October has been designated a month where we give respect
and honor to those who have taught us something that changed our lives.
In the first part of the month,
we bestow affection and give rewards to educational teachers from around the
world.
The latter half of the month we honor our pastor’s and spiritual leaders.
I’m tremendously blessed receiving from both areas, but
I’ve also been on the other side of the platform as the student. This is where
the lessons learned weren’t always ones I wanted, especially when it brought
difficulty, hardship or misfortune. It's also where I learned about the
tests through adversity and time to go back to the classroom for answers.
*For those who trust in Jesus Christ, God gives the
promise of life here but also the gift of eternal life (in Heaven; a
Kingdom that cannot be shaken) as an inheritance of being His child.
If you would like to have this gift also, click here to
learn more.
*Names in articles are not used but changed to protect
the individual(s) privacy.
Disclaimer: Article information is not meant to be used
as treatment for mental or physical issues, but geared toward spiritual
awareness.
Maybe you don’t know the Living God that I know, but would like to have this kind of favor in your life also.Click on the above tab “Tell Me About Jesus” for more information on becoming a child of the Savior.
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Disclaimer Notes: Results may vary due to lack of belief.
Unless noted, scripture reference in series was taken from the New King James Bible Version provided by Bible Gateway. ImageCreative Common License if not specified.
Welcome, Daily Favor Blog, Favored1, Daily Favor Teaching Blog, Fay Ann Daniels, Charles Swindoll, Encouragement, Encouragement for Life,
Favor, Favor of God, Overcoming adversity, teachers.
Meeting a goal is something that always makes me feel
great, especially when it’s for God.However, I have to say that my pride and vanity haven’t always taken a
back seat when it comes to things “turning out good.”
I remember when a “certain person” finished a project
that he had been working on for some time.Standing in front of his masterpiece he made this statement, “Look what I did.”The mental pointing finger of “How can he be so prideful and vain?”
popped into my head almost automatically.
It wasn’t long after that event I found myself thinking
the same way when I finished directing a play, but as a “good” Christian I
didn’t say it out loud.
Welcome new friends this week from:
See if your city/state/country made the list.
New on DFB – Fuengirola,
& Granada, Andalucia, Spain; Charlottetown, PEI & Winnipeg, MB, Canada;
Mumbai; Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan; Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India; Ivrea, Piedmont,
Italy; San Pablo City, Calabarzon, Philippines; Bahamas; Bulgaria; Lebanon;
Denmark; Libya; Argentina; Cameroon.
USA – Altoona, PA; Newton, Harding & Sussex,
NJ; North Hartsville & Pine Ridge, SC; Sunrise & Dundee, FL; Tuscaloosa,
AL; Canby, OR; Yakima, WA; McIntosh, GA.
Thank you for your continued support and sharing Believing
Our Belief on Daily Favor.(DFB -
Daily Favor Blog) Living
my life before God and man, by sharing experiences as I walk out my faith.
You are welcome to leave comments or prayer requests below.All are private. I would love to hear from
you and how Daily Favor has worked in your life.Contact me by leaving a message in the box at
the bottom of this week’s post.
Did Santa’s statement to Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer
come to your thinking when you read this sub-title?I thought it would, and so I was effectively
influential in what I set out to have my readers do. Was this an honest way to
communicate a message in order to get you to continue reading, even though it
was effective?One might go as far as
saying it was a little prideful for me to think I could influence people like
that.
My intentions weren’t really to draw your attention to a
red nose, but rather to a statement about a nose. Isn’t it something how we
can manipulate thoughts by our words?Well,
that’s what happened when someone said two words to me and it had nothing to do
with noses.
Anne of Green Gables is a big thing in our house. We love
watching the films, and my husband and I have our favorite parts about each of
the movies.
Like most couples we have
codes or phrases that make us laugh, but there are also some theatrical lines
that help us keep those prideful moments in check.One of them is from a scene with Anne Shirley
when she was having a conversation with her best friend Diana and Diana’s rich Aunt
Josephine.
