Today I want to talk about being forever in His favor - in the favor of God. If you've never heard about the favor of God, today I pray that God would teach us, help us to learn to expand and to understand how great it is to be in the favor of God. To be with the Lord to have His presence, to have God who protects us, who defends us who lifts us up out of the darkness - but even greater, brings us to Himself to know the living God, amen!

Since I was young since I can remember coming into the Lord and being brought to the Lord, I've learned the importance of God's favor. See I learned that you can have a great education you can have a job that pays well you can have a nice home, you can have a family and everything else; but I want to declare today, church, that nothing compares to having the favor of God.

For God's favor to be over us is where we begin to pray and God is listening. It's where His ears are open and attentive to the prayers of the church and to the prayers of His people. See to be in God's favor is to live even in the middle of a violent, lawless world, yet be protected - protected by God wherever we go, kept safe in His presence - never apart from Him, being sent wherever He calls us to go knowing that God is with us. See it’s the presence of God that empowers us as well to do the kingdom work; to not only break the powers of hell in our life but to also snatch others into the kingdom of God Himself.

Church, I truly believe God has poured out His favor here today. That He's been pouring it out and He's been hearing our prayers. I'm believing even now that in some of the most trying times - some of the most trying times for my family some of the most trying times for maybe some of you, times where the world looks at it and goes, “Man, that’s bad,” and maybe the devil meant for evil, but God in His favor has turned it out for good. And some of you, hallelujah, just the fact that we’re here today, amen, we can believe that God's favor is here.

So as we talk about the favor of God as we talk about the fact that God is so kind and so gentle and generous to His people, to pour out His favor we have to ask: What do we do with it? Now before we find out what we do in the midst of God's favor we also have to realize that there are many who have had God's favor before, but have also lost it. It's where maybe God has poured out His favor and His presence, but some become too comfortable. They decide that it's a time to just relax and let it dwindle away - not seeking the Lord deeper, not taking advantage of the fact that He's here not taking advantage of His great favor and saying, “Father I want to know You more, now that You're here now that You're listening, let me truly come closer to You.”

For others it may be that they’ve realized a sense of the favor of God but not treated it as extraordinary, but as ordinary: You know, “God's moving, God’s here, but all is well I'll just kinda go about,” - no necessity of walking in fear and in trembling and in the humbleness of God. To care for all that He has done and all that He is doing. And you know for others maybe we realize that His favor is here and it should encourage us to walk in obedience, but rather than kinda seeking God to say, “Lord, what do You want me to do in this time, what should I do, what are You gonna empower me to go, what are You gonna empower me to speak or my family?” And rather than that, we sit back and kinda just let it come and go. And due to selfishness and sinfulness, many have forfeited the very favor of God, the glory of God. But church today I believe for something bigger for every one of us. That God's desire is for us to be those who would honor His favor; those who would honor His presence; that we would feed it, that we would seek Him that we would humbly bow before God and say, “God I know You are here. I know this is not normal, and God therefore I'm not gonna go after You in any normal way. I’m gonna go after You with everything I’ve got God.”

It’s where we don’t take God's precious favor for granted, but we look to pour our love back out to God we look to come to God knowing that because His ears are open and attentive to our prayer, that, “Father I’m gonna pray like I've never prayed before in my life.” Where we can’t help but to stop and just be thanking Him. Not settling to let time go by, but saying, “Lord I remember. I remember when I wasn't in Your favor. I remember God when I didn't even know the touch of Your presence. But today God, hallelujah! God You have come and I want to bless You Lord.”

And so, as we recognize God's favor, as we know His favor is here truly - and I believe God is just really moving in this place - we have to ask ourselves, ‘How do we sustain it?’ How do we sustain God's favor? And really as I began to go through the Word and I was really seeking the Lord on this, I was thinking, ‘Is that even possible?’ And yes, it is! It is possible that we as the church that we as individuals would sustain what God is doing in our midst. Look at Moses! As he prayed before God in Exodus chapter 33 - and as I read this I’m thinking: Moses. A man who knew the favor of God. A man who lived in the favor of God who spoke to God face-to-face who was a humble man to truly know God in the depths - it says here - and this is Moses praying to God - he said, “If You are pleased with me, teach me Your ways so I may know You and continue to find favor with You.”

