Living Favor-Minded

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See terms and conditions at UNEs 0:01:29.760 --> 0:01:30.080 dot co. 0:01:31.080 --> 0:01:34.800 Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. Thanks for downloading our podcast. 0:01:35.080 --> 0:01:37.880 We enjoy spending this time with you. I hope you'll 0:01:37.959 --> 0:01:41.319 leave Inspire. Make sure you subscribe to get new messages 0:01:41.360 --> 0:01:44.360 every week. We appreciate your support. It helps keep the 0:01:44.440 --> 0:01:45.199 ministry going. 0:01:45.640 --> 0:02:00.160 Enjoy the message. 0:02:00.560 --> 0:02:03.840 Well, God bless you. It's always our joy to come 0:02:03.840 --> 0:02:06.440 into your homes, and if you're ever in our area, 0:02:06.760 --> 0:02:08.720 please stop by and be a part of one of 0:02:08.720 --> 0:02:11.520 our services. I promise you we'll make you feel right 0:02:11.560 --> 0:02:13.960 at home. But thanks so much for tuning in, and 0:02:14.240 --> 0:02:16.840 thank you again for coming out today. I like to 0:02:16.880 --> 0:02:19.800 start with something funny, and I heard about this groom 0:02:20.240 --> 0:02:23.320 at the wedding rehearsal. He said to the minister, I'll 0:02:23.320 --> 0:02:26.680 make a deal with you. If during the vows you'll 0:02:26.760 --> 0:02:30.359 leave out all that love, honor, and obey stuff, I'll 0:02:30.360 --> 0:02:33.200 give you one hundred dollars. He slipped one hundred dollars 0:02:33.240 --> 0:02:36.280 bill into the minister's hand walked away with a smile. 0:02:36.919 --> 0:02:40.120 The next day, during the ceremony, the minister said to 0:02:40.160 --> 0:02:43.280 the man, do you promise to bow down before your 0:02:43.320 --> 0:02:47.000 wife to bring her breakfast in bed to fulfill her 0:02:47.120 --> 0:02:51.480 every desire? The men gulped in astonishment, said in a 0:02:51.520 --> 0:02:55.079 weak voice, I do. He then whispered in the minister's ear. 0:02:55.280 --> 0:02:58.000 I thought we had a deal. The minister handed his 0:02:58.120 --> 0:03:00.880 money back and said, You're wife made me a much 0:03:00.880 --> 0:03:05.960 better offer. Hold your bible up, say it like you 0:03:06.040 --> 0:03:08.840 mean it. This is my Bible. I am what it 0:03:08.880 --> 0:03:11.200 says I am. I have what it says I have. 0:03:11.760 --> 0:03:14.320 I can do what it says I can do. Today 0:03:14.440 --> 0:03:17.240 I will be taught the word of God. I boldly 0:03:17.320 --> 0:03:21.480 confess my mind is alert, my heart is receptive. I 0:03:21.520 --> 0:03:25.640 will never be the same. In Jesus' name, God bless you. 0:03:26.919 --> 0:03:30.400 I want to talk to you today about living favor minded. 0:03:31.400 --> 0:03:35.520 God told Abraham Genesis twelve two, I will bless you 0:03:35.960 --> 0:03:41.000 with an abundant increase of favors, not one or just two. 0:03:41.600 --> 0:03:45.400 He said, I'm going to do favors for you in abundance. 0:03:46.400 --> 0:03:50.000 You and I are the seed of Abraham. What if 0:03:50.040 --> 0:03:53.200 we could really believe this, that the creator of the 0:03:53.320 --> 0:03:57.120 universe wants to do favors for you. Most of the 0:03:57.160 --> 0:04:00.280 time we think, oh, Joel, God's got bigger than things 0:04:00.360 --> 0:04:03.760 to deal with than me. He's not interested in that. No, 0:04:03.960 --> 0:04:07.440 you are God's biggest deal. He wants to make you 0:04:07.520 --> 0:04:11.360 an example of his goodness. And when you keep God 0:04:11.480 --> 0:04:15.480 first place, when you honor Him with your life, God 0:04:15.600 --> 0:04:19.120 puts something on you that causes you to stand out 0:04:19.160 --> 0:04:23.400 in the crowd, something that gives you an advantage. It 0:04:23.520 --> 0:04:27.280 causes good breaks and opportunities to be attracted to you. 0:04:28.000 --> 0:04:32.960 It's called the favor of God. The word favor means 0:04:33.160 --> 0:04:38.640 to assist, to provide with advantages, to receive preferential treatment. 0:04:39.480 --> 0:04:42.440 The favor of God will cause you to be promoted 0:04:42.880 --> 0:04:46.920 even though you weren't the most qualified. God's favor will 0:04:46.920 --> 0:04:50.000 cause your children to get the best teachers in school. 