The three ladies had returned to Aunt Josephine’s
house after a rather ritzy luncheon where they heard opera singer Madame
Selitsky sing “Non mi dir, bell’ idol
mio”, a song from the Mozart opera “Don
Giovanni.”
There was some chit chat about their afternoon when the
aunt asked Anne what she thought of city life and the high society crowd.Then the girls exchanged criticisms with Anne
leading the way.
Anne: Madame
Selitsky had a definite alabaster brow, Diana.
Diana: Did you
see Alice Bell there, parading around like she had an alabaster brow?
Here comes the zinger …
Anne: If I had
Alice Bell’s crooked nose, I wouldn’t … Oh no, I shouldn’t have said that.That’s uncharitable.I was comparing it to my own nose and that is
vanity. Someone complimented me on my nose long ago and I’m afraid I’ve
thought about it far too much ever since.”
Getting a compliment on a job well done is fine, and
should be rewarded, but when you’ve “thought about it far too much” that’s when
pride and vanity have overstepped their bounds in the life of a believer.
As you’ve gathered that happened to me a few weeks ago,
thus this article!
Top Influencer
It wasn’t a big deal really, or it shouldn’t have been,
but I took it seriously and “I’m afraid
I’ve thought about it far too much ever since.”
Someone had remarked online that I was a “top influencer”
and I have to say I kind of liked that.As a matter of fact, I liked it so much that I saved it to my
email.When I was sharing the glorious
moment my loving, devoted husband willingly flagged it, totally taking
me down with the line from the movie.Busted!
To be fair I did question what and who I was influencing
(after stepping off the enormous ego cloud).Was I really making a difference?I was getting excited that I was about to reach one million views on my
social media sites and questioned … “why?”
Tons of people have reached that and millions more. Why were people checking out my articles or sites?Was I making a difference or was it what they
call “stumble upon it” traffic?
Effectiveness
Around the time this happened I was studying the book of
Philemon. Why is a good question to ask right here, but I’m sure the Lord knew
I’d be living this lesson shortly. I’ve read this rather short letter of Paul’s
dozens of times.
I can’t say I’ve actually “studied” it to some depth; after all it's only one chapter. How much can there be to study? (You
won’t share that confession with my Bible instructors right?)
It didn’t take me long to stop reading and focus on the
opening verses of the single chapter.At night
I read from my electronic Bible and the setting is on large.When you view the scriptures only two lines
show up at a time.
What I’ve noticed over the years is when reading like
that specific words or phrases jump off the screen. When that happens I pause
and ask the Holy Spirit what’s going on that I need to grasp in that passage.
This is what I was reading and how it looked on my electronic Bible screen.
(Philemon 1:1-7 KJV)
1 Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ, and Timothy our brother, unto
Philemon our dearly beloved, and fellow labourer,
2 And to our beloved Apphia, and Archippus our fellow soldier, and to
the church in thy house:
3 Grace to you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus
Christ.
4 I thank my God, making mention of thee always in my prayers,
5 Hearing of thy love and faith, which thou hast toward the Lord
Jesus, and toward all saints;
6 That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good
thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.
7 For we have great joy and consolation in thy love, because the
bowels of the saints are refreshed by thee, brother. (Philemon 1:1-7 KJV)
I got so excited about verse six that I spent three days
contemplating it and going over the sentence in my mind.The words that showed on my Bible screen were
“that the communication of thy faith may become effectual.”
Often the word communicate in the Bible refers to giving
financially, and we know Philemon did that. However, that’s not what Paul was
saying in this particular passage. He told Philemon that he prayed that the
“communication” or “fellowship” of his faith would become effective in the
lives of other believers by the way he showed his faith outwardly through good
works.
So, does being influential mean we have been effective? If
so, what are we or who are we “effecting” (and affecting) with our influence?
Is This Correct?
Wanting to make sure of what I believed this to mean, I
cross referenced and combined the phrases (not to change or take away from the
scriptures, but for comprehension and teaching purposes) from several lessons
and translations, including Greek.This
is how it reads in plain language:
3 Grace to you, and peace, from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ. 4 I thank my God, making mention of you
always in my prayers, 5 Hearing of your love and faith, which you
have toward the Lord Jesus, and toward all saints;
6 And I am praying that the communication (fellowship
sharing) of your faith may become effectual (effective; put into action) and
powerful by the acknowledging (accurate knowledge as you understand and
experience) of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.