Again, Moses knew the precious favor of the Lord, and Moses did not want to go another day without it. He remembered as a little baby how God's favor was upon him. How when Pharaoh was going to destroy and kill all the other young boys in Israel, that God's favor sustained Moses. He was placed in a basket, placed up a river and God's favor was so powerful that the waters didn't overtake him. So powerful that God made sure he made it up that river to where he would become in the care of Pharaoh’s very own daughter. And God's favor was upon Moses all the days of his life. He was protected he was watched over, and even empowered to deliver the people of Israel.

But church follow me today: I think something even deeper. The favor of God was so upon him, that the Bible says he spoke to God as a friend would speak to a friend. Oh the favor of God that will bring you, that will take me, to intimacy with the living God! I pray today that we would have the same heart as Moses. Looking to continue in God's favor coming to know His ways - that God would never turn away; that His face would never turn away from us, but that He would always find a delight in His people, and in each one of our lives as we worship and follow Him.

And so, how do we receive and sustain God's favor? I want to take a look at the Scriptures today and find out what God is calling each one of us to do in this time and in this crucial season, amen.

And so the first thing we must do in order to sustain God's favor in our lives is we must remain humble. Let's look at James, chapter 4 verse 6, and for those of you it may be your first time here today, I want to welcome you, and I'm so thankful that God has led you here this day, and if you don't have a Bible if there's anybody else, the Scriptures will be on the screen for us to follow together. And so firstly it says, “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”

Who has the favor of God? Those who remain humble. And the favor of God that delivers; the favor of God that empowers His people; the favor of God that brings us into light to overcome the darkness - this is the favor that is upon those who are humble - a humbleness in the view of ourselves. See God is opposed to pride. He is opposed to arrogance, and you know in our culture, we know, right? It's completely opposite of the things of God. Our culture says, ‘Be the best you. It's all about you. Go get it, forget about everything else. If anybody gets in your way of doing what you want to do with yourself and becoming a better me a better person, then move it out of the way! It is all about me myself and I.’ But see that is not the walk of a Christian. The Christian, you see, they are the ones who never forget that they were saved by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. That each one of us were enemies of God deserving wrath, deserving to perish in hell, but hallelujah God has come through the power of the Lord Jesus Christ to save me. To save me out of my wickedness to save me out of my lawlessness, and out of my darkness against God.

God's favor is so special and it's amazing. And it should never cause us to walk in pride or in a sense of our own accomplishments, but always remind us of this - this is what the Word of the Lord says: “The Lord did not set His heart on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other nations; for you were the smallest of all nations.” You see God's favor is not upon us because of our good works. His favor is not upon us because of a result of me being a good person this week or just a nice person, but only because of His grace and mercy, but only because of His powerful love. And see, when we walk humbly in such a way to go, “God, I remember what I was - I know I wasn't the smartest I know that in the sight of the world that I was a lowly, you know, not a noble background. Father I remember I didn't even know how to speak right Father I remember how depraved in my mind I was. I didn't have a clue as to how to love somebody, I didn't have a clue of how to follow You, God. But You came and You rescued me God, and it's only because of Your grace. But the grace of God, I would be dead. But the grace of God I would be perishing.”

See, to sustain God's favor is to keep a humble view of ourselves. It's not where God begins to move and to pour out His presence, and we kinda take it for granted, treating it as though it just should be there or though it's something that's deserved, but rather, “Lord, I was the least.” Listen! I can testify today I was the least of all my brothers. I was the least of all my other family members. As a matter of fact I was the most wicked. I probably was the most evil, the most scheming, I was the biggest liar. But I declare today and praise God today, that He was merciful and He came and saved a wretch like me and brought me to Himself. In that I found favor. Never forgetting the grace of God in my life - never forgetting what I would be without the precious Lord Jesus, without His blood.

See to remain humble is to be humble in our walk with the Lord. If there's anything that's important, if there's anything to pursue in our walk with God, it is to walk humbly with Him. This is what God speaks of in Micah 6:8. It says that this is what the Lord requires: “To act justly...love mercy and [to] walk humbly with the Lord.”

"Could it be that some of us today don't even know the difference of what it is to be in His favor or not?"