0:04:50.760 --> 0:04:53.000 It'll help you find the best deals at the mall. 0:04:53.560 --> 0:04:55.640 It will put you at the right place at the 0:04:55.760 --> 0:04:59.360 right time. God is saying to you what he said 0:04:59.400 --> 0:05:03.200 to Abraham. I'm going to assist you. I'm going to 0:05:03.240 --> 0:05:06.359 provide you with advantages. I'm going to cause you to 0:05:06.440 --> 0:05:11.479 receive preferential treatment. Well, Joel, this never happens for me. 0:05:11.760 --> 0:05:14.920 I must not have this favor. No, you do have it. 0:05:15.440 --> 0:05:19.320 But the reason many people don't experience it is they're 0:05:19.360 --> 0:05:23.560 not releasing their faith in this area. They're not expecting 0:05:23.720 --> 0:05:28.560 good breaks, they don't expect preferential treatment. They have an 0:05:28.720 --> 0:05:34.440 underdog mentality. Everybody gets promoted except me. I put my 0:05:34.520 --> 0:05:37.000 house on the market, should have known it wouldn't sell, 0:05:37.800 --> 0:05:40.440 went to the grocery store, got in the longest line, 0:05:40.560 --> 0:05:44.240 Just my luck. No, if you're going to experience this favor, 0:05:44.600 --> 0:05:49.360 you have to live favor minded. That means you're expecting 0:05:49.440 --> 0:05:54.200 it and you're declaring it every day. Before you leave 0:05:54.240 --> 0:05:57.200 the house. You should say, Father, thank you that I 0:05:57.240 --> 0:06:01.599 have your favor. Then go out, affecting good things to happen. 0:06:02.320 --> 0:06:05.920 Expect doors to open for you that may not open 0:06:05.960 --> 0:06:10.279 for somebody else. You have an advantage. There's something special 0:06:10.320 --> 0:06:14.039 about you. You have the favor of God. And I'm 0:06:14.040 --> 0:06:17.680 not talking about being arrogant thinking that we're better than 0:06:17.720 --> 0:06:22.880 somebody else. I'm talking about living with boldness, not because 0:06:22.920 --> 0:06:25.920 of who we are, but because of whose we are. 0:06:26.520 --> 0:06:30.039 You are a child of the most High God. Your 0:06:30.160 --> 0:06:34.640 father created the whole universe. You can expect preferential treatment. 0:06:35.400 --> 0:06:38.960 Think about if you were born into the Rockefeller family, 0:06:39.320 --> 0:06:42.239 you're going to have some advantages. If you were born 0:06:42.360 --> 0:06:46.400 into the Kennedy family, the Bill Gates family, You're going 0:06:46.440 --> 0:06:50.720 to be treated differently. You're going to expect favor that 0:06:50.800 --> 0:06:55.120 other people may not expect. The good news today is 0:06:55.160 --> 0:06:58.480 you have been born into the right family. You come 0:06:58.560 --> 0:07:02.599 from a royal blood line. Your father owns it all. 0:07:03.360 --> 0:07:05.880 Now you need to hold your head up high and 0:07:05.920 --> 0:07:10.200 start expecting to stand out in the crowd. Start expecting 0:07:10.440 --> 0:07:15.360 good breaks, divine connections, opportunities to come your way. You 0:07:15.480 --> 0:07:19.680 have favor because of who your father is. I know 0:07:19.840 --> 0:07:23.560 as a child, as a young boy, I received preferential 0:07:23.600 --> 0:07:28.080 treatment because of my earthly father. We used to travel 0:07:28.080 --> 0:07:31.160 with my dad during the summers when he would speak 0:07:31.200 --> 0:07:35.080 at these large conferences. One time we were in Chicago 0:07:35.680 --> 0:07:38.960 in the lobby of this big hotel. I was about 0:07:39.040 --> 0:07:43.080 ten years old, My sister April was seven, and I 0:07:43.240 --> 0:07:47.640 was standing at the coffee shop admiring the pictures of 0:07:47.760 --> 0:07:50.760 milkshakes they had up on the wall that they sold. 0:07:51.560 --> 0:07:54.760 This older lady came by and she said, aren't you 0:07:55.000 --> 0:07:58.640 John o'steen's children. I said, with a smile, yes, ma'am, 0:07:58.640 --> 0:08:01.360 we are. She said, how about I buy you one 0:08:01.400 --> 0:08:04.760 of those milkshakes you're looking at. I thought about it 0:08:04.880 --> 0:08:07.240 for about two tenths of a second and said that 0:08:07.280 --> 0:08:10.480 would be nice, and she bought us a milkshake. It 0:08:10.560 --> 0:08:14.240 wasn't because of anything that I had done. She did 0:08:14.280 --> 0:08:18.000 me a favor, simply because of who my father was. 0:08:18.880 --> 0:08:20.960 The rest of the week I hung out at that 0:08:21.040 --> 0:08:25.640 coffee shop. When I was nineteen years old, I got 0:08:25.680 --> 0:08:29.680 pulled over by a policeman for driving too fast. This 0:08:29.880 --> 0:08:33.559 officer was kind of gruff, seemed like he was having 0:08:33.760 --> 0:08:37.280 a bad day, and I was young and nervous. My 0:08:37.360 --> 0:08:40.640 heart was beating so fast. He came over to my window, 0:08:41.040 --> 0:08:44.719 and I handed him my driver's license. He stared at 0:08:44.760 --> 0:08:47.560 it for the longest time, a minute or two, it 0:08:47.600 --> 0:08:51.320 seemed like forever. Then he finally looked at me and said, 0:08:51.880 --> 0:08:57.280 are you related to that? He said it three times, 0:08:57.480 --> 0:09:01.520 that preacher, the way he said it. I didn't know 0:09:01.520 --> 0:09:02.840 if he was going to be a good thing to 0:09:02.880 --> 0:09:07.520 be related to my father. I smiled and said, it depends. 