100 Days Of Favor (12 page)

Today’s Scripture

Then one of the servants answered and said, “Look, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skillful in playing, a mighty man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a handsome person; and the Lord is with him.” —1 Samuel 16:18

D
AVID IS A
wonderful example of someone who talked to the Lord and practiced His presence all the time. Even as a young teenager taking care of his father’s sheep in the fields, he would be singing psalms and hymns to the Lord and playing his harp.

You cannot be in the presence of the Lord without His glory, His majesty, His beauty, His power, His love and His peace rubbing off on you.

In 1 Samuel 16, the Bible records that King Saul was very unsettled, and his servants told him that he was being troubled by a distressing spirit. They then advised him to bring David before him to play the harp for him, saying that evil spirits departed when David played the harp. One of the servants gave a glowing description of David as someone “who is skillful in playing, a mighty man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a handsome person; and the Lord is with him.” Do you know why David could cause Saul to become refreshed just by playing his harp? Do you know why David could have such accolades heaped upon him? I believe that the key is in the last part of the verse: “the Lord is with him.”

A few years after Wendy and I got married, an incident happened that I will never forget. I was on my way home one day and I had stepped into a cramped elevator. A group of ladies squeezed into the same elevator as it stopped on another floor and boy, their perfumes were overpowering!

Anyway, almost dizzy from near-suffocation, I got home and kissed Wendy with my usual “Hello darling, I’m back.” She looked at me and said, “That’s a female fragrance. I know that fragrance.” I told her, “Listen, darling, listen…honestly, just now… ” And that’s why it’s so important to have trust in your marriage!

I am sure that you have experienced something similar before. Have you ever been in a room filled with cigarette smoke? You may not smoke, but your hair and clothes will smell of smoke even after you have left the room. In the same way, you cannot be in the presence of the Lord without His glory, His majesty, His beauty, His power, His love and His peace rubbing off on you. You begin to “smell” like Jesus, be powerful like Him and be filled with peace like Him! No wonder Acts 4:13 records this about Peter and John: “Now when they [the rulers and elders of Israel] saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that
they had been with Jesus.
” Beloved, choose to prioritize the presence of the Lord wherever you are. You will experience the undeniable evidence of His presence in your life.

Today’s Prayer

Lord Jesus, let it be said of me that I am a capable, wise and courageous person, not because I deserve these accolades, but because of Your constant presence with me. Every day, let Your glory, Your majesty, Your beauty, Your power, Your love and Your peace rub off more and more on me.

Today’s Thought

Becoming more like Jesus is not a matter of willpower, but a result of spending time in His presence.

Today’s Reflection On Favor

DAY 26

The Gospel Brings Health And Provision

Today’s Scripture

If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! —Matthew 7:11

I
HAVE BEEN
accused of being one of those health and wealth “prosperity gospel” preachers. Actually, there is no such thing as a “prosperity gospel.” There is only one gospel and that is the gospel of Jesus Christ. Through Jesus’ finished work on the cross, you can depend on Him for His resurrection life to pulsate and flow in your physical body from the crown of your head to the soles of your feet. Sicknesses and diseases are not from God. On the cross, Jesus bore not just our sins, but also our sicknesses, diseases and infirmities, and “by His stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5)!

In the same way that you want your children to always have more than enough, God wants you to enjoy His supernatural provision.

That’s not all, my friend. On the cross, Jesus bore the curse of poverty! This is what the Word of God declares: “For you know the grace [unmerited favor] of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9). Read 2 Corinthians 8 for yourself. The entire chapter is about money and being a blessing financially to those who are in need. So don’t let anyone tell you that the verse is referring to “spiritual” riches. Let me tell you this: It is the devil who wants you sick and poor, but the God I know has paid a heavy price to redeem you from the curse of sickness and poverty!

Let’s understand how God deals with us from the point of
relationship.
As a parent, how would you teach your child character and patience? With sicknesses and diseases? Of course not! There are institutions where we put such parents! Again, as a parent, how would you teach your child humility? By cursing your child with poverty for the rest of his life? No way! Now, isn’t it amazing how everything becomes crystal clear when we start thinking from the point of view of a parent, and put our own children in the picture?

When you start to think along the lines of relationship, everything will converge and you will begin to see things from God’s perspective. He is our Father who operates on the frequency of relationship, and through His unmerited favor in our lives, we learn character, patience and humility as we rest from our self-efforts and depend on Him. The more we know our Father, the more we become like Him. This is how God causes us to grow from glory to glory in every area of our lives. It is simply by beholding Him (2 Corinthians 3:18)!

You know that as parents, we always seek the best things for our children. How much more would our Father in heaven want the best things for us, His precious children? In the same way that you want your children to be healthy, God wants you to enjoy His divine health. And in the same way that you want your children to always have more than enough, God wants you to enjoy His supernatural provision. When He provides, get ready for a net-breaking, boat-sinking load (Luke 5:6–7). Get ready for 12 baskets full of leftovers (John 6:13)! The Bible puts things in perspective most clearly in Matthew 7:11—If you then, as imperfect parents, “know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him”!

My friend, get this right: God abhors sickness and He loathes poverty. He gave everything He had to annihilate sickness and poverty, when He gave us His only Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for us. He placed all of humanity’s sin, as well as the curse of sickness and poverty on the body of Jesus. All you need to do right now is respond to Jesus’ finished work—your sins have already been forgiven. Your physical body will be healed and your poverty will indeed be history!

Today’s Prayer

Father, I thank You that Jesus took my sickness and poverty at the cross. I thank You that He has done all that needs to be done for me to enjoy divine health and prosperity! I ask You to take care of every one of my needs and I receive Your supernatural healing and provision for me and my loved ones today.

Today’s Thought

If earthly parents who are imperfect don’t want their children to be sick and poor, how much more my heavenly Father who loves me perfectly!

Today’s Reflection On Favor

DAY 27

Know Your Commander In Chief

Today’s Scripture

Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered… —Psalm 68:1

I
T IS INTERESTING
to listen to how some Christians talk. You may hear them talking about what the devil did to them, how they got really mad at the devil and how they spent a whole night rebuking the devil. Such Christians may also go around town telling people what the devil has been telling them, but you don’t really hear them talking about what
the Lord
has been telling them. Guess what? They are tuned in to the wrong frequency!

The best warfare to engage in is to magnify the Lord Jesus in your life.

Instead of magnifying Jesus and His presence and being conscious of Him, they are magnifying the devil and being more devil-conscious than Jesus-conscious. It’s really sad! They are always talking about warfare and the devil. Do you know that the best warfare to engage in is to magnify the Lord Jesus in your life? The Bible declares, “Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered…” Amen!

Recently, I had a conversation with a medical doctor about spiritual warfare. She said to me, “When there is a condition in your body, you must know what the correct medical name for it is so that you can pray against it accurately.” Then, she told me somewhat smugly, “As someone who’s been in the army, you should know this: The most important military strategy is to know your enemy.”

I smiled at her and said, “Actually, I believe that the most important military strategy is not to know your enemy, but to know your commander in chief and his directives for you.”

My friend, do you know your commander in chief, Jesus Christ? Do you know with full assurance that His presence and unmerited favor are with you? Start practicing the presence of Jesus in your life today, and see what a difference He will bring to your situation!