See, we are called to walk humbly with Him. And to walk humbly with God listen, is to never be willing to break our connection with Him. Never be willing to go on without Him. It's where you're saying, “God I can't survive without You. I can't live without You, I can't be without You.” And if there's something that pulls you away, some distraction that seems to kinda be trying to chop at your walk with the Lord, you are ready and so quick to do away with it. For some of us it means maybe we need to cancel some subscriptions. Maybe we need to cancel a few things. But there's not gonna be anything to get in my way with God, because He is my Savior - He is my God and there is no other!

Church today I can say that as for me and my family, we can never imagine being without His favor. That for me and my family we can never be without the presence of God. For us it is more than life - we can't survive without it we can't go on without it. Whatever it takes God, whatever You need me to do - Lord we will seek Your presence together. God we will go after You, because You are everything.

And I ask though: How many times have you rather than walking in the fear, in the trembling of God - in the humbleness of taking care for the presence that He’s bestowed upon us and His great favor - have we chosen to just continue without it? Could it be that some of us today don't even know the difference of what it is to be in His favor or not? It’s never really mattered? It's never really made a difference? I pray today that you would wake up. I pray today that you would realize that without God's favor there is not a thing that is gonna sustain us in this time in our world. I'm tellin’ you right now that God is about to distinguish those who are in His favor and those who are not. God is about to show the world those who have been humbly walking and bowing before God, and He is about to make it clear. And unless we walk before Him in humbleness, unless we are in His favor we will perish. But I pray today that God would touch a heart! I pray that somebody would wake up and say, “Father, I need Your favor, and I don't want to lose it. I don’t want to be without You God. Whatever it takes God I’m gonna get right with You! I’m gonna get close to You!”

What will it be for you today? What will it be for your family? He is calling us to remain humble - that is what sustains the favor of God. It’s to be humble in our walk with each other. You know it's great that we go before God. It's great that we have our secret place with Him right? That we have those moments where we just are bowing and I'm praying that we all would have these moments of humbling ourselves before God. But what truly is evidence of that? See, it doesn't just stay in the prayer closet. It's not supposed to just stay at home when we close up our Bibles and get going, but the evidence of walking humbly with God comes into every relationship in our lives. It’s where we begin to care for others with the same intensity that we’ve cared for ourselves. It’s where all of a sudden, we’re not just so fixed on our own interests, but we’re fixed on the interest of caring and walking humbly with one another, with walking humbly with those in the church. The independent mindset of me myself and mine has got to go. The independent mindset that the world says, “Just do you,” has got to go, and we must walk humbly with each other. This sustains God's favor.

And you know I love how Jesus was so favored by the Father. He was a humble man. He gave up as a King - He came from Heaven, laid down His life. Not only that, we picture Jesus in the Scriptures in the Gospels we see Him washing the disciples' feet - declaring the walk of Christianity, declaring the true heart of God. And I tell you this today: He walked in the favor of God, because He humbled Himself before God. He humbled Himself even before His brothers, and therefore He was in the favor. When He prayed, God heard. Wherever He went, the presence of the Spirit was with Him. Wherever He went, He knew that God was gonna protect Him. Not one thing would happen without God knowing. Not one thing would happen without God having His eyes fixed on His Son to the point that even death could not hold Him down.

"Those who remain faithful to the Lord are kept safe in the favor of the Lord...they are carried through and protected in His presence."

What does it matter if we don't live in the favor of God? How can we live in the favor unless we have the same heart of the Lord Jesus Christ? How could God pour out His favor if we do not live in humbleness with one another? Willing to take the reprimand? Willing not to always have the last word in every argument? Willing to begin to stop and not just look at what I need to do for myself today, but to stop and say, “Father how can I serve another? Is there somebody hurting? Is there somebody broken?”

See, the favor of God is so precious. And I'm praying today that we would be those like Jesus. Willing to walk humbly. Willing to walk humbly before the Lord - willing to walk humbly before one another, not allowing that favor to be broken, but to continue in our lives, amen! And so in order to sustain God's favor, we must remain humble.

Secondly, we must remain faithful. Let's look at Genesis chapter 6, verses 8 and 9 and I really love this Scripture about Noah. It says: “But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.” Think about that: He found favor, right? “This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God.” Noah was in the favor of the Lord, and he walked faithfully with God.

