I have been listening ... I have also been watching some strange behavior ... that of unbelief, fear, uncertainty and doubt. Not all of it was from strangers, no indeed. In fact, it was me.
This week we faced some challenges and as I prepared for them, my stomach felt like it was being shaken and tossed to and fro. Sure I kept repeating the Word of God over and over outloud and silently, but as we arrived at our destination feelings of doubt and questioning keep resurfacing.
The individuals standing before me knew the testimony I proclaimed, but was what I feared being clearly displayed in my behavior despite the continual casting down of all imaginations? Were my actions compromising my confession?
I remembered what I heard evangelist Joyce Meyer say in my early morning faith building teaching session, right before I walked out the door that day.
"It's how we act while we are in trouble that's important. There's no greater witness than stability; to be the same all the time. That's the greatest witness you can be to a family that's not serving God (or any unbeliever for that matter). Be happy, be peaceful, be stable. Treat them good."
As we waited for a doctor's report I heard in my spirit "Keep your eyes on Me." I closed my eyes and it was as if the hand of God reached out and gently turned my head so it faced Him. Looking in my eyes, in my spirit I heard Him softly say, "Believe Me."
Immediately, the peace that He gave me at the time of salvation rose up within and I was calmed, remained stable, immovable and unshaken. My thoughts had not been given a voice; only the Word remained and came out of my mouth. God heard my cries out to Him and was faithful to His Word!
It Is Your Move
Perhaps you can relate to my experience in the challenge in overcoming feelings of fear with faith. Do not be discouraged.
The challenges you may face and decisions you have to make are extemely difficult at times and sometimes you may feel your faith is struggling, but do not give in to those emotions by giving them a voice. Life and death are in the power of the tongue. You determine the outcome by what comes out of your mouth, so speak what you want not what you feel! (Proverbs 18:21 NLT)
This is life, your life, and the devil knows it is not a game, but he will still try to play you!
Where is this coming from and who is directing your life as if your were a game piece to be shuffled all around in directions you did not want to go?
I want to remind you that it does not have to be that way, and this is why.
When it comes to winning in the "game of life" as some people say (over the obstacles that are thrown along our path), you have the upper hand on strategy if you are a believer in Christ Jesus.
Being crowned with the Righteousness of God is the only "pawn" we need. Your faith is the "game piece" (pawn). It has the power to move mountains and move you in position for the favor of God to manifest in your life (at any place, any time, through any situation) if you let it and stay in belief.
Having both knowledge and wisdom found in the scriptures, faith is the most precious game piece you have and you control how it is used - for belief or unbelief. It is your move! The devil knows that, do you?
“Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God. How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!(Romans 11:33 NKJV)
If you are still struggling and battling over any challenges that have come, be reminded how God declared that the victory is already yours. That means you are an overcomer and have already won no matter what things look like.Now take your stand and act like the victor you are through Christ Jesus.
Lots of life "obstacles" were thrown our way, but through our challenges we smiled, laughed and did not let it get us down.We are patiently believing God for a good outcome or report over every circumstance.
What is happening in your life that is throwing your game out of whack? No matter what you are experiencing, God’s grace and mercy will see you through if you remain steadfast in your belief that He is faithful to do His Word.He will grant abundant, unmerited favor on your life and care for you, giving renewed hope to your spirit and situation.
"You have granted me life and favor,
and Your care has preserved my spirit."
(Job 10:12 NKJV)
Never forget your faith is not a pawn piece for the devil to move about at will. Jesus has defeated the enemy and declared the "game of the wicked" over, proclaiming victory for the children of God.
Remain steadfast in the Word of God, trusting He will work all things out for your good. Do not let your faith waver on God by giving into fear; remain assured in His promises and be unshaken. Stand your ground by faith and declare I will not be moved!
"If I say, my foot slips, Your mercy (constant, steadfast unfailing love, faithfulness and favor), O LORD, will hold me up. In the multitude of my anxieties within me, Your comforts delight my soul." (Psalm 94:18-19 NKJV)
When troubles try to overtake you, proclaim these verses believing the power of God is present and watch His Daily Favor be manifested in your situation!
"I have set the LORD always before me; because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved." (Psalm 16:8 NKJV)
"He only is my rock and my salvation;
He is my defense I shall not be moved (shaken). (Psalm 62:6 KJV)
"Cast your burden on the LORD,
and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the Righteous to be moved."
