100 Days Of Favor (41 page)

Today’s Prayer

Father, I thank You that You can use the most unlikely people to do great exploits for You. You qualify the unqualified, exalt the lowly and turn underdogs into champions. Even small beginnings can have great endings when Your unmerited favor is released. Father, I choose to submit to the authorities You have placed over me in the different areas of my life and I will not despise any small task You have for me. Cause me to be at the right place at the right time, so that I can experience all the goodness that You have in store for me.

Today’s Thought

Submission releases God’s favor into my life.

Today’s Reflection On Favor

DAY 94

How Esther Obtained Favor

Today’s Scripture

Now when the turn came for Esther the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her as his daughter, to go in to the king, she requested nothing but what Hegai the king’s eunuch, the custodian of the women, advised. And Esther obtained favor in the sight of all who saw her. —Esther 2:15

W
HEN YOU KNOW
that you are greatly blessed, highly favored and deeply loved, you don’t have to depend on your self-efforts. Look at the story of Esther, for example. When King Ahasuerus was looking for a new queen, the most beautiful women in the land were all brought into the palace. All the women were given the opportunity to adorn themselves with whatever they desired from the women’s quarters before they were brought for an audience with the king. But when it was Esther’s turn, she “requested nothing but what Hegai the king’s eunuch, the custodian of the women, advised.” And look at the results: “Esther
obtained favor
in the sight of all who saw her,” and the king “loved Esther more than all the other women, and she
obtained grace and favor in his sight
more than all the virgins; so he set the royal crown upon her head and made her queen…” (Esther 2:17)

When the Lord promotes you, He gives you the influence to be a blessing to the people around you!

While the other women grabbed the best garments, perfumes and accessories to beautify themselves, Esther did not rely on her own abilities but submitted herself to Hegai, the official who had been appointed by the king to oversee the women. There was so much wisdom and humility in her decision. Can you see the beauty of Esther? She did not trust in her own efforts. While the women tried to outdo one another by relying on their own efforts, Esther wisely submitted to the one person who would know the king’s preferences best, and the results speak for themselves.

This incident also demonstrates to us that Esther depended entirely upon the Lord’s unmerited favor. (When you depend entirely upon the Lord’s unmerited favor, you are trusting Him and in a position of rest.) Esther did not have to struggle. When she rested in the Lord and humbled herself, the Lord promoted her and exalted her above all the other beautiful women. God resists the proud and gives unmerited favor to the humble (1 Peter 5:5). When you humble yourself and cease from your efforts to promote yourself, and depend on Jesus alone, the Lord Himself will be your promotion and increase. Like Esther, you will stand out in a crowd and obtain grace and favor with God and man.

Do you know why the story of Esther is so important? Read the details in the Book of Esther. Because Esther was promoted to become the queen, she was in a favored position to protect all the Jewish people in the kingdom from being killed. When the Lord promotes you, He gives you the influence to be a blessing to the people around you. There are no coincidences, only God-incidents. The Lord will bless you to be a blessing!

Today’s Prayer

Father, I thank You that I don’t have to rely on man to get promoted. I thank You that I don’t have to scheme or struggle to get recognition from people. Jesus Himself is my promotion and increase. Lord Jesus, I depend on You, Your timing and Your unmerited favor. And when I do get promoted by Your unmerited favor, I thank You that it will be a position of influence, where I can be a blessing to others.

Today’s Thought

The Lord Himself is my promotion and increase.

Today’s Reflection On Favor

DAY 95

Personalize God’s Favor In Your Life

Today’s Scripture

Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following, who also had leaned on His breast at the supper, and said, “Lord, who is the one who betrays You?” —John 21:20

I
USED TO
think that among Jesus’ 12 disciples, John was the Lord’s favorite disciple and the one who was the closest to Him because the Bible calls John “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” I was under the impression that John had a special favor with Jesus, and always wondered what made him so special that he stood apart from the other disciples. Don’t you want to be known as the disciple whom Jesus loves? I do!

It is your prerogative to see yourself as the disciple whom Jesus loves, and to call yourself that!

Then one day, when I was reading God’s Word, the secret of John’s favor dawned on me. The Lord opened my eyes and showed me that the phrase “the disciple whom Jesus loved” is actually found only in John’s own book! Check it out for yourself. You will not find this phrase being used in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. It is found only in the Gospel of John. It is a phrase that John used to describe himself!

Now, what was John doing? He was
practicing and personalizing the love that Jesus had for him.
We are all God’s favorites, but John knew the secret of accessing Jesus’ unmerited favor for himself. It is your prerogative to see yourself as the disciple whom Jesus loves, and to call yourself that!

When I started to teach that the secret of John’s favor lay in his personalization of God’s love, the people in my church literally stepped into a new dimension of experiencing God’s unmerited favor in their lives. I have seen how some of them really took this revelation and ran with it. Some of them customized the wallpapers of their cell phones to say “The disciple whom Jesus loves,” while others signed off their text messages and emails with the phrase.

As they kept reminding themselves that they are the disciple whom Jesus loves, they began to grow in the consciousness of the Lord’s love for them. At the same time, they began to grow in being favor-conscious! I have piles of praise reports on how our congregation members have been so blessed just by being conscious of Jesus’ favor in their lives. Some of them have been promoted, some have received spectacular increments to their paychecks and many have won various prizes at company functions and in other contests, including all-expense-paid vacations.

A brother from my church signed up for a certain credit card during a special promotion in which new applicants stood to win a range of prizes. There were probably hundreds of thousands of people who participated in this promotion, but this young man just believed that
he
was highly favored, and because of that,
he
would win the top prize.

The day of the draw came and true enough, this young man won the top prize—a stunning black Lamborghini Gallardo! When he wrote to the church to share his testimony, he enclosed a picture of himself smiling from ear to ear, posing with his brand-new Lamborghini. He said that he knew that he had won the car by the unmerited favor of God, and after he had sold off the car, he brought his tithe to the church, giving all glory and honor to Jesus. The world calls this “luck,” but for the believer, there is no such thing as luck. There is only the unmerited favor of Jesus!

Today’s Prayer

Father, in so loving the world, You so love me. Thank You for lavishing Your unconditional and personal love on me. I see myself embraced by You, and watched over by You. I am the apple of Your eye—the disciple whom You love! And because Your love for me is fathomless and personal, I expect good things to happen to me today. I thank You for favor with people. I thank You for divine protection. I thank You for abundant provision and right happenings today!

Today’s Thought

I am the disciple whom Jesus loves!

Today’s Reflection On Favor

DAY 96

Always Remember That You Are God’s Beloved