0:09:09.400 --> 0:09:11.440 He said, what do you mean it depends? I said, 0:09:11.440 --> 0:09:15.440 it depends on whether or not you like him. He 0:09:15.520 --> 0:09:18.120 looked up in the air like he was trying to decide. 0:09:19.000 --> 0:09:20.880 I thought, that's not a good sign if he has 0:09:20.960 --> 0:09:24.040 to think about it. And he looked at me and said, yeah, 0:09:24.280 --> 0:09:26.520 I watch him on television a lot. I kind of 0:09:26.679 --> 0:09:29.320 like him. I said, good, because that's my father, and 0:09:30.760 --> 0:09:32.720 he sure wouldn't want you to give me a ticket. 0:09:34.400 --> 0:09:37.160 Believe it or not. He let me go. What was 0:09:37.200 --> 0:09:41.920 that preferential treatment because of who my father was? Now, 0:09:41.960 --> 0:09:45.240 why don't you start carrying yourself like you're a child 0:09:45.440 --> 0:09:49.320 of the king. Why don't you start expecting some advantages, 0:09:49.679 --> 0:09:54.559 some good breaks, even some preferential treatment, instead of thinking, oh, Joel, 0:09:54.760 --> 0:09:57.520 nobody likes me at work. I'll never get ahead, no 0:09:57.679 --> 0:10:00.840 start declaring I have the fever of God. God. People 0:10:00.920 --> 0:10:03.719 are drawn to me, people want to be good to me. 0:10:04.080 --> 0:10:06.720 People go out of their way to be nice. That's 0:10:06.800 --> 0:10:10.520 not just being positive, that's releasing your faith. And if 0:10:10.559 --> 0:10:14.400 you're going to see an abundant increase of God's favors, 0:10:14.600 --> 0:10:17.480 you can't have a limited short end of the stick 0:10:18.120 --> 0:10:23.360 underdog mentality. It says in Psalms that God has crowned 0:10:23.400 --> 0:10:26.400 you with his favor. You may not be able to 0:10:26.440 --> 0:10:29.439 see it, but everywhere you go you are wearing a 0:10:29.440 --> 0:10:33.720 crown on your head. That crown does not represent lack, 0:10:34.280 --> 0:10:39.320 bad breaks, mediocrity, barely getting by. It represents the favor 0:10:39.400 --> 0:10:42.960 of God. It represents the fact that the creator of 0:10:43.000 --> 0:10:46.240 the universe breathed his life into you, and in the 0:10:46.400 --> 0:10:51.199 unseen realm, the spiritual world, all the forces of darkness. 0:10:51.280 --> 0:10:54.679 Just like they can see you wearing your robe of righteousness, 0:10:55.040 --> 0:10:58.440 they can see your crown of favor on your head. 0:10:59.200 --> 0:11:03.080 That tells them that you've been set apart. They can 0:11:03.120 --> 0:11:06.400 see you have a right to preferential treatment. They can 0:11:06.440 --> 0:11:10.120 see there's something different about you. But here's the problem. 0:11:10.440 --> 0:11:13.640 If you don't see yourself the right way it's going 0:11:13.679 --> 0:11:18.120 to limit you when you need an advantage, a good break, 0:11:18.440 --> 0:11:21.280 instead of shrinking back, thinking, oh, what's the use, it's 0:11:21.320 --> 0:11:25.160 never going to happen. No, stand up tall and imagine 0:11:25.280 --> 0:11:28.680 that crown of favor on your head. Let that be 0:11:28.760 --> 0:11:32.960 a reminder that you have a right to live in victory. 0:11:33.040 --> 0:11:35.200 You have a right to stand out in the crowd. 0:11:35.720 --> 0:11:39.400 You have a right to these special advantages. And when 0:11:39.440 --> 0:11:42.000 I look out at all of you today through my 0:11:42.160 --> 0:11:45.480 eyes of faith, I can see your crown of favor. 0:11:46.120 --> 0:11:51.360 I see royalty. I see increase. I see new doors opening, 0:11:51.640 --> 0:11:55.600 I see problems turning around. I see dreams coming to pass. 0:11:56.280 --> 0:12:00.000 When the enemy tells you those lies that you're never 0:12:00.160 --> 0:12:03.400 going to get promoted. Your boss doesn't even like you. 0:12:03.400 --> 0:12:05.960 You're never gonna take that mission's trip. You don't have 0:12:06.000 --> 0:12:09.640 the connections. You'll never sell your house. The market is 0:12:09.720 --> 0:12:12.400 too tight. No tell him, hang on just a minute. 0:12:12.520 --> 0:12:15.720 I've gotta fix something up here, He says, what are 0:12:15.720 --> 0:12:19.400 you doing. I'm straightening my crown of favor. I'm making 0:12:19.400 --> 0:12:25.400 sure that it's on tight. See you're not average, you're 0:12:25.400 --> 0:12:29.160 not ordinary. You come from a royal family. You can 0:12:29.240 --> 0:12:33.480 expect advantages that other people may not expect. God has 0:12:33.559 --> 0:12:37.400 crowned you with his favor. I received a letter from 0:12:37.400 --> 0:12:41.000 a lady. She's a single parent mother, and she immigrated 0:12:41.000 --> 0:12:45.000 to the United States from Europe many years ago. English 0:12:45.120 --> 0:12:48.720 is not her first language. She had three small children. 