(verse 22, but read all of Psalm 55)
"He will not allow your foot to (slip) be moved." (verse 3, but read all of Psalm 121)
"Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, firm, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord." (1 Corinthians 15:58 NKJV)
For over twenty years I have studied the teachings of this South African theologian who is considered wise in the Word on prayer.
*For those who trust in Jesus Christ, God gives the promise of life here but also the gift of eternal life as an inheritance of being His child. If you would like to have this gift also, click here to learn more.
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.
Content and Image Copyright from Favored1/Fay Ann Daniels unless noted. Do not copy.
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.
It’s 7:50 p.m. and I’m just sitting down to write while
trying to eat my dinner at the same time.I’m so ready for a quiet rest and another cup of tea.
Although the past few weeks have proved to be productive,
they have also been full of “nothing” in the way of oodles of excitement.That was about to change in a matter of
minutes; soon after I’d think back on the times when nothing seemed to be
happening.
Welcome new friends this week from:
See if your city/state/country made the list.
New on DFB –Cebu City, Central
Visayas, Philippines; Indonesia; Kyrgyzstan; Portugal; Ukraine; Ciudad
Victoria, Tamaulipas, Mexico; Southampton, England; Gabon; Brazil; Málaga,
AndalucÃa, Spain; Cheb, Karlovy Vary Region, Czech Republic; Butwal, Lumbini
Zone, Nepa; Serbia ; Pakistan; Afghanistan; Reservoir, VIC, Australia; Nairobi,
Kenya; Israel.
USA
–Hialeah, Three Lakes
& Vero Beach, FL; Jeffersontown, KY; Reisterstown, MD; Sebewaing, MI;
Burnsville & White Bear Lake, MN; Winnemucca, NV; Smithtown & Suffolk
County, NY; Chambersburg & Latrobe, PA; Washburn, TN; Maurertown, VA; Penns
Grove, NJ; Koshkonong & Warsaw, MO ; Pearl City, HI; North Wilkesboro, NC.
I am so thankful for your visit and hope that you come
back each week to participate in the weekly challenges.Join us in our new series as we spend time in
the study of Daily Favor Prayers.
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.
Don't miss out on this week's challenge
(below).
Be sure to visit
Tell Me, Q & A or other sections.
This Is Your Life
For the past two weeks it seems we’ve done nothing more
than get up, eat, work and sleep.The
days have been in overload with caring for rescue cats with specific needs, and
this doesn’t include all the other things that need to be done in preparing for
the spring holidays or getting the garden ready.
Hours pass with the scooping of poo, spew and hairballs
with intervals of putting on gauntlet gloves to give medications to the aging
brood of castaways before the cycle starts all over repeating itself.Surely this isn’t what “real” people do in
life; their days must be jam packed with excitement, at least they boast as
if it were so.
If you’re a parent I can see you laughing already … this is your life, minus the hairballs (I
hope so anyway)!
Hoping for Answers
It was Tuesday, well actually it was 2 a.m. on Wednesday morning
when we were about to have prayer before going to bed.Lately, no matter how hard we tried, we just
couldn’t get to bed before the wee hours of the morning.
Walking into the bedroom I noticed three baskets full of clothes
that needed to be folded.Of all the
times for hubby to be kind and attentive … he was a good husband retrieving the
laundry from the dryer.For once I
wished that at least one load was still in the dryer so I wouldn’t have to face
it until the next day.
Pleased with himself, he sat on the edge of the bed folding
and sorting the clothes alongside of me.Surprisingly he was pretty alert and a bit of a chatty Cathy for that
time of night. It’s usually the other way around.
Our conversation consisted of how our regular “routine”
had been extremely active, while quietly wondering where God’s favor could be
seen.We’ve been praying and hoping for
specific things to be manifested by now, but nothing …
“But I keep praying to You, Lord,
hoping this time You will show me favor.
In Your unfailing love, O God, answer my prayer
with
Your sure salvation.” (Psalm 69:13
NLT)
Unusual
Weather We’re Having
Recently I was reminded of an expression the Cowardly
Lion said in the Wizard of Oz: “Unusual weather we’re having ain’t it?”
The type of
weather we’ve experienced in America for late February and early March has been
strange regionally.Although it is evidence
to the signs of the times revealed in scripture, it’s not exactly one that we would
think of as God’s favor.
We enjoyed being outdoors with temperatures in the 70’s but
by nightfall it was back below freezing. With extremes like this it causes
events to happen that we aren’t used to in our area.