7 For we have great joy and consolation (comfort and
encouragement) in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been
refreshed by your kindness, brother Philemon. (emphasis mine)
Effective Influencer
Although this New Testament book/letter discusses
forgiveness of a master to a slave when Onesimus becomes a Christian, the Lord
was revealing something more.
What God was showing me is that He wants His children to
be effective in the way they influence others, and even shows favor to those
who actively share their faith in Him.When we testify about what we believe and why we believe the way we do,
we are acknowledging that we have an accurate understanding of Who Christ is
and what He did for us on the cross.
If we are to become effective for Jesus, we have to have
influence over those who God puts in our path.Not the kind of influence in the way that we force people to do things,
but in the way we influence their decision to become a Christ follower.
Rather than thinking about how influential I’ve been, I
started wondering how effective have I been in sharing my faith.When people read my articles or materials,
are they comforted, encouraged or refreshed by my loving kindness as Paul said
Philemon had been?It’s something I need
to think about every time I put “pen to paper.” (Yes, I still use a journal notebook.)
In other words, have I communicated effectively in the
way I present the gospel through the message of faith, belief and God’s favor?
When we make mention of one another in prayer do the
words “hearing of his/her love and effective faith which he/she has toward
the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints”
ever cross our lips?If not, then
perhaps we’re not top influencers after all.
This Week’s Challenge:
Communicate Effectively
In sharing his faith in Jesus, Philemon communicated
effectively. This refreshed and
encouraged his brethren in the Lord. By doing these “good works” the Lord
showed him favor in business, along with causing him to become influential and
effective for God.
Our challenge would have us look at the people in our
lives that we are influencing by answering these seven questions about our own behavior.
1 - Are we top influencers for ourselves or for
Christ?
2 - Is pride behind our thoughts that we’ve given way too
much attention?
3 - Are we effectively sharing our faith in the way our
testimony encourages or enriches the lives of those God puts before us?
4 - Does the way we influence cause God to bestow favor
on us so that we can be effective vessels for Him?
5 - Have we communicated (fellowshipped) effectively by
encouraging and refreshing other believers so that they in turn will do good
acts of kindness?
6 - Have we made it clear that every good thing in us is
because of Jesus?
7 – Have we acknowledged Jesus is the One who lavishes favor
on those who believe in Him?
Let me reiterate … have I actively communicated
effectively in the way I present the gospel through the message of faith,
belief and God’s favor without being prideful or vain? I hope so ... even if it
comes with a bit of humor.
The next time someone pays you a vanity compliment (maybe
even on your perfectly shaped nose) or acknowledges something wonderful you
have done, don’t fall into pride by reflecting way too long on the
adoration.
Accept the praise with grace and thanksgiving, because it
was the goodness of God who gave the power through His favor.
In future, may we all become top influencers as we communicate
our faith in Jesus Christ effectively, so that the hearts of others will find
great joy, be encouraged and refreshed.
If this article has encouraged or helped you please
consider sharing it by using the social media icons provided at the end of this
post.
Individual message from the series: Can One Person Make A
Difference?
Something entirely new – The free PDF study guide for “Can
One Person Make A Difference? Being a Church that Makes A Difference” by
Charles Swindoll. Here is the link:http://www.insightforliving.com/pdf/messagemates/03.23.2015-mm.pdf
Maybe you don’t know the Living God that I
know, but would like to have this kind of favor in your life also.Click on the above tab “Tell Me” for more
information on becoming a child of the Savior.
Content and Image Copyright from Favored1. Do not copy.
Scripture
reference was taken from the New King James Bible Version provided by Bible Gateway.
Image credit: Google Images or Dreamstime Creative Common License if not specified.
Image: Look by beafunmum Influence by socialmediatoday Paul scroll by overviewbible Anne of Green Gables Script by Sullivan Entertainment, Inc. Disclaimer Notes: Results may vary due to lack of belief.