0:12:49.280 --> 0:12:51.520 She didn't know how she would ever be able to 0:12:51.559 --> 0:12:54.800 afford to send them to college. Seemed like she was 0:12:54.840 --> 0:12:58.679 at a disadvantage in a foreign country all alone, didn't 0:12:58.720 --> 0:13:02.840 know anybody. She applied for a job as a secretary 0:13:03.280 --> 0:13:08.120 at a prestigious university. Several dozen other people applied for 0:13:08.160 --> 0:13:12.520 the same position. When she saw all the competition, she 0:13:12.600 --> 0:13:16.800 was tempted to feel intimidated. Negative thoughts were bombarding her 0:13:16.840 --> 0:13:21.480 mind to make matters worse. The lady conducting the interview 0:13:21.840 --> 0:13:24.880 was not nice to her at all. She was harsh, 0:13:25.360 --> 0:13:30.240 condescending this mother. She didn't get frustrated by it. She 0:13:30.280 --> 0:13:34.160 didn't have an underdog mentality. What's the use I'm at 0:13:34.160 --> 0:13:37.720 a disadvantage. No, she knew she was wearing a crown 0:13:37.720 --> 0:13:40.840 of favor. She knew God could cause her to stand 0:13:40.880 --> 0:13:43.640 out in the crowd the whole time she was there 0:13:43.720 --> 0:13:47.199 under her breath, Lord, thank you for your favor. All 0:13:47.280 --> 0:13:50.840 the applicants had to take a five minute typing test. 0:13:51.440 --> 0:13:55.280 She was not a great typhist. She started typing, doing 0:13:55.320 --> 0:13:58.760 her best. The bell went off, saying that her five 0:13:58.840 --> 0:14:02.920 minutes was up. She stopped typing, but the lady in 0:14:03.040 --> 0:14:07.000 charge had gotten distracted entering a phone call. She said 0:14:07.040 --> 0:14:10.480 to the lady gruffly, keep typing. That's not your bell. 0:14:11.320 --> 0:14:13.320 Well it was her bell, It was right in front 0:14:13.320 --> 0:14:16.920 of her. She said okay, and typed another five minutes. 0:14:17.800 --> 0:14:21.400 They added up the number of words she typed ten 0:14:21.440 --> 0:14:25.360 minutes worth and divided it by five, and she by 0:14:25.440 --> 0:14:28.880 far had the best typing skills and ended up getting 0:14:28.920 --> 0:14:32.440 the job. One of the benefits of working for this 0:14:32.600 --> 0:14:36.120 university is that your children get to go to school 0:14:36.120 --> 0:14:40.640 for free. That was over thirty years ago. Today, all 0:14:40.720 --> 0:14:45.480 three of her children have graduated from this very prestigious university, 0:14:45.840 --> 0:14:50.200 over seven hundred thousand dollars in education, all free of charge. 0:14:50.400 --> 0:14:56.200 What was that? An abundant increase of favor? Friends, God 0:14:56.320 --> 0:14:59.400 knows how to give you an advantage. He knows how 0:14:59.400 --> 0:15:02.480 to put you at the right place at the right time. Said, 0:15:02.520 --> 0:15:05.040 I think it is never going to happen. I always 0:15:05.120 --> 0:15:07.480 get the short end of the stick. Now, why don't 0:15:07.480 --> 0:15:10.400 you straighten your crown of favor? Why don't you start 0:15:10.440 --> 0:15:14.080 declaring The favor of God is opening the right doors 0:15:14.080 --> 0:15:16.600 for me. The favor of God is causing me to 0:15:16.680 --> 0:15:19.960 stand out. The favor of God is taking me where 0:15:19.960 --> 0:15:22.440 I could not go on my own. That's what it 0:15:22.520 --> 0:15:26.520 means to live favor minded. You're expecting it and you're 0:15:26.560 --> 0:15:30.320 declaring it. I was at the airport ticket counter back 0:15:30.360 --> 0:15:33.400 in the nineteen nineties. Victoria and I were headed to 0:15:33.480 --> 0:15:37.280 New Delhi, India. My father was having a large pastor's 0:15:37.320 --> 0:15:40.160 conference and we were going over a few days early. 0:15:40.760 --> 0:15:45.280 I was hand carrying a television camera. Was very expensive. 0:15:45.680 --> 0:15:48.400 I didn't want to check it. I'd taken it on 0:15:48.520 --> 0:15:51.320 board before. But the lady at the counter was very 0:15:51.360 --> 0:15:54.760 opposed to that. She said, sir, you don't have a choice. 0:15:55.000 --> 0:15:58.440 Put it back in the case and check it like luggage. 