The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord. – Luke 4:18-19 (NASB)

RECOGNIZE THE SOURCE

• Where are you looking for your favor?

• James 1:17 – Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. (NASB)

• Mt. 13:22 – And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. (NASB)

• Deceitfulness of money is the lie that it will solve your problems

RECOGNIZE HIS AUTHORITY IN ITS DISTRIBUTION

• It is his yoke…

• Mt. 11:29 – Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. (NASB)

• We don’t get to choose our favor

• Mine vs. Yours

• 1 Cor. 12:4-11 – Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons.But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills. (NASB)

RECOGNIZE THAT THERE IS FAVOR

• There are always going to be problems

• Mt. 13:24-29 – Jesus put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was asleep, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and slipped away. When the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the weeds also appeared. The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’ An enemy did this,’ he replied. So the servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ ‘No,’ he said, ‘if you pull the weeds now, you might uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat into my barn.’” (NASB)

• Problems don’t mean “no favor”

• Are you trying to grow wheat or kill tares?

RECOGNIZE YOUR INFLUENCE ON FAVOR

• Put yourself in the right environments

• Our experiences are an even mix of our personality and context (situation/setting)

• Heb. 10:24-25 – And let us consider how to spur one another on to love and good deeds. Let us not neglect meeting together, as some have made a habit, but let us encourage one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

• Guard your mind

• Coffee example – Conventional wisdom is not wise

• The Spirit reveals ALL truth – Ask Him to reveal His favor in your life

• John 14:26 – But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have told you. (NASB)

• Declare your favor

• Our words have the power to impact our favor

• Mt. 12:33-37 – Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks. The good man brings good things out of his good store of treasure, and the evil man brings evil things out of his evil store of treasure. But I tell you that men will give an account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” (NASB)

• The words of my mouth – Pr. 12:14

• Pr. 12:14 – A man will be satisfied with good by the fruit of his words… (NASB)

Amen, a customary statement at the end of a prayer or during preaching to express our agreement with what is said and the hope that it will take place. But, AMEN is so much more than just a statement.

• AMEN is an attitude, a posture, a way of life.

• AMEN is a response that unlocks the abundance of Heaven.

• AMEN is our resounding YES to all that God says. It is also a resounding YES from God to his children.

AMEN is our emphatic agreement with all that God has said that He will do.

AMEN is never a negotiation and we have to be on constant guard against letting it become so because the Enemy is not only a liar, but he is also a manipulative negotiator. He The exodus of the Israelites from Egypt gives us a great example of how this process will and should play out. When you enter into spiritual warfare for your life, your health, your job, your family, your church, fill in the blank, you can expect resistance. To begin, you need to understand who your are in Christ and hold your ground.

AMEN requires us to be bold.

God spoke to Moses. Moses knew that God had chosen him to liberate the Israelites from Egypt and lead them out into freedom. Pharaoh is the embodiment of the Enemy in our lives. He held all dominion over the Israelites and they were his slaves. He was the most powerful man in the world at this point in time. So, what would you expect him to do when an old shepherd shows up one day and tells him to let God’s people go. Not too surprisingly, he says no. Not just no, but an emphatic no!

• Exodus 5:2 But Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and besides, I will not let Israel go.”

The enemy’s first response is always no. If his mission to steal, kill, and destroy your life, then you can bet that he’s not just going to roll-over and walk away the first time you engage him. So, Moses tells him again to let God’s people go and this time, he doesn’t just say no. He also doubles their work! We have all experienced how, when we begin to push forward for the things that God has for us, the enemy pushes back and things get harder.

• Your sickness develops a new symptom.

• You get into another fight with your spouse.

• You have a new mechanical failure.

Recognize that this is the first stage of the fight you have entered into. The enemy will attempt a “shock and awe” approach to quickly overwhelm your enthusiasm and faith. The enemy isn’t taking you seriously.

AMEN requires us to encourage ourselves.

When you are believing for God’s deliverance in your life and aligning yourself with all Heaven has promised, you can’t tuck tail and run when you hear “no” from your circumstances. We push forward in the battle, continually declaring what the Word of God says over our lives. Be prepared because, in this phase, the enemy will change tactics and it is critical that you continue to encourage yourself with God’s Word in His Spirit.

We can see in the scripture that as God began to rain down plagues upon Egypt for not releasing his people that Pharoah continues to harden his heart against God. But he also starts to do something interesting. He starts to waffle on releasing the Israelites. Three different times Pharoah agrees to let them go only to reverse course and deny their release as soon as the current plague is past.