Now when we look at Noah, we see how amazing that is. And think about it: The world at that time when Noah and his family were here, the Bible describes that world, how the earth was. And it says that every inclination of man was pure evil. Can you imagine how bad it was to live? Can you imagine how dangerous it was? How dangerous it was to raise a family? Yet God spared Noah and his entire family; why? Because His favor was upon him. His favor was strong enough to keep them safe. His favor was strong enough to provide for them when the land was full of evil. His favor was so great, that even in the judgment to come, God would spare his entire family and bring ‘em into the ark. I want to ask today: Are you in the favor of the Lord? Are you in the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Ark of God? See those who come to Him, those who remain in Him, those who remain faithful to the Lord are kept safe in the favor of the Lord. They are brought through - they are carried through and protected in His presence.

To remain faithful is to continually seek the Lord deeper. We can't just, you know, sense that His presence is here and kind go about. No, this is a time for us church to go deeper than we've ever gone in our lives. You know I tell this story to people today and they still can't believe it. Being in my teenage years along with my sisters and my family, you know going to Staten Island. And a gang infested area - I'm talking about the worst place in America at the time - murderous! And going there as young kids called by God. We knew that God had called us we knew that His favor was with us so much that we would knock on random doors in the apartments of the projects. Now when you knock on doors like that, they don't open - and when they open, you don’t want ‘em to open. But when the favor of God is upon you, I want to say today doors opened that should've never been opened before. I want to say that when the favor of God is upon you and He tells you to go, He is with you He does not send you alone, and when those doors open, the Kingdom of God begins to flow. And I remember preaching the Gospel singing songs together, and people coming out of the darkness - literally all of hell - and coming to know God. The Gospel being preached and touching lives. Why? Because of the favor of God but not just that: We not only knew that God's favor was with us, but I remember learning in those weeks of the summer, those weeks of the days to fast and pray and to go deeper. See, we weren’t just satisfied knowing that God was with us, but knowing that His favor was upon us caused us to say, “God we want more! We want to go deeper!” And we were faithful to go deeper with God. We were faithful to seek Him and hallelujah, even to this day, I believe that those lives were that touched are still touched by God, with a rain, with a water that is not ceased!

This is not a time to sit back. It's not a time to just kinda let His favor come and go. We must seek the Lord even deeper the gates are open, the heavens are open - will we go? It is not a time to just sit back and relax, but to take serious what lies before us. To take serious the times that we’re in. Listen yes the world we’re looking at and we’re going, “Man, it's pretty bad.” It's dangerous, it's lawless but praise God we may look at the world and go, “Man it’s going down a bad path,” but we are supposed to be those who are faithful to seek the Lord and know that He will sustain us. As a matter of fact, as the world is going down and seems to be getting darker, hallelujah the church should be in the favor getting stronger, going higher, seeking deeper!

But will you just be satisfied knowing that His favor is here that His presence is here and kinda just go along? Or will you decide today: “Father, I want to remain faithful to seek You deeper than ever before”?

We must remain faithful not only to seek Him but we must remain faithful to remember. To remember. See, remaining faithful requires us to do that. If there's one thing I've learned in my life - one thing I learned that sustains the favor and the presence of God is remembering. Remembering everything that He’s done. Remembering that the accident that should've taken you out didn't, because God's favor was upon you. Remembering when the doctor was sitting there looking you in the eye, going, “Listen, I don't know what can happen. I don't know if you're gonna make it through.” But God's favor bringing you through. See, I want to tell somebody today I remember something. I remember when I was blind, and I couldn’t see. I remember being in my own selfishness and my wickedness but the favor of God rescued me, and had mercy. The favor of God had somebody praying. The favor of God had my family praying and stepping on behalf that I would stand here today. See, I remember when I was in the desert. I remember when I was in the darkness and I couldn’t feel or touch His presence, but the favor of God delivered me!

But see, this is where people lose it the most. Maybe we've cried out deeply for God to save us; maybe for God to heal our minds. Maybe there was just a breakthrough of some demonic hold or some stronghold or situation and God has come through for us - He's graced us with the power to win the battle, right? But when all is well, are we just as faithful to be crying out and remembering all the God has done? Or do we revert back to our old just lack of seeking God? Do we revert back to being so forgetful - remembering to pay the bills, remembering to do our thing, remember to get to work on time remember to be with our friends but forgetting the goodness of God?