0:15:58.560 --> 0:16:01.320 I was very polite, but I explained to her that 0:16:01.400 --> 0:16:04.240 I really wanted to carry it on board to protect it, 0:16:04.400 --> 0:16:07.800 and that I'd done it several times before, even on 0:16:07.880 --> 0:16:11.880 that same airline. She wasn't about to budge. I didn't 0:16:11.880 --> 0:16:15.800 get upset. I knew I had a secret weapon. While 0:16:15.840 --> 0:16:18.600 she continued to check us in. Under my breath, I 0:16:18.640 --> 0:16:21.920 started saying, Lord, thank you that your favor is giving 0:16:21.920 --> 0:16:24.640 me an advantage. Thank you that your favor will cause 0:16:24.720 --> 0:16:28.280 me to have preferential treatment. I asked her if there 0:16:28.320 --> 0:16:31.880 was anyone I could talk to about possibly making an exception. 0:16:32.520 --> 0:16:36.160 She said, the only person that has that authority would 0:16:36.200 --> 0:16:40.200 be the captain of the flight himself. He's busy, he 0:16:40.240 --> 0:16:43.920 can't be bothered. He's getting prepared for the flight. About 0:16:43.920 --> 0:16:48.640 that time, a gentleman walked up wearing a uniform, very nice, 0:16:48.880 --> 0:16:51.840 very kind. He could see that we were discussing something. 0:16:52.160 --> 0:16:55.040 He asked her what the problem was and she said, well, 0:16:55.040 --> 0:16:57.520 he wants to take this camera on board, but it's 0:16:57.600 --> 0:17:00.960 kind of awkward and plus it's expensive if we can't 0:17:00.960 --> 0:17:04.439 be responsible if something happens to it. He asked me 0:17:04.480 --> 0:17:06.720 what flight I was on. I said, we're going to 0:17:06.800 --> 0:17:10.119 New Delhi, India. He said, oh, I'm the captain of 0:17:10.160 --> 0:17:13.480 that flight. You can put it in my compartment right 0:17:13.520 --> 0:17:18.000 behind the cockpit. That girl's eyes got that big around. 0:17:19.400 --> 0:17:24.399 I wanted to say, man, in any booboo, what are 0:17:24.440 --> 0:17:28.199 the chances of that captain? Thousands of people in the 0:17:28.240 --> 0:17:31.720 airport walking up right when I needed him. That wasn't 0:17:31.720 --> 0:17:34.679 a lucky break. It wasn't a coincidence. It was the 0:17:34.800 --> 0:17:40.280 favor of God giving me special advantages. God's favor will 0:17:40.280 --> 0:17:43.240 put the right people at the right place at the 0:17:43.320 --> 0:17:46.280 right time. Some of you today, you need to get 0:17:46.320 --> 0:17:49.480 your crown of favor out, dust it off and put 0:17:49.480 --> 0:17:53.320 it back on your head. You're not expecting these advantages. 0:17:53.840 --> 0:17:57.879 You need to start expecting good breaks, start expecting people 0:17:57.920 --> 0:18:00.600 to want to help you. God wants to show you 0:18:00.920 --> 0:18:04.760 an abundant increase of his favors, but if you're not 0:18:04.920 --> 0:18:07.919 releasing your faith for it, it will limit what he 0:18:07.960 --> 0:18:11.560 can do. Now I've learned you can't reach your highest 0:18:11.600 --> 0:18:15.399 potential on your own. You can't fulfill your God given 0:18:15.480 --> 0:18:19.720 destiny by yourself. You need God's favor. You need him 0:18:19.760 --> 0:18:23.040 to assist you, to provide you with advantages to cause 0:18:23.080 --> 0:18:27.520 you to have preferential treatment. But if we're passive and 0:18:27.560 --> 0:18:30.400 think all Joe, if God wants to bless me, he'll 0:18:30.400 --> 0:18:33.200 bless me. If he wants to give me a good break, 0:18:33.240 --> 0:18:35.880 he's God. He'll give me a good break. No, God 0:18:36.000 --> 0:18:39.919 is moved by our faith when you expect it and 0:18:40.000 --> 0:18:43.360 declare it. That's when the creator of the universe can 0:18:43.440 --> 0:18:46.639 show up and do amazing things. And it takes a 0:18:46.760 --> 0:18:50.800 boldness to believe that Almighty God will do you favors. 0:18:51.600 --> 0:18:54.719 Every voice will tell you what are you talking about. 0:18:55.240 --> 0:18:58.360 God's not interested in you. You don't deserve it. Who 0:18:58.359 --> 0:19:01.120 do you think you are? Just put your shoulders back 0:19:01.160 --> 0:19:04.639 and say, a child of the Most High God crowned 0:19:04.760 --> 0:19:10.200 with his favor. Think about as parents, how we love 0:19:10.280 --> 0:19:13.760 to do favors for our children. Well, how much more 0:19:14.359 --> 0:19:17.679 does God want to do favors for you, his child? 0:19:18.359 --> 0:19:21.720 My question, are you expecting it? Are you declaring it? 0:19:22.280 --> 0:19:26.640 Psalm five says that God's favor surrounds us like a shield. 