• Exodus 8:8 & 15 Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron and said, “Entreat the Lord that He remove the frogs from me and from my people; and I will let the people go, that they may sacrifice to the Lord.”... But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and did not listen to them, as the Lord had said.

• Exodus 8:28 & 32 Pharaoh said, “I will let you go, that you may sacrifice to the Lord your God in the wilderness; only you shall not go very far away. Make supplication for me.”... But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and he did not let the people go.

• Exodus 9:27-28 & 34-35 Then Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “I have sinned this time; the Lord is the righteous one, and I and my people are the wicked ones. Make supplication to the Lord, for there has been enough of God’s thunder and hail; and I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer.”... But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunder had ceased, he sinned again and hardened his heart, he and his servants. Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he did not let the sons of Israel go, just as the Lord had spoken through Moses.

You will notice that in each of these circumstances, Pharaoh agreed to let them go because he was suffering. He wanted relief. As soon as he got it, he rescinded the release. I know that we have all experienced this. You find yourself in the middle of a spiritual battle for God’s goodness in you life or someone elses and you get signs that you have won the battle, only to find out that it wasn’t the case. I don’t know about you, but when I experience this, it has the tendency to ramp up my anxiety and sense of hopelessness but instead I need to get excited because the enemy is suffering from the blows that I am raining down upon him! He has begun to shift tactics because he has to do something! He knows he can’t refuse the Word of the Living God! So, don’t get discouraged in this stage of the fight!

Sometimes, this will happen multiple times and it can drive us to despair if we look at it incorrectly. This is not the enemy toying with a powerless fighter. This is the enemy shifting to try and find a toehold because his defeat is imminent.

AMEN requires us to be non-negotiable.

This may be the hardest phase of the battle. The negotiation stage. When the enemy begins to lose ground, he will begin to offer you an imitation blessing, less than the full Amen.

Once again, we look to Egypt. When the plague of locusts and the plague of darkness descend on Egypt, Pharoah attempts to negotiate a compromise. After the locusts, he agrees to let the men only leave to worship God. Thankfully, Moses refuses. After darkness, he allows all the people but not the livestock and animals. Again, Moses refuses.

We see this in our own lives when, for example, we are battling a sickness and praying for healing, but the battle has been long and we are tired. Suddenly, we have a breakthrough and see some actual progress. Unfortunately, many times, we accept this partial relief as what Heaven has for us and we simply stop fighting. I want to encourage you today to keep fighting. These negotiations come right before the final curse when Pharaoh breaks and the Israelites are freed! Don’t settle for the partial win because you are about to win it all! Cherish the ground that you have taken and praise God for it but don’t stop fighting for the full and complete deliverance of the Lord. Because we don’t serve a God of partial blessings.

Ours is a God that leaves the 99 to rescue the one. He isn’t satisfied with some. He wants all and so should we. We should settle for nothing less than the whole, complete deliverance of the Lord!

Moses said to let the people go. - Pharaoh said “no”

Moses asked again. - “No”

Changed a staff to a serpent. - “No”

Turned the Nile to blood. - “No”

Plague of frogs. - “Maybe. Mmmm, No!”

Plague of gnats. - “No”

Plague of flies. - “Maybe. Mmmm, No!”

Pestilience. - “No.”

Boils - “No”

Hail - “No”

Locusts - Okay, maybe some of you!

Darkness - Okay, but not the animals!

Death - GET OUT!

Go through the scripture. We get fixated on the 10 plagues but you will notice the Moses actual demands the release of Israel 12 times! 12 demands and 12 tribes! This is no coincidence! God demanded the release one time for each tribe! He wasn’t going to be satisfied with some of his people, He wanted all!

• Mark 8:22-25 And they came to Bethsaida. And they brought a blind man to Jesus and implored Him to touch him. Taking the blind man by the hand, He brought him out of the village; and after spitting on his eyes and laying His hands on him, He asked him, “Do you see anything?” And he looked up and said, “I see men, for I see them like trees, walking around.” Then again He laid His hands on his eyes; and he looked intently and was restored, and began to see everything clearly.

• Genesis 15:13-14 God said to Abram, “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed four hundred years. But I will also judge the nation whom they will serve, and afterward they will come out with many possessions.

When you get to the end and your almost there, just keep your eyes on Jesus because your deliverance is coming! If you’ve been discouraged or settled then stand to your feet and lets press into him.

Amen, a customary statement at the end of a prayer or during preaching to express our agreement with what is said and the hope that it will take place. But, AMEN is so much more than just a statement.

● AMEN is an attitude, a posture, a way of life.