Unknown to me, my husband was first alerted about “strange
activity” in the weather when a text came to his cell phone at 9 a.m. with
concerns of a tornado watch until 3 p.m.Later that evening, another text came stating it was extended until 9
p.m. with The National Weather Service also posting a severe thunderstorm
warning along with heavy downpours of rain, strong sustained winds and quarter
sized hail.
As we finished putting away the articles of clothing
another text came through extending the watch until 4 a.m. As he held my hand hubby prayed over the
storms and rebuked them in Jesus' Name. He had been praying and taking authority over
them since the first alert earlier that day. The March lion had begun to roar and our
prayer seeking “hope for favor” was about to be tested to see if it was cowardly.
Dealing with Fear
The house was really quiet and the animals were still;
not even the heaters came on that night. Preparing for bed we could hear the
winds slowly becoming strong and steady as if someone was turning up a sound volume
at the opposite side of the city.
Then our street came alive with our neighbor's
possessions as they blew across the road crashing into vehicles, trees and
fences. A large ice chest came to a
thudding stop as it rested against a van.It sounded like plastic bottles rolling around the front yard outside
the window making a bang as one hit the glass.
Off in the distance we could hear the loud and powerful thunder rumblings with lightning flashes steady and fierce.Embarrassingly I confess that I was upset
with my husband’s prayer, because I felt he wasn’t using his “forceful” voice
like usual.His words weren’t effective
I thought because the winds picked up force rather than being punched out at
the eye of the storm.Dear hubby just
went to bed leaving me to deal with my fear.
A Prayer for Favor
Now I knew better, but since I wasn’t feeling that great
physically my emotions were trying to overtake what I believed.I suppose that’s never happened to any of you
strong in the faith people right?
What in the world was wrong with me?Come on girl, get a grip! By faith I needed to take hold of the Word and
not give the devil any foothold.
With the storm in full force I reached for my Bible and
began thumbing through the Psalms.At
that point I had my trusty memorized verses, but they weren’t working for me.I have no idea why, suffice to say they just
didn’t bring me the comfort I needed and expected from God’s Word.
Even though I know God doesn’t always give us evidence of
what He is doing, I felt myself leaning on how King David felt when he cried
out to God for a sign of His favor on the situation.
“But You, O Lord, are a God of compassion and
mercy,
slow to get angry and
filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.
Look down and have mercy on me.Give Your strength to your servant; save me,
the son of Your servant.Send me a sign
of Your favor.” (Psalm 86:15-17a NLT)
A Sign of Favor
Flipping from back to front of my Bible, a page turned by
itself and landed on Psalm 63:6-8.It
was the Holy Spirit showing me that God’s favor is continually in affect for
those who seek His face, even when it’s not visible in the natural eye.
We don’t need a sign to know God is working on our
behalf.We have His Word … and that’s
enough.
“I lie awake thinking of You,meditating on You through the
night. Because You are my
helper, I sing for joy in the shadow of Your wings. I cling to You; Your strong right hand holds me securely."
(Psalm 63:6-8 NLT)
Daily I pray for God’s favor of protection claiming Psalm
91 as my authority through Christ Jesus.The Lord will cover us with His feathers and shelter us within His wings
during times of terror.His faithful promises
are our armor and protection.
In my
conversation with the Lord all of a sudden I envisioned a picture that I had
loved from the internet.It was of a
swan with her wings covering her babies and then my eyes landed on the next two passages of
scripture.
The verses depict the before prayers and after song of
praise when God’s favor showed up in David’s life.
“O Lord, I have come to You for
protection; don’t let me be disgraced. Save
me, for You do what is right. Turn Your ear to listen to me; rescue me
quickly. Be my rock of protection, a fortress where I will be safe. You
are my rock and my fortress. For the honor of Your name, lead me out of this danger.”
(Psalm 31:1-3 NLT)
“I love You, Lord; You are my strength. The
Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my Savior; my God is my rock in whom I find protection.
He is my shield, the power that saves me.
I called on the LORD, who is worthy of praise,
and He saved me from my enemies.
(Psalm 18:1-3 NLT)
God’s Shield of Loving Favor
As soon as I finished reading those scriptures I heard
this noise like Batman’s cape (can’t explain it any other way) swooshing over
my head like a cover.My peace was
restored and I rested in the shadow of God’s wings that surrounded me in His
shield of loving favor.
“But let all who take refuge in You rejoice; let them sing joyfully
praises forever. Spread Your protection over
them, that all who
love Your name may be filled with joy. For You
bless the godly,
O LORD, You surround them with Your shield of love."