October has been designated a month where we give respect
and honor to those who have taught us something that changed our lives.
In the first part of the month,
we bestow affection and give rewards to educational teachers from around the
world.
The latter half of the month we honor our pastor’s and spiritual leaders.
I’m tremendously blessed receiving from both areas, but
I’ve also been on the other side of the platform as the student. This is where
the lessons learned weren’t always ones I wanted, especially when it brought difficulty,
hardship or misfortune. It's also where I learned about the tests through adversity.
Welcome new friends this week from:
See if your city/state/country made the list.
New on DFB – Ireland; Milan, Lombardia, Italy;
Ljubljana and Kranj, Bohinj, Slovenia; Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, India;
Worthing, Berkhamsted and Hemyock, England, United Kingdom; Sevastopol,
Ukraine; Zurich, Lucerne, Luzern and Bern Switzerland; Dhaka, Bangladesh;
Lubeck, Schleswig-Holstein and Neustadt in Holstein, Schleswig-Holstein,
Germany; Riyadh, Ar Riyad, Saudi Arabia; Manila and Quezon City, Philippines;
Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico; Vietnam; Bahamas; Thailand and Jamaica.
USA – Spotsylvania, VA; Ballston Spa, NY; Honolulu, HI;
Woodstown, Pitman, Livingston and Mullica Hill, NJ; Clarksburg, MD; Wilmington,
DE; Greensboro, GA, Chicago, IL and Hartsville, SC. Thank you for your
continued support.
I hope I didn’t leave anyone out; thank you for sharing
this Outer Journey on Daily Favor.(DFB
- Daily Favor Blog)
You are welcome to leave comments or prayer requests below.All are private. I would love to hear from
you and how Daily Favor has worked in your life.Contact me by leaving a message in the box at
the bottom of this week’s post.
Do you run from challenges or bury your head in denial?
Lessons learned from a good teacher will take you beyond
their classroom and last a life time.
They will stretch, challenge, push and
encourage you to reach farther than what you are capable of at that moment,
forcing you to take that step of faith.
Over the past weeks it seems that adversity, tests and
trials have been constantly pounding on my door. They aren’t always because I
messed up or even from the devil, but from my favorite teacher – Jesus. Bummer!
“In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity
consider that God has made the one side-by-side with the other … (Ecclesiastes7:14a AMP)
Even more frustration came once I started acting on what
God said, “Ask Me
for Favor.”You remember that from last week’s lesson and know that I’m
walking this path as well.
Once again I took God at His Word and kept on asking,
pressing harder with each new “event” that came … and boy did they come. What I didn't always keep in mind was that God is watching how I'm handling all this adverse stuff in my life.
Give
Me A Brake! (Yes, I know the spelling is wrong; it’s a play
on words.)
Last Friday my husband wanted to go into work so he could
see what had piled up over the month he had been gone.He wasn’t there long and called to say he was
coming home.
It had been some time since his call. I was getting a
little concerned (OK we all know I started to worry), because he should have
been home over an hour ago.
On the way home he needed to stop for gas.Pulling up near the pump, he pressed his foot
on the brake pedal and it went all the way to the floor. He couldn’t stop and
had to turn back out into the parking lot to avoid running into the gas pumps.
We know that God
didn’t cause the brakes to fail, but protected my husband so he wouldn’t run
into the gas pump. Yes, that day of adversity was made by the Lord, and
sometimes He allows it to come for a greater purpose but it won’t be to destroy
His children.
Pumping the brakes he was able to get a little back and
drove home ten miles an hour, pulling over when there was a car behind him.
Now we had another problem. The next day was Saturday and
there was only one garage open in town.
Arriving at the garage the mechanic informed my husband
that the brake line was broken and he couldn’t get to it until later in the
day.This was at 9:30 am.
Instead of
waiting there all day, he kindly brought my husband home and said he would
return to get him when the car was done.
Hours went by and still no word.“Call
the man.” I said.Reluctantly he did
and the car still wasn’t ready.