0:19:27.280 --> 0:19:30.520 If it surrounds us, that means it's with us everywhere 0:19:30.520 --> 0:19:34.080 we go. You have favor at work, favor at the 0:19:34.080 --> 0:19:37.280 grocery store, favor at the gem, favor in traffic, favor 0:19:37.359 --> 0:19:40.880 at the mall. The more aware you are of this favor, 0:19:41.240 --> 0:19:44.560 the more conscious you are that God wants to assist you, 0:19:45.000 --> 0:19:48.160 the more you'll see His hand at work all through 0:19:48.200 --> 0:19:51.159 the day, even if it's under our breath. We should 0:19:51.160 --> 0:19:53.600 get in this habit. Lord, Thank you for your favor. 0:19:54.240 --> 0:19:58.399 Thank you that I have favor with my boss and clients. Lord. 0:19:58.440 --> 0:20:01.960 Thank you that my children have with their teachers, coaches 0:20:02.400 --> 0:20:05.240 at the grocery store. Lord, thank you that your favors 0:20:05.320 --> 0:20:08.560 helping me find what I need in traffic. Lord, thank 0:20:08.600 --> 0:20:11.239 you that your favors make it away. You work in 0:20:11.240 --> 0:20:14.359 real estate, Lord, think you that your favor is shining 0:20:14.400 --> 0:20:18.440 down on my properties causing them to sell. See. God 0:20:18.480 --> 0:20:22.159 wants to help you in your everyday life, not just 0:20:22.200 --> 0:20:25.480 the big things. One time, Victoria and I were taking 0:20:25.480 --> 0:20:28.440 our children to the zoo. It was about ten o'clock 0:20:28.480 --> 0:20:31.200 in the morning. We didn't think anybody would be there, 0:20:31.600 --> 0:20:34.960 but when we arrived, the place was packed. We didn't 0:20:35.000 --> 0:20:38.119 realize it was spring break and all the children were 0:20:38.160 --> 0:20:41.560 out of school. The parking lot was so backed up 0:20:41.680 --> 0:20:46.080 the traffic people were everywhere. We drove around and around 0:20:46.119 --> 0:20:50.119 the parking area, up and down, back and forth, couldn't 0:20:50.119 --> 0:20:53.720 find any place. Just as we were about to leave, 0:20:54.160 --> 0:20:57.720 I did what I'm asking you under my breath, I said, Lord, 0:20:57.920 --> 0:21:00.439 thank you for your favor. Thank you for helping us 0:21:00.480 --> 0:21:02.919 find a parking spot so we can have fun with 0:21:03.000 --> 0:21:07.080 our children. This is not a magic formula. I was 0:21:07.119 --> 0:21:12.679 simply acknowledging God. The scripture says, when you acknowledge God, 0:21:12.960 --> 0:21:16.840 he will crown your efforts with success. A couple minutes later, 0:21:17.520 --> 0:21:20.119 just like it was perfectly on que as I was 0:21:20.200 --> 0:21:23.040 driving around, this car backed out. We were able to 0:21:23.040 --> 0:21:26.520 pull in. My first words were, Lord, thank you for 0:21:26.560 --> 0:21:32.240 your favor. When something good happens, recognize it's the favor 0:21:32.320 --> 0:21:35.480 of God, and then learn to thank him for it. 0:21:36.200 --> 0:21:38.199 At the office, all of a sudden, you have a 0:21:38.240 --> 0:21:41.199 good idea, it comes out of nowhere. Lord, thank you 0:21:41.280 --> 0:21:44.240 for your favor. At the mall, you find what you 0:21:44.320 --> 0:21:47.680 want on sale. At lunch, you bump into somebody you've 0:21:47.720 --> 0:21:51.760 been wanting to meet. Those aren't lucky breaks. Those aren't coincidences. 0:21:52.000 --> 0:21:55.719 That's the favor of God. If you will recognize it 0:21:55.920 --> 0:21:58.280 and thank God for it, you'll see more of his 0:21:58.400 --> 0:22:02.159 favor at the mall. A couple of years ago, with Victoria, 0:22:02.560 --> 0:22:04.480 she had a couple things she wanted to buy, and 0:22:04.560 --> 0:22:07.040 so I went up to the counter to pain. I 0:22:07.240 --> 0:22:10.399 just minding my own business. I said hello to the 0:22:10.480 --> 0:22:14.520 lady and smiled, no big deal. She said, this blouse 0:22:14.640 --> 0:22:17.440 goes on sell this weekend. I'll go ahead and give 0:22:17.440 --> 0:22:20.880 you the cell price today. After I thanked her under 0:22:20.880 --> 0:22:24.040 my breath, Lord, thank you for your favor. She looked 0:22:24.080 --> 0:22:26.600 at the other shirt. At the very bottom there was 0:22:26.640 --> 0:22:29.560 a little place where the fabric was messed up. Could 0:22:29.600 --> 0:22:32.840 barely even see it, very minor. She said, that's not right. 0:22:33.160 --> 0:22:35.400 Let me see what I can do. She went away 0:22:35.440 --> 0:22:37.680 and came back and said, if it's okay with you, 0:22:37.920 --> 0:22:41.040 we'll mark this down to half price. I said, I 0:22:41.040 --> 0:22:44.640 guess it'll be okay. She didn't have to do that. 0:22:45.280 --> 0:22:48.720 I wouldn't have known any differently. That was the favor 0:22:48.840 --> 0:22:52.159 of God causing people to be good to me. I 0:22:52.240 --> 0:22:55.160 walked out of there saying, Lord, thank you for your favor. 