Sign up to Bukisa,
Get Paid
for Publishing
Your Knowledge!
|
I must say, this book was a very pleasant surprise. I had expected something along the "Prosperity Gospel", "use faith as a tool to get whatever you want out of God" lines. What I found was something far more balanced.
The author begins with the principle of favor: the concept that God really does want to bless us, and that His favor can make an extraordinary difference in our lives. He also explains that the power of favor does not happen automatically, but has to be "turned on", just as in a house the power of electricity is always there, but the lights won't come on unless we flick a switch. He points out that favor begins when we find salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ.
He goes on to talk about expecting, believing and speaking. This is pretty standard "faith teaching" stuff, but serves as a good reminder of the basics. Importantly, he keeps it grounded in God's Word. On page 52 he says, "You say the same thing as God's Word, to which He is faithful. You cannot name and claim just anything and everything that comes to mind. You cannot go around saying 'I am going to have 78 oil wells' and expect God to give you 78 oil wells. God does not promise you oil wells in His Word, so you are not speaking in agreement with Him."
Having carefully made that proviso, he goes on to emphasize that we not only can but should name and claim all that Jesus purchased for us at Calvary, and that He promises us in His Word. On page 55, having just given an illustration of a woman who saw God's favor dramatically released in her life, he says, "Revelation 12:11 lists two things that are necessary to be an overcomer like that: 'And they [that's us] overcame him [the devil] by the blood of the Lamb and by the word or their testimony.' The blood of the Lamb has already been shed and has defeated the devil - that was God's part. Our part is to make sure our confession, or the word of our testimony, agrees with what Jesus purchased for us."
Using the story of Ruth from the Bible, he then works through the various stages of favor, and how to increase in favor. The penultimate chapter is a very honest and down-to-earth look at some of the dangers of favor and how to overcome them. For those who have never taken the initial step of entering into God's favor through Jesus, there is an explanation of the Gospel.
Practical and humorous, this is a book you will want to read with pen in hand to mark the passages that jump out at you, then re-read to settle it firmly in your heart and spirit.
|
