For surely, O LORD, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield. Psalm 5:12
2007 is gone and we have been graced with another year. If you have been left in the land of living and are enjoying 2008, be grateful. I believe that with the ushering in of each year, there is another dispensation from God. That God, being a God of purpose, has ordered our days and times to operate according to His purposes.
I also believe that this is a year of unusual favor for the saints of God. A favor, as the psalmist writes, that surrounds us as a shield. This year, with it's unique dispensation of grace, will cause whatever we put our hands to to prosper and we will possess the land where the soles of our feet tread.
A word of caution: Be careful what you put you hands to and watch where you walk.
Christians need a revelation on the favor of God. It is difficult for us - man to receive from God because we have been conditioned to believe that we must earn everything we possess and that nothing is free in this world. Well that might be true in the natural, but not so with God.
The favor of God is reserved for His righteous. It doesn't cost you anything; however, it cost Christ everything - His life. For this new year, I encourage you to walk in the favor of God. Don't be alarmed if doors that have been shut for years miraculously open. Look for a longstanding sickness that has plagued your body to be removed. Don't be astonished if your loved ones who have refused the grace of God are saved. And...don't be surprised if men decide to just "give" into your bosom.
Testimony: I was in the Church book store on Sunday and a gentleman (who I know casually) told the cashier that he would pay for whatever we wanted. We hadn't even placed our order. Of course I was grateful. Well, two minutes after he stated that, another lady (who I had just met) approached me and my daughters and told us that she wanted to bless us with bible covers. She was going to buy all three of us bible covers and asked us to pick them out...that's favor.
God can cause favor to rise up in the hearts of man for the benefit of His children. He holds the heart of every man in his hand and He directs it as He pleases. I encourage you this week, and throughout the year, to meditate on the favor of God. Ask Him to give you a revelation on favor.