This cannot be! Church, if we want to sustain the favor of God we must remember. God is looking to continue to move in this place to move in our church - but He cannot do it in a heart that is not faithful. Not faithful to remember Him, and not replace Him with every other thing that we’re so into when all is good and well. And if that be us today I pray that we would repent. That we would repent for being so forgetful of the greatness of God, so much that we would just allow His presence to pass us by. May we not be those who forfeit and hold back God's favor with our selfish ways and our lack of thanksgiving, but faithful to remember the Lord. To bring back everything that God has done, just, “Thank You Lord! Thank You! You’ve been so kind to my family. God I remember how great You’ve been. I remember how I shouldn't have been here but God You kept me here. I remember how I shouldn’t have what I have, but God You’ve provided it all.”

See God has called us to be faithful also with what He's given. To sustain God's favor we have to look at everything that He’s entrusted us with our lives. You don’t have to turn there, but Matthew 25:21. This is Jesus as He’s speaking to the servant, right; that was a good servant.He says, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share in your master’s happiness!”

Now what I found so interesting about this, right, is that a faithful servant is one who took care of everything that they were given. They took care of what they were entrusted with. And what was the result? He says, “Come and share in your master’s happiness!” In other words: Listen, you’ve been faithful with what I've given you. Everything I've entrusted you with you've been so faithful to bring it to me - you’ve been so faithful to pray over it you’ve been so faithful to use it for my kingdom. Listen, now you are in my favor so much come in, I just want you to be in my presence.” And isn’t that God?

See, we have to ask ourselves: Have we been faithful with what God has given? Have we been faithful to teach and demonstrate to our children the power of God? Not just take ‘em to games. Not to just take ‘em to school - but to make sure that they know and understand what it means to be faithful to God. That they understand why mommy and daddy are together. That they understand why they have the car that they just got. That they understand why they have food in the refrigerator. That they would understand why they have the house and the clothes that they wear. Not because mommy and daddy were good, but because of the faithfulness of God. And we are to be faithful to Him!

Is God satisfied with what He sees in our lives? Is He satisfied with our faithfulness to our brothers and sisters that we live with? That we’ve been faithful to make sure that they're in the realm of God; that they are seeking the Lord that they are close? Have we been faithful with our spouses? Have we been faithful with our children? Have we truly been faithful to God? You see God withdraws His favor from those who decide not to be. God withdraws His favor and does not pour out His presence continually on those who are faithless to keep coming to Him - those who are faithless with the things that He has entrusted. But hallelujah, for those who are faithful to the Lord I have to say, He pours out favor. That everything you have will last and grow. Your children will grow in the shadow of the shelter of the Most High God. Your household will not be normal but it will have the favor of the Lord. The Word of God will be taught and preached and brought alive. The Spirit of God will be with you in the night as you sleep. He does not sleep or slumber but He pours out His favor on those who belong to Him. He pours out His favor on those who are faithful to come to Him, those who are faithful to seek Him, those who are faithful to take everything that they’ve been given and say, “God, but it be for You I wouldn't have what You’ve given and God I bring it back. I bring it to You, and I will be faithful.” And so in order to sustain God's favor we must remain faithful to the Lord.

Lastly, in order to sustain God's favor we must remain obedient. Deuteronomy 5:33. It says: “Walk in obedience to all that the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess.” Walk in obedience. And as I read this Scripture you know, I found we must be obedient to God's command. In order to sustain His favor we have to follow His word; we have to follow the work and the voice of the Spirit. And as I was reading this, it really hit my heart in just a whole other way and it was just wonderful. God wants us to live. He wants us to prosper and prolong our days - think about that. He wants that for His church. He wants that for His people. And this isn't just about having a bunch of money or things and time to waste on ourselves, but God genuinely wants us to live in His presence. To prolong our days of living with Him in His favor. But this requires our response: The response of obedience.

And then immediately, I began to think about Saul. Now, many of us remember King Saul, right? Saul was a man who had the Lord's favor at one point in his life. He had the favor of God; God was upon him. He was winning battles because God favored him. He would go to war with nations and have victory and he would conquer. He was able to lead the people of God because God was so favorable toward him and just gave him victory after victory and helped him. And Saul was a king of Israel. God had really moved in Saul's life in one season.