0:22:55.600 --> 0:23:00.720 I recognize your goodness in my life. When you live minded, 0:23:01.040 --> 0:23:04.600 God will cause good breaks to chase you down. He'll 0:23:04.640 --> 0:23:06.919 cause people to go out of their way to do 0:23:07.000 --> 0:23:10.720 you favors. A friend of mine was refinishing a piece 0:23:10.760 --> 0:23:14.480 of furniture at home. She was using this electric sander 0:23:14.840 --> 0:23:17.560 that she'd had for many years. At one point, a 0:23:17.640 --> 0:23:20.280 part broke off of it and it wouldn't work anymore. 0:23:21.000 --> 0:23:23.840 She went up to the hardware store and this gentleman 0:23:23.920 --> 0:23:26.720 came over to wait on her. She had put the 0:23:26.880 --> 0:23:30.160 old sander and the broken part in a Lakewood church 0:23:30.280 --> 0:23:33.480 bag that she happened to have at home. She pulled 0:23:33.480 --> 0:23:36.000 it out and asked the man if they carried that part. 0:23:36.760 --> 0:23:40.000 He looked at her very strangely and said, no, we 0:23:40.080 --> 0:23:43.680 don't carry that brand. Then he reached up off the shelf, 0:23:43.960 --> 0:23:47.120 got a brand new sander top of the line, and said, here, 0:23:47.160 --> 0:23:49.439 I want you to have this. I'm giving it to you. 0:23:50.320 --> 0:23:52.480 She'd never seen the man before. She said, what do 0:23:52.480 --> 0:23:53.080 you mean you're going to. 0:23:53.119 --> 0:23:53.600 Give it to me. 0:23:53.880 --> 0:23:56.840 She said, yes, it's my gift. Take it up to 0:23:56.880 --> 0:23:59.720 the counter and give them my number, five five five. 0:24:00.480 --> 0:24:02.680 She went to the counter and there were several lines 0:24:02.720 --> 0:24:05.440 with people in each of them. She was waiting at 0:24:05.440 --> 0:24:08.400 the back of the line, and one of the checkers, 0:24:08.600 --> 0:24:11.920 a lady, looked over and said, excuse me, ma'am, come 0:24:12.000 --> 0:24:13.639 up here to the front. I want to check you 0:24:13.720 --> 0:24:17.119 out now. My friend pointed to herself, said you mean me. 0:24:17.760 --> 0:24:22.440 She said, yes, you the highly favored woman. She got 0:24:22.520 --> 0:24:24.359 up there and explained this man said he was going 0:24:24.400 --> 0:24:26.960 to give me this sander. The checker said, I don't 0:24:26.960 --> 0:24:27.600 know if he could do that. 0:24:27.640 --> 0:24:28.119 Who is he? 0:24:28.520 --> 0:24:30.000 She said, I don't know his name, but he said 0:24:30.000 --> 0:24:33.000 his number is five five five. She said, he can 0:24:33.040 --> 0:24:36.960 do anything he wants. He's the regional manager. Just before 0:24:36.960 --> 0:24:39.480 my friend left, she said, why did you call me 0:24:39.640 --> 0:24:42.280 up here in front of all these people? She said, 0:24:42.520 --> 0:24:46.639 I saw your Lakewood church bag. I watch every Sunday. 0:24:47.080 --> 0:24:49.159 I know if you go to Lakewood, you must be 0:24:49.240 --> 0:24:53.800 highly favored. That's what I believe about all of you. 0:24:54.480 --> 0:24:59.280 The creator of the universe has put favor on you. 0:24:59.400 --> 0:25:03.359 David On understood this principle. He said, surely goodness and 0:25:03.520 --> 0:25:06.440 mercy will follow me all the days of my life. 0:25:06.720 --> 0:25:11.359 He was saying, favor follows me everywhere I go. David 0:25:11.440 --> 0:25:14.840 knew he had an advantage. He knew God would assist him, 0:25:15.119 --> 0:25:18.439 that he could expect preferential treatment. He was living with 0:25:18.520 --> 0:25:22.720 a favor mindset. The truth is something is going to 0:25:22.720 --> 0:25:26.040 follow you throughout life. If you go around thinking I 0:25:26.119 --> 0:25:29.119 never get any good breaks, nothing good ever happens to me, 0:25:29.600 --> 0:25:33.760 then defeat, lack, mediocrity will follow you around. But if 0:25:33.800 --> 0:25:38.119 you'll switch over into this favor mindset, have the attitude 0:25:38.400 --> 0:25:42.560 God's favor is giving me advantages. God's favor is causing 0:25:42.560 --> 0:25:46.000 me to stand out. God's favor is bringing victory into 0:25:46.000 --> 0:25:49.720 my life. When you live like that, good breaks will 0:25:49.800 --> 0:25:54.120 chase you down. Favor increased promotion will be what's following you. 0:25:55.119 --> 0:25:57.600 What would happen if we would get up each day 0:25:58.240 --> 0:26:02.000 and pray this simple prayer from twelve to two. God, 0:26:02.040 --> 0:26:05.560 I want to thank you today for an abundant increase 0:26:05.720 --> 0:26:08.760 of your favor. Lord, I thank you in advance for 0:26:08.880 --> 0:26:13.040 assisting me, for providing me with advantages, for causing me 0:26:13.119 --> 0:26:16.600 to have preferential treatment. That's how you'll step into the 0:26:16.640 --> 0:26:20.240 