God Favors You.

We have made favor a joke.

"How are you today?"

"Oh, I am blessed and highly favored in the Lord! Thank you for asking."

But favor isn't funny when it's absent.

I cannot say for certain, but I suspect the frivolous way we joke about favor would not have been funny to Mary, the mother of Jesus.

Her very name (meaning struggle, rebellion) was a constant reminder of an absence of favor on her life. Every day, she lived on the outside looking in like a child looking at gifts under the tree for everyone but you.

What about you?

You can love God,

serve God,

be used by God,

and still not feel favored by God.

What Lies Beneath

Beneath the floorboards of my soul

doubts hidden deep in my pretense,

conflicting thoughts battling for control

shame becomes my only defense…

~From the poem, "Beneath the Floorboards" by Dave Muddy*

Favor feels foreign when it doesn't seem prevalent in your life.

Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. ~Luke 1:29, New Living Translation

Even the emphatic expressions of an angel to Mary of her favor with God were difficult for her to fathom because of emptiness from struggle.

Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” ~Luke 1:38, Amplified Bible

Just because she accepted the assignment does not mean she felt the favor.... yet.

The favor of God must be felt beneath the floorboards of your soul where the battle for your self-esteem is raging before it can manifest in an experience.

From the Inside Out

As Christians, we have allowed a worldly view of favor to take such precedence in our spiritual lives that we even anticipate its demonstration to be an external display versus an internal acceptance and absorption of how God feels about us. But let's be clear...

You do not need favor to show up for you.

It's already here.

“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. ~Luke 1:34-35, New International Version

Before the Holy Spirit planted the seed of Abraham that is the Christ in her womb, Mary had favor.

God's favor at its fullest capacity manifests in a change in your character regarding how you see yourself.

Faith is not just believing in God, its believing the God in you.

The Lord Almighty can use any one of us. How much we enjoy the experience is determined not just by our faith in Him, but by our faith in his favor.

Exposing the floorboards of my soul

hope going deep, nothing hidden now,

precious thoughts making my broken, whole.

His favor becomes healing I allow!*

~"Beneath the Floorboards"

This is not about arrogance. It's about acceptance.

Favor will heal if you let it.

And Mary said,

“My soul magnifies and exalts the Lord,

And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.“

For He has looked [with loving care] on the humble state of His maidservant;

For behold, from now on all generations will count me blessed and happy and favored by God!“

For He who is mighty has done great things for me;

And holy is His name [to be worshiped in His purity, majesty, and glory]. ~Luke 1:46-49 AMP

Give yourself something different for Christmas. Start seeing yourself as God sees you. Let the gift precious thoughts of favor bless and change you from the inside out.

Remember I love you, but God loves you so much more.

MERRY CHRISTMAS