But what happened? Saul decided that he was gonna begin to do things his own way. He decided that, you know, when God would say destroy all the land, destroy all the enemy and even the animals, Saul figured, “Oh, I could do most of that but we should spare the animals. God, I mean, come on.” And little by little we begin to see, you know, the heart of Saul directly disobeying the command of God. And what happened? The favor of God was pulled away. God, you know, at one point was so favorable upon him but because of his wickedness because of his disobedience, he did not sustain the presence of the Lord in his life.

And I wonder today if any of us here are just like Saul? You started out well with the Lord - following, heeding enjoying His favor, but somewhere along the line, you’ve left Him behind. You’ve decided rather than be obedient, that your own way, maybe your own thoughts were a little bit better than God. Or, you know, even simpler, maybe God said, “Seek Me,” and you said, “Alright, a little bit later. Maybe God said, “Come after Me, come and follow Me,” and you said, “God I don’t have time yet. I mean I’ve got to get to work. I mean I can’t be seeking You right now.” And just like Saul, we’ve lost it in our lives. We’ve been so distant and apart from God maybe not even realizing it.

But see today, I’m praying that we would come back to the Lord. We would come back to what God has called us to do.We would find out wherever we lost the Lord and say, “Father I'm so sorry, but Lord I know You’ve called me to walk with You, I know You’ve called me to follow You this day.” See today nobody wants to talk about obedience. “Oh, that’s religious, that's a little harsh” - but I gotta tell you today you don't understand it. I want to tell you today you don't know how powerful it is. I want to say today you don’t know how great it is, and how the favor of God is poured out on those who hearken to the voice of the Lord - those who hear His voice and say, “God, here I come. I'm about to meet with You Lord, I'm about to walk with You even deeper.” And we wonder why so many churches are so powerless in our nation today. Leaders powerless and Christians without God's favor. But church, God is calling us today to come back to the standard of His word; to come back to hearing, and following, and overcoming, and walking the full favor of the King. Will that be you today?

We must be obedient to God's call. What has God called every single one of us to do? He's called us to serve Him. Now I’m not just talking about preaching. I'm not just talking about singing on the worship team - but I'm talking about the fact that God will call you to pray, and to break hell, and all of a sudden you are quickened to say, “Father, here I am.” I’m talking about serving Him when nobody else sees it or knows it. I'm talking about when you hear the Lord rather than going to the left of the right you stop and go, “God, I hear You. I'm ready to move, I'm ready to fast and pray I'm ready to call and to do those things. Where again, maybe man’s not seeing, it but God sees it, and I don't care about the favor of man today; I'm caring about the favor of the Lord. I’m caring about Your presence, God, ‘cause that is all I need.” And as you begin to quicken to God and you hear His voice, oh He fills our hearts! How the presence of God so touches our lives!

Now listen: I'm not saying to not keep a clean house. I'm not saying to let the car go to waste. But maybe some of us today need to let the dishes stay a little dirty. Maybe somebody today has to let the car get a little bit messy. Not worry about how shiny it is. And maybe put a few things aside, so that we can come back to where God is calling us to be. Maybe we need to put a few things away, so that we could take up the call of God in our lives and begin to sustain the favor. Sustain the work of God in this place - not just for me, but for the whole atmosphere to be sustained for the little ones. For the atmosphere to be sustained for those who are coming up!

"To sustain God's favor in our lives - we must remain obedient. Beautiful obedience; wonderful obedience..."

See when God pours out His favor, it's not so that we can just continue to go about in a fog just living our own lives and doing our own thing. I was talking to a man the other day. And he just kinda comes out of nowhere, and he's like, “Can I ask you some questions?” And you know sometimes when somebody says that, you’re like, “Okay, where is this going?” But I knew that as soon as he began to speak and he started asking about the Lord, I knew that God was looking to touch this man's heart. And he looks at me and he goes, “Jeff,” he goes, “You know, every day, you know, I wake up, I eat, I go to work. Then I come home from work, I eat, I walk the dogs and I go to sleep.” Then he says, “The next day I wake up, I eat.” And he says, “I just do the same thing over and over - there’s something wrong with that.” And he’s like, “I don't know what it is, but I feel like there's something different. I feel like there's something about God that I'm just missing here.” And you could just see that he was empty, and I had to tell him. I had to stop and tell about the fact that in the Lord Jesus Christ there is favor. That when you are in favor with Him - when you are walking in alignment with Him - oh, every single day matters. Every single day is different. Every single day is special, because in Christ there is favor in the Lord. He sustains those who follow Him; those who walk with Him; those who obey and hearken to that Word, hallelujah! There is something greater and bigger! And I remember just looking in his eyes and he was just like, “Wow!” Just overtaken by the Word of the Lord which should be overtaking us today. It should be overtaking me - to hear the Word and to follow.