By mid-afternoon we tried again, but this time
there was no answer.The shop closed at
5:30 pm, and it was nearly that time.What’s going on, and where is our vehicle?
Finally he showed up at our house at 7:30 pm to pick up
my husband and take him back to the garage.When they pulled into the parking lot the man’s wife was waiting and had
a rather fierce look on her face.I
guess she was wondering why her husband wasn’t home.
Trying to help the man save face, hubby got out of the
car singing praises of how her husband was so kind.Her demeanor changed immediately.
When my husband returned with the ruptured brake line
fixed, I inquired about how much this cost since he had the car ten hours. I’m
excited to share that we got a break on the brake … this stranger showed us
favor.
He replaced the brake line and bled the lines down.They charge $55 an hour, but only charged us
$50 total.The man said he wanted to “help
us out” and we never even knew his name!
The
Voice in Adversity
The Bible tells us in Job 36:15 that “He (meaning God) delivers the afflicted in
their affliction and opens their ears (to His voice) in adversity.”
The Lord
directed us to this person who wasn’t the man we normally use.Listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit put
us on the path for favor from someone we didn’t know.
Sure we would
have probably gotten a good deal from the garage we use, but they were closed.
God knew we would need someone else.The
Lord was teaching us that adversity sometimes goes side-by-side, with Him
working in our behalf to show us favor and blessings. He’s still God, all the
time and is ready to deliver us when we listen to His direction.
The Power is Available
There will
never be a time on this earth when adversity isn’t something we’ll face, at
least not until Jesus reigns anyway. God
has promised that even when you are in the midst of harsh conditions of
uncertainty, He provides the power of the Holy Spirit to keep us calm.Take a look.
“That You (God) may give
him (us) power to keep himself calm in the days of adversity, until the
inevitable pit of corruption is dug for the wicked.” (Psalm 94:13 AMP
Why is it
important that we listen to our teacher Jesus through the Holy Spirit, when
things seem to be going out of control?Solomon tells us.
“If you faint in the day
of adversity, your strength is small.” (Proverbs 24:10 AMP)
Showing that
verse to my husband he said, “Oh I’m not
fainting, I’m ready to fight.”See
if the devil knows you aren’t staying in faith, he’ll get you to faint, quit
and give in until you have no strength left to fight.He’s expecting you to fail, and wants you to disregard
the power of God to help you overcome adversity by not listening to your
spiritual teachers.
This Week’s Challenge: Listening in Adversity
These past few
weeks in our journey we have been bold in approaching the throne of God through
asking for His favor, while seeking His perfect will for our lives.
Let me ask you,
did adversity and frustration creep in when you started praying like this? Do not be discouraged, there is hope.
“And though the Lord give
you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will
not hide Himself any more, but your eyes will constantly behold your Teacher.”
(Isaiah 30:20 AMP)
In other words,
God’s not going to let us go through this without His help.We can tell He is visible in the situation because
favor is measurable.
Our challenge
and part is to continually look to Him for the answers and what we are to do in
each situation.This is often hard,
because we think we handle it on our own.
Even if you
think you know what to do, don’t assume it’s the thing God wants.My husband knew to call our mechanic, but
that’s not where the favor was. By praying and asking God for wisdom, the Holy
Spirit led us to the other side of town.
Although we may
not always be taken out of a situation, we can always overcome it by listening
to God while in adversity. We are strong and getting closer to our goals.This is a defining moment along our journey,
not a time to get lax or quit.
As long as we fix
our eyes on the World's Best Teacher, the Lord will help us to stay calm as he shows us the
moves we need to take.
Maybe you don’t know the Living God that I
know, but would like to have this kind of favor in your life also.Click on the above tab “Tell Me” for more
information on becoming a child of the Savior.
Content and Image Copyright from Favored1. Do not copy. A.N.A. logo by
J.C.Penney, Inc.
Scripture reference was
taken from the New King James Bible Version provide by Bible Gateway. Image credit: Google Images or Dreamstime Creative Common License if not
specified. Image: Teacher SignSandmanMechanicCourage Sign Disclaimer
Notes: Results may vary due to lack of belief.
