But because she trusted in the favor of God, she...

BEAT THE ODDS WITH THE FAVOR OF GOD

By Joseph Prince – Posted February 18, 2017        

Ruth 2:2

So Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, “Please let me go to the field, and glean heads of grain after him in whose sight I may find favor.” And she said to her,”Go, my daughter.”

Do you look at yourself and see only lack in the natural? Do you say, “I don’t have a good education”, “I am poor”, “I am too old” or “I am a divorcee”? I have good news for you. As a blood-bought believer and child of God, you have the supernatural favor of God!

In the Bible, Ruth was a poor Moabite widow who went with her mother-in-law to live in Bethlehem, a Jewish town where the inhabitants considered Moabites outcasts. But she did not wallow in self-pity and moan about being a poor widow of the wrong race in the wrong place. Instead, she believed that God would favor her and she declared, “I will find favor in the field that I glean from.”

In the natural, Ruth had everything going against her. But because she trusted in the favor of God, she not only became the wife of Bethlehem’s richest man when Boaz married her, she also became the great-grandmother of David and had her name included in the genealogy of Jesus Christ even though she was not a Jewess! That is what God’s supernatural favor did for her. That is the kind of blessing God’s supernatural favor can give you.

A church member shared how, due to unforeseen circumstances, she was late for a job interview. But she confessed God’s favor on herself before the interview and miraculously, the interviewers shortlisted her for a second interview.

There were about 40 other applicants with the right experience. And though she lacked the relevant experience, by the favor of God, she got the job which came with better pay and a car allowance that fully subsidized her car loan. Her new company was even willing to pay for her petrol and cell phone expenses—all because she believed and confessed that she had the favor of God!

Do not look at what you do not have in the natural and see lack. Trust in the favor of God and you will see blessings which your natural abilities cannot bring!

Thought For The Day

As a blood-bought believer and child of God, you have the supernatural favor of God!

What Are You Expecting?

By Joel Osteen – Posted February 18, 2017

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE:

"...Open wide your mouth and I will fill it."
Psalm 81:10, NIV

TODAY'S WORD:

There is greatness inside of you! As a believer, the Holy Spirit dwells and lives within you. You have all the power and authority in heaven and earth living on the inside of you! Do you have your mouth open wide today? In other words, are you expecting God to fill you and increase you beyond measure? One thing that closes off what God wants to do in your life is negative thinking. If you go around thinking, "Well, I don't think I'll ever meet my sales goals this year with the economy like it is," or "I don't think I'll ever get promoted. I'm not that qualified," or "I don't think I'll ever get well," then the problem is that your mouth is barely open. But Jesus said, "According to your faith it will be done unto you." He might as well have said, "If you've got a cup, I'll fill you with a cup level of blessing. If you've got a bucket, I'll fill you with a bucket level of blessing." Jesus is saying today, why don't you take the limits off? Why don't you believe for supernatural opportunities? Why don't you go out each day expecting increase and promotion? Expect favor, expect peace, expect joy. If you'll go out each day expecting far-and-beyond favor, if you'll "open wide your mouth," you won't be disappointed. He'll fill your cup until it overflows so that you can live the abundant life He has in store for you.

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

"Father, I come before You today with an open and humble heart, ready to receive all You have for me. Teach me to live a life that is pleasing to You so that I can be an example of Your love in the world around me in Jesus' name. Amen."

 

 

 

 

Sanctification of the Soul

By Joyce Meyer - Posted February 18, 2017

So get rid of all uncleanness and the rampant outgrowth of wickedness, and in a humble (gentle, modest) spirit receive and welcome the Word which implanted and rooted [in your hearts] contains the power to save your souls. 
—James 1:21

Once you are born again, your spirit has been reborn and you will go to heaven when you die. But God is not finished—He is just beginning. You need to work out your own salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12 KJV). In other words, your soul needs to be saved. The 14 soul is often defined as the mind, the will, and the emotions. Each of these areas needs salvation. 

The Holy Spirit works relentlessly to transform the whole man into God’s perfect will. This process is called sanctification. When your soul is renewed with His Word, you think His thoughts and not your own. Submit yourself to the Holy Spirit and allow Him to change every thought and motive. 

Qualified to Love: I (Don’t) Love You When . . .

By DR. David Jeremiah – Posted February 18, 2017

So [Paul] said, “Lord, they know that in every synagogue I imprisoned and beat those who believe on You.”
Acts 22:19

Three times in the book of Acts, Paul’s conversion is recounted in detail. The first account (Acts 9:1-19) is described by Luke. But the second (Acts 22:6-21) and third (Acts 26:12-18) are told by Paul himself. Both Luke and Paul go to great lengths to describe Paul as a persecutor of Christians. Paul traveled from one city to another to find Jewish blasphemers who were worshiping Jesus of Nazareth. It is no wonder that Paul would later describe himself as “chief” of sinners (1 Timothy 1:15).

Recommended Reading: 1 Timothy 1:12-17

It is interesting to note something about all three descriptions of Paul’s encounter with Christ. In none of the retellings did Jesus list Paul’s sins to him. Jesus never berated Paul for what he had done. He never said, “I will call you into My service when you atone for all your sins. When I am convinced you are sorry, you will receive My love.” Instead, Paul received the grace and love of God in spite of being the chief of sinners. There were no conditions on God’s love for Paul.

We may not have committed sins like Paul’s, but we have sins of our own. Thankfully, we don’t have to become sinless to receive His love.

God loves us not because of who we are, but because of who He is. 
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  Read-Thru-the-Bible: Numbers 27 – 32