fullness of your destiny. I talked to a gentleman that 0:26:20.359 --> 0:26:22.800 was in town for a job interview. It was a 0:26:22.880 --> 0:26:27.040 very important position. Executives were flying in from around the 0:26:27.119 --> 0:26:30.760 country to interview for this job, and he really wanted it. 0:26:31.200 --> 0:26:34.800 But he told how he wasn't the most qualified, didn't 0:26:34.800 --> 0:26:37.760 have the most experience, on and on all the reasons 0:26:37.880 --> 0:26:40.760 why he shouldn't get it. And I told him what 0:26:40.840 --> 0:26:44.359 I'm telling you every day, you need to speak favor 0:26:44.440 --> 0:26:47.960 over that situation. Father, Thank you that your favor is 0:26:48.000 --> 0:26:50.560 causing me to stand out. Lord, thank you that your 0:26:50.720 --> 0:26:53.480 favor is shining down on me, causing them to want 0:26:53.520 --> 0:26:56.600 to hire me. I saw him several months later, right 0:26:56.640 --> 0:26:58.840 out there in the lobby. He was beaming from ear 0:26:58.880 --> 0:27:01.439 to ear. I knew he had got the position, but 0:27:01.520 --> 0:27:05.639 he said, Joel, it was the strangest thing. When the 0:27:05.720 --> 0:27:09.040 executives called me in to give me the good news, 0:27:09.280 --> 0:27:13.240 they were scratching their heads. They said, we don't really 0:27:13.280 --> 0:27:16.959 know why we're hiring you. You're not the most qualified, 0:27:17.520 --> 0:27:21.360 you don't have the best resume. There's just something about 0:27:21.400 --> 0:27:24.960 you that you we like. There's something we can't put 0:27:24.960 --> 0:27:27.560 our finger on it. But it causes you to stand out. 0:27:28.840 --> 0:27:31.960 That's what it says in numbers. God will make his 0:27:32.160 --> 0:27:35.680 face shine down on you and give you his favor. 0:27:36.200 --> 0:27:39.479 When you live favor minded, it's just like a bright 0:27:39.600 --> 0:27:42.800 light is shining down on you. It will cause you 0:27:42.880 --> 0:27:46.160 to go places that you could not go on your own. 0:27:46.359 --> 0:27:49.520 Other people may have more talent, more experienced, more education, 0:27:49.920 --> 0:27:52.960 but the favor of God will cause you to stand out. 0:27:53.520 --> 0:27:56.960 Now every day you need to imagine you're not only 0:27:57.040 --> 0:28:01.360 wearing a crown of favor, but God's light is shining 0:28:01.400 --> 0:28:05.239 down on you. You are glowing with God's goodness. You 0:28:05.280 --> 0:28:09.320 are radiating with God's favor. Now get up every morning, 0:28:09.760 --> 0:28:13.680 expecting it and declaring it not because of who you are, 0:28:14.200 --> 0:28:17.679 but because of who you are. Remember, you've been born 0:28:17.880 --> 0:28:21.480 into the right family. You come from a royal bloodline. 0:28:22.000 --> 0:28:25.400 And if you'll develop this habit of living favor minded, 0:28:25.960 --> 0:28:29.760 I believe and declare God is going to assist you, 0:28:30.440 --> 0:28:34.920 provide you with advantages, cause you to have preferential treatment. 0:28:35.240 --> 0:28:37.560 You need to get ready. You're going to see an 0:28:37.600 --> 0:28:41.480 abundant increase of favor. It's going to thrust you into 0:28:41.520 --> 0:28:45.480 the fullness of your destiny. In Jesus's name. If you 0:28:45.560 --> 0:28:50.200 believe it, can you say him in today? Well, we 0:28:50.280 --> 0:28:53.200 never like to close our broadcast without giving you an 0:28:53.240 --> 0:28:56.720 opportunity to make Jesus the lord of your life. Would 0:28:56.720 --> 0:29:01.200 you pray with me? Just say Lord, Jesus, I'll repent 0:29:01.280 --> 0:29:05.920 of my sins, Come into my heart. I make you 0:29:06.120 --> 0:29:10.560 my Lord and savior. Friends, if you prayed that simple prayer, 0:29:10.760 --> 0:29:13.560 we believe you got born again. Get in a good 0:29:13.560 --> 0:29:16.760 Bible based church. Keep God first place. He's going to 0:29:16.800 --> 0:29:18.840 take your places that you've never dreamed of. 0:29:20.040 --> 0:29:23.480 Thank you for listening to the Joel Oustine podcast. Help 0:29:23.560 --> 0:29:26.280 us continue to share the message of hope with those 0:29:26.400 --> 0:29:30.280 all over the world. Visit Joelostin dot com slash give 0:29:30.360 --> 0:29:32.040 Hope to give a gift today. 0:29:33.320 --> 0:29:36.240 Thanks so much for listening to today's message. I hope 0:29:36.240 --> 0:29:39.640 you'll subscribe so you can receive the latest podcast to 0:29:39.720 --> 0:29:42.920 keep you inspired all through the week. We're praying for you. 0:29:43.080 --> 0:29:45.560 I know God's best is still ahead. 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