● AMEN is a response that unlocks the abundance of Heaven.

● AMEN is our resounding YES to all that God says. It is also a resounding YES from God to his children.

AMEN is our emphatic agreement with all that God has said that He will do. So, what do you do when you don’t agree?

What do you do when you struggle to see any evidence of the presence of God in your life?

What do you do when your spending time in God’s word and praying but aren’t getting anything out of it? The void of silence from Heaven.

What do you do when you’ve been waiting for God to fulfill a promise to you for so long that you no longer believe that it will ever happen?

AMEN requires us to be honest with God.

Discouragement isn’t just the opposite of hope. It is the killer of it. One of the most poisonous elements about discouragement is that it makes you feel like you are all alone, that no one else is going through or has gone through the experience of feeling far from or separated from God. This belief keeps us from speaking out about our brokenness to others, especially God, because we harbor an incorrect belief that He has somehow betrayed us.

What you need to recognize is that what you are experiencing is not normal for the Kingdom, but it is not uncommon in our world. You are in good company and you need to be honest with your King about what you are going through. It doesn’t make you a complainer or ungrateful. It makes you someone that needs a savior!

● King David complained more than anyone else in all of scripture! And yet, God considered him a man after his own heart. (1 Sam 13:14)

○ Psalm 10:1, 13:1-4, 22:1-2, 60:1-3, 79:1-5

In every case of David complaining, it was quickly followed up by his bold declaration of God’s goodness and impending deliverance. Acknowledging our mis-alignment opens the path to become aligned. The obstacle that you believe is keeping you from God is in fact the way to God! This is part of the Enemy’s great deception!

Being honest with God will bring you to the point of verbalizing what you need from Him! If you don’t talk about it, you will be prevented from ever making a petition to God about it!

● Matthew 7:11b “...how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!”

● Mark 9:21-24 And He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. It has often thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us!” And Jesus said to him, “If you can? All things are possible to him who believes.” Immediately the boy’s father cried out and said, “I do believe, help my unbelief.”

AMEN requires us to shift our point of view.

Part of our disadvantage is that we have a limited view of eternity. We were designed for eternity but only possess vision for the present. We know what we have experienced in the past, and we can see what is happening in the now, but we have zero visibility about what the next 10 minutes will bring, much less the next 10 years.

This is often referred to as the difference between short-term and long-term vision. But, the truth is that we don’t even have short-term vision. At best, we have now-term vision. The way to get beyond now-term vision is to recognize that, just like nature, there are different seasons in life.

● Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Just consider the life of a farmer. There is a season to till the ground and prepare the soil. Then there is a season of planting and sowing into the soil. Then the fields need watered, regularly. The fields need to be weeded to remove things that compete for the crops resources. Eventually, the fields need harvested, long days of working in the sun, picking and collecting the crop. All of which is hard toilsome work! Where is the feeling of being blessed in that process? And yet, what a wonderful sense of blessing when the crop has been brought in and the celebration takes place for having barns that are full!

Just because you are in the middle of weeding your fields doesn’t mean that the harvest isn’t coming.

Don’t confuse the moment for the mission! Your now-vision will only take in the circumstances of today and they can be extremely misleading when held in the light of the long-term mission. Jesus gave us the perfect example of how to accept the immediate in order to achieve the eternal.

● John 16:33 “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

“Right now” is not all that there is.

AMEN requires us to take action.

AMEN is a person, and his name is Jesus (Rev. 3:14). Jesus is also the person through whom all of creation was made! Our alignment with HIM allows us to access that creative authority and call forth life and hope when there is none visible. He is our means of fighting through the challenges of this life to all that He has for us.

● Matthew 26:42 He went away again a second time and prayed, saying, “My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, Your will be done.”

What was Jesus referring to when he said “if this cannot pass away”? The power of the enemy and the kingdom of this world. Jesus broke the power of the enemy and replaced it with the power and authority of the Kingdom of Heaven. We have access to that power!

That means that we need to sometimes do the opposite of what we feel and instead act out in defiance of our circumstances and experiences in favor of all the good that God has spoken over us and the blessings that He has for us.

1. Have a Kingdom view of your finances.

1. Jer. 29:11

2. Num 13:25-30

3. Cor 2:14

2. Develop a Kingdom vision of your finances.

• Num 35:1-8

• Mal 3:8-12

• 2 Cor. 9:6-12

• James 4:1-4

• Hag 1:4-11

3. Trust for Heaven’s best.

• Phil 4:19

• Mat 25:34-36

• Eph 2:8-10

• 2 Kings 4:8-17