(Psalm 5:11-12 NLT)
The New King James reads:
With favor
You will surround him as with a
shield.
Waiting for the next clap of thunder, I noticed
something. The storm seemed to have stopped at the end of our street. Yet the
wind was still blowing, but it was as if the thunderstorm had met up with
another force that wouldn't let it proceed any further.
Peace and Favor
When it tried to come closer I put up my hand commanding
the storm to stop and be put out of commission not letting it come near our
dwelling.It continued to flash its
lightning and roll its thunder, but made no headway. Not long after it ran out
of energy and left just as it had when Jesus rebuked the storm.
“And He (Jesus) arose, and rebuked the wind,
and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a
great calm.
And He said unto them: Why are you so fearful?
How is it that you have no faith?”
(Mark 4:39-40 NKJV)
Jesus
showed us in Mark 4:39 how to use His Word to calm the storm, but He doesn’t
stop there. The Lord goes on in verse 40
asking the disciples why they were afraid and had no faith when He had given
them authority and power over the storms of life from the enemy. They should
have spoken to the storm as He taught them. (Luke 10:19)
In
saying this Jesus was also telling us that we too are able to take authority
over any kind of storm whether it is one of nature or events caused by the
devil, and they have to obey what is spoken by us in the name of Jesus.
That’s
what happened when my husband prayed. He used the authority given by Jesus and
spoke to that storm.It had to obey and
my husband was confident that God heard His prayer.
Frankly
I don’t know what my issue was, because I trusted in what my husband prayed as
truth.However, something was unsettled
in my spirit.
When
I called on the Word of God it obeyed in a different way through comfort and
affirmation of Who God is to me – My deliverer.Both actions were a result of God confirming His promises of peace and favor
to those who believe Him.
This Week’s Challenge:
Relax in the Nothing Times
I realize that each one of you have different things
going on in your life.Some of you are
so busy with caring for your family that you can’t see which end is up or an
end to the non-stop daily routines.
Many of you are experiencing horrific situations and even
face life threatening circumstances that you can’t imagine how you will escape.
Then there are those of you in the middle … you’re
pressing forward but nothing seems to be happening.
The commonality here is that we all want that “sign of favor”
from God. Like David, in prayer we keep hoping that this will be the time the
LORD will show His favor and answer our prayers.
I’d like to challenge you this week to think back on the
times when you thought nothing was happening, and then God made a way through
His favor on a situation.
Relax in faith that God is working on something in the
midst of your nothing times.He is
always aware of what is happening and will provide whatever is needed by faith.Take joy in the times when life presents
itself “routine” knowing that God is taking care of the tough stuff so you can
do what you need to at that moment.
Memorize scriptures that remind you God is your refuge
and strength.Know that when you call
out to Him He hears your prayers, and the favor of God will surround you no
matter how difficult things look.
Use the authority Jesus gave you when you accepted Him as
your Savior over the works of the enemy regardless of what kind of “storm” it is.The power is in your mouth through speaking
God’s Word.
Right now my husband is sound asleep. Nothing much going
on and that’s alright knowing that God’s peace and favor is at work for me no
matter what is happening in my life.
It’s 12:25 am on Friday and I’ve just cleaned up another “spew”
…
Thank You Lord that what looks like “nothing” is always
working along with Your something.
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.
Until next time, nothing is something
when God’s favor is on it!
“I will show you favor and give you peace.”
Jesus Christ
*Unless
noted, the names in articles are changed to protect the individual(s) privacy.
Note: Emphasis
is given in some scriptures to show clarity or understanding and is not to take
away from the inspirited Word of God.
When used,
the words satan or devil are not capitalized deliberately, because we give him
no place in our lives.
Disclaimer:
Article information is not meant to be used as treatment for mental or physical
issues, but geared toward spiritual awareness.
Plaque reads: May the
Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to
you. May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace. Numbers
6:24-26
As always, all proceeds from this Daily Favor site go to
Christian charity.
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.
Content
and Image Copyright from Favored1. Do not copy. Updated 10/1/18
Disclaimer Notes: Results may vary due
to lack of belief.
Scripture
references provided by Bible Gateway in the New King James Bible Version or as noted.
Image
credit: Google ImagesCreative Common
License if not specified.
Favor in Times of Nothing, Daily Favor Prayer, Daily Favor Blog, Favor of God, Favored1, Fear, Weekly Challenge, Shield of Favor, Peace, Christian Living, Inspiration, Kurt Carr, Swan, Wizard of Oz, Cowardly Lion