And therefore, to sustain God's favor in our lives, we must remain obedient. Beautiful obedience; wonderful obedience - to come deeper into the favor of the Lord, Amen! Church this is a time of God's favor. This is a time so special, and I’m gonna read a Scripture. Paul says this in 2 Corinthians chapter 6 verse 1. He says, “As God's coworkers, we urge you not to receive God's grace in vain.” Not to receive God's grace in vain. Now, in this particular context, you can take the word ‘grace,’ and it also means ‘favor.’ In other words: Church, don't take for granted, and I’m urging you not to receive God's favor in vain. Where it's here and we’re just kinda like, “God it’s here.” And then he goes on. He says, “For He says. ‘In the time of My favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you. I tell you, now is the time of God's favor.’”

If you haven't heard anything today, today is the day of God's favor. Can we as individuals - can we as the church - take hold of what God is doing right now? Today is the day of God's favor. Today is the day of His grace being poured out. Today He is hearing His people as we pray. Right now today, God has opened the heavens for us to go deeper and deeper, regardless of circumstance and situation. He is calling us that even in the trial - even in the things that challenge us - God is saying, “Listen, I am with you and I will carry you through. I will be with you and I will be upon you.”

But will we honor it? Will we take seriously what is happening in our very midst right now, church? God, the living God, is moving He is here! But it must be sustained! An atmosphere must be sustained not just for me. “Great! I love being in the favor of the Lord!” But what are we leaving for the little ones coming up after us?

"When will we take all the time that we have and get serious with God, and say, “Father, I don’t want to be without You! We can’t live without You God!"

See we need to sustain an atmosphere of God. We need to sustain an atmosphere where there are little five and six year olds - ten year-olds like little Samuels are hearing the voice of God, and they’re waking up going, “Mommy daddy I hear God! I can hear Him!” because of what’s happening in our midst! But have we made a way for them? It’s not just me, it’s not just you, there is a generation! There is a favor of God that He wants them to know! There is a presence that God is calling to never leave this place; but will we take our place with God? Will we come out of ourselves and say, “Father, sustain what You’ve given. Make a way for them to be in what You’ve called them to live in, and to grow up in. Not just lovely lessons, not just things that we’re teaching them, but God literally to impart Your favor!”

See we’ve strived for a lot of things in our lives. We strive for our homes to be built. We strive for our homes to look pretty and nice. We strive for our education. We strive for our bosses to be happy when they see us, to look at our work and to give us a raise and promotion - but when will be striving to sustain what God has given us? When will we take the energy? When will we take all the time that we have and get serious with God, and say, “Father, I don’t want to be without You! We can’t live without You God!”?

Church, today is the day. Today is the day of salvation. Today is the day of God's favor - not tomorrow! Yesterday is gone - I’m done with yesterday. Today is the day of favor! What will you do? Where will you go? How will you honor the Lord?

It’s not just gonna come and go, and God’s not just gonna, you know, kinda just bring His favor and expect it to kinda just stay. No, God will move on! But I believe for bigger things today - God is not looking to move on. God is looking to touch; God is looking to be touched! God is looking to be sought! God is looking for the gates that have been opened, for somebody that's never walked through those gates to walk and go deeper with God today. God is looking for somebody to wake up out of the slumber and see that this is no ordinary place - this is no ordinary time - this is a time for God!

We sing the songs, ‘I’m not waiting, I’m not letting go,’ but seriously - are we willing to let go of the work of God in this place, are we willing to let go of the work of God in our lives? And listen, even in the midst of trials and things that happen it doesn't matter - God is here, and God is gonna bring us through. He’s brought us through this far, He's kept us here this far, His favor has sustained us. He wants to go deeper. He’s gonna carry us through. He will be with you; He will be with me; He will be with my children; He will be with my mother, my father - He will be with my family! Oh, God’s great favor!