When you live a life of obedience, favor ensues, even beyond the power of grace. Grace extends to the obedient as well as to the disobedient, but favor is the reward for obedience. Blessings overtake the obedient in incomprehensible ways. Not just with tangible blessings that you can touch and see, but with blessings of ease versus struggle, expedited timeframes versus delays, the redemption of time versus denials. Physical, mental, emotional, and financial healing versus devastation. “Lucky” breaks, open doors, “chance” meetings, aversions of disasters, crisis interventions, inexplicable “coincidences,” surprises that knock your socks off, supernatural encounters, and all sorts of mysterious happenings, to name a few. These are the benefits of living under great favor.

Gratefully, I am a witness that God delights in blowing our minds! Honestly, He does! It gives him great pleasure. I could never recount all the times that God has completely blown my mind to the point of tears, not just for answering my prayers, but in manifesting His saturating presence both in me and upon me. When you experience the evidence of God having worked behind the scenes in your favor, many times the only satisfactory reaction for the soul is an abundance of tears—tears of sheer gratitude.

I’ve had countless experiences such as this that testify to the fact that “obedience is better than sacrifice.” For example, it’s a biblical requirement to go to church, but sometimes sleeping-in is a strong temptation at the end of a busy or trying weekend. To rise and shine is a sacrifice. Nevertheless, to observe the fourth of the Ten Commandments to go to church on Sunday, but then raise hell from Monday through Saturday would relegate your sacrifice to a lesser degree than what obedience GUARANTEES. For example, to give an offering or tithe but then cheat on your taxes would relegate your monetary sacrifice to a lesser status than your obedience to the eighth of the Ten Commandments to not steal. Does this make sense? Your expected blessings would go right out the window! Perhaps this is helping someone? I’m hoping you get the point.

Think about it, when you eat right, exercise, get proper rest, and refrain from putting toxins in your body, you are rewarded with good health and longevity of life. When you work, save money, take breaks to enjoy the fruits of your labor, take time to connect with God, share with others in charitable ways, and regard the needs of God’s house, you are rewarded with financial wealth. I’m sure you can think of other examples of the blessedness of obeying God’s Word on these matters, can’t you?

If we’d stop to count our blessings more, we’d begin to realize how much we have to be grateful for. Beyond the goodies like new or shiny things are the intangible things like peace of mind amid chaos. The intangible things should take precedence on our praise list. A favorable bill of health from a doctor or an unexpected credit on a monthly bill, or a canceled debt should spur the joy that comes with remembering that God watches over us and performs what He promises to those whom He loves.

Make no mistake about it, God loves to bless us in innumerable ways for our obedience to His commands. It takes a supernatural awareness of His glory to humble ourselves to the dictates of His word, recognizing that everything that our loving Father requires of us is for our good and not to withhold anything from us, save trouble, ill health, and danger.

As we obey God, in faith, trusting His wise counsel—even when we can’t map His moves—we come to know that He always has our best interests at heart. We develop a hunger for His presence wherein there is the fullness of joy and agape love. As excited as we are for those times of refreshing, Father, too, is excited for those times dedicated to connecting intimately with Him alone. To know Him is to love Him. It is also what moves Him to bless us BEYOND what we can imagine!

“Teach me your ways, O LORD, that I may live according to your truth! Grant me purity of heart, so that I may honor you. With all my heart I will praise you, O Lord my God. I will give glory to your name forever” (Psalm 86:11-12, NLT).

Great Favor was first published on Living Affirmed: Bridging the Gap Between Existing and Thriving, October 6, 2021, by M. J. Smith. https://atomic-temporary-137436620.wpcomstaging.com/?p=746(opens in a new tab)