonderful experience for us to learn and grow together.)

  I remember one book in particular that made a big impact on me: The Blood Covenant by E.W. Kenyon. I can still picture that book today: It had a red cover and was small enough to fit perfectly in my shirt pocket. The day the book arrived in the mail, I started reading it, and I could not put it down. The information in that book was so exciting that I almost started jumping on my living room furniture. I carried that little book around with me for weeks, and every time I had a break or a few extra moments, I sat down and read from it.

  The next revelation I received came as the result of reading another book: Redeemed from the Curse by Kenneth E. Hagin. For the first time, I learned that I was redeemed from every sickness and every disease, as Hagin directed my attention to this passage of Scripture: “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree’), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith” (Gal. 3:13-14). I began constantly reading these verses in Galatians and then turning to Deuteronomy 28 to read about the blessing of Abraham and to see all of the curses from which I had been redeemed. I spent so much time reading these Scriptures, it got to the point where my Bible automatically fell open to Galatians 3 and Deuteronomy 28.

  We’ve already looked at the blessings that obedience to God and His Word brings (see Deut. 28:2-8). As I continued my reading in Deuteronomy 28, I also learned there was a price to be paid for disobedience:

  But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you:

  Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the country.

  Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.

  Cursed shall be the fruit of your body and the produce of your land, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks.

  Cursed shall you be when you come in, and cursed shall you be when you go out (Deut. 28:15-19).

  Understanding the nature and extent of the curses from which we have been redeemed makes it even more wonderful to realize that we are heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus, and that all of the promises made to Abraham are ours to enjoy. I can tell you that for the past 40 years, I have been enjoying being the seed of Abraham and a joint heir with Jesus Christ.

  I don’t mean to say that I have always enjoyed the fullness of every promise, but I’m working on it, and I’m making progress.

  To me, the most exciting promise has been the promise of the favor of God.

  WHEN THE FAVOR OF GOD IS ON YOUR LIFE, FAILURE AND DEFEAT ARE NEVER INEVITABLE.

  God wants us to experience His favor in every area of our lives. I have discovered that having the favor of God is often the factor that makes the difference between winning and losing—between success and failure. When the favor of God is on your life, failure and defeat are never inevitable. As we have seen, that doesn’t mean we won’t have challenges. Joseph and Job had challenges, the Early Church had challenges, Abraham had challenges, and we will also have challenges. But if we are determined never to give up and to wait for the favor of God, then the favor of God will make us winners—just as it did for the faithful men and women we read about in the Bible.

  3

  WE HAVE A HERITAGE OF FAVOR

  Before God ever spoke forth the words “let there be light,” setting in motion the creation of all things that exist, He had a marvelous plan for mankind.

  As Paul wrote in his letter to the Galatians, that plan was for all people to be blessed: “And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, ‘In you all the nations shall be blessed.’ So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham” (Gal. 3:8-9).

  The covenant God made with Abraham extended to both his natural and his spiritual posterity. Abraham’s natural lineage included his son Isaac and his grandson Jacob—who later became Israel, after whom the whole Hebrew nation is named. The term “Gentile” applies to all non-Jewish people, tribes and nations. By faith in Jesus Christ, Gentiles become the spiritual seed of Abraham, as Paul goes on to explain:

  Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.… Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,” who is Christ.… And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise (Gal. 3:13-14,16,29).

  The Bible tells us that if you and I belong to Christ—if we’ve made Jesus the Lord of our lives—
then we “are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” In other words, whatever God promised to Abraham, He has also promised to us, as we see in Romans 4:16: “Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace [divine favor], so that the promise might be sure to all the seed.” The apostle Paul tells us that these promises are sure to the seed—or as we might say today, God’s promises are a sure thing.

  God intends for us to enjoy the fullness of every blessing that He promised to His people in Deuteronomy 28. As heirs of God’s promise, these blessings are our heritage. If we are living without the fulfillment of God’s promised blessings in our lives, then either we lack an understanding of our heritage or we are simply ignoring the promise that comes to us through our covenant with God.

  Genesis 12 contains a particular promise that God made to Abraham—one that applies to us as Abraham’s spiritual seed. God said, “I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing” (Gen. 12:2). The Amplified version of this Scripture says, “I will bless you [with abundant increase of favors].” In other words, God promised to increase His favor in Abraham’s life.

  AN ABUNDANT INCREASE IN FAVOR BROUGHT GOOD THINGS INTO ABRAHAM’S LIFE, AND IT WILL DO THE SAME FOR US.

  An abundant increase in favor brought good things into Abraham’s life, and it will do the same for us. This kind of abundant favor is our heritage; it is available for us because we are the seed of Abraham. We can’t even imagine the good things God’s favor will accomplish in our lives, because God “is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think” (Eph. 3:20).

  As the Bible unfolds Abraham’s story, we see that God’s favor on his life caused him to become a very successful, prosperous and powerful man. No enemy could defeat him as he walked in the favor of God. Regardless of where he was or the circumstances he was facing, Abraham came through victoriously every time. At one point God said to him, “Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you” (Gen. 12:1). When Abraham left his family and his country, he ended up right in the middle of the desert—but God still made him a winner. Of the end of Abraham’s life, the Bible says that “Abraham was now old and well advanced in years, and the LORD had blessed him in every way” (Gen. 24:1, NIV).