Finding the Favor of God | The Favor of God
How To Attract God's Favor And Blessings As A Christian
James Greer
Jan 8, 2023 23m
To attract God's favor and blessings as a Christian, you must accept Jesus as your Savior and learn to love and depend on Him. God has already prepared what He has for you. His favor cannot be explained. His favor brings blessings to your life. Video recorded at Pineville, Louisiana.
TranscriptionmessageRegarding Grammar:
This is a transcription of the sermon. People speak differently than they write, and there are common colloquialisms in this transcript that sound good when spoken, and look like bad grammar when written.
This is a transcription of the sermon. People speak differently than they write, and there are common colloquialisms in this transcript that sound good when spoken, and look like bad grammar when written.
James Greer: [00:00:00] Man, I'm so excited as we continue our series on finding the favor of God. I don't know when I've ever been so excited in my life because this is more than just a series of messages. This is almost a change of belief. If you could change your switch, if you could change your mind, it could change your life. In fact, you could have the best 2023 that you've ever had. You got the best year you've ever had. See, what I want more than anything else is I want my personal family but I want my church family to have God's favor. And when you have God's favor, you'll have the best year you've ever had in your life. The reason that I named it finding God's favor is because when you find God's favor, you will have the best year you've ever had. In Ephesians 3:20, which is my life verse is now to him, who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all that you ask or think according to the power that workers in us now see. I know this because of God's favor that's been in our life, that God's has blessed every single area of me, my wife and our family’s life. He's blessed our financial life. I mean, when I was growing up, I never went on vacation. I've been to places sometimes men, debris on vacation. I want to pinch myself. I said, Can you believe we're really here? And we're getting to take pictures and we're getting to do other things.
James Greer: [00:01:35] I'm not going to tell you about. It's just fantastic. I mean. So he's blessed our. He's blessed our emotional life. Do you know in February? I think it's better not to say, I think February 21st. We have been married 49 years. Not only if I've been married 49 years, I'm married 49 years to the love of my life. A lot of people married 49 years. They don't even like their wife. But not me. I mean, I'm married to 49 years, to the love of my life and not always the love of my life. My man, my wife. To me, she's still hot. I can't say that when she's here because she said, Don't say that again. But she's not here. So I can say whatever I want. And I know y'all won't tell her. So this is a face is 320. I mean, he's just blessed me. Just oh, he's blessed me financially. He's blessed me the most. He's blessed me spiritually, man. I can remember when we're had about 20, 30 people now say men one day. We're going to have 100 people. But what I want you to know is, hey. I want you to have God's favor in every area of your life. In fact, let me give you another verse that describes fire, 1 Corinthians 2:9. It says for it is written. I have not seen ears, not heard, nor even entered into the heart of man.
James Greer: [00:02:50] The things which God has prepared, say, prepared for those who love him. Now, let me tell you, I often use that verse during funerals because I think you can't imagine how great it is in heaven where Adam is Mike Nelson's son, 26 years old. I can't you can't imagine how beautiful it is in heaven. But I also know that we don't have to wait till we get to heaven. The Bible says thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. So why can't we enjoy some of heaven while we're here on Earth? God said, I've already prepared it for those. So God said, I've already prepared some things beyond what you could see, think, or even imagine. For those people that learn how to activate the favor of God while they're here. The psalmist puts it this way Psalm 31:19 says, How great is the goodness? Not just there's some goodness. He says, There's greatest goodness you have stored up for those who fear you. You lavish it on those who come to you for protection, blessing them before a watching world. What God is saying is this. He said, your goodness is not just so. So he said, it's great. He said your goodness when he says goodness, he said, you're gladness your favor, your joy, your wealth, your prosperity is stored up. He said, I've already got it stored up for you and I'm waiting to pour it out upon you.
James Greer: [00:04:12] For those who fear me, those who worship me, those who love me, those who reverence me to lavish it on it, the word lavish means to overwhelm you. What God is saying is that okay, if you're overwhelmed with God's blessings and God's favor, Amen. To a watching world. There's a world out there that's darkness. And God said, I'd like for you to be the light. There's a world out there that's hopeless. And he said, I'd like you to bring them hope. There's a world out there that's helpless, and you start giving them help. Here's another translation. I love the way the message puts it. You're ready. What a stack of blessings you have piled up for those who worship me. Can you imagine? God just stacking them up, Stacking them up, Stacking them up. Stacking them up. God saying in heaven, I've just got a whole stack of blessings. I'm just stacking them up. And what's he doing with his stack of blessings? I'm stacking them up for those who worship you. When I say worship, you, just say those that love him and depend upon him. Those that love him and depend upon him when you start loving him and depend upon. Ready and waiting for those who run to you to escape an unkind world. God said, Man, can you imagine that? I've got all these blessings just piled up.
James Greer: [00:05:37] I'm waiting to start pouring them out upon you. Just the three inside. And I'm going to talk about how to activate the favor of God later. But one of the ways you activate the favor of God is when you worship him by loving, start dependent upon him. Second thing, I want you to know about God's favor. God's favor brings blessings to every area of our life, to every area of our life. Now there's going to be a key verse. Probably for the next few weeks, and it's going to be found in Psalms 90:16. And it's really about the favor of God. And it says, Let your work be manifested to your service. That's us. Amen. Let your work be manifest. Let it be made known to your and your glorious power to your children. That's us again. Let the favor of the Lord, our God, be upon us. And how what happens when that happens and prosper from us, The works of our hand o prosper the works of our hand. God says, Listen, it's okay. We can ask, let, let the favor of God be upon us. It's okay to ask God for the favor. I want God's favor upon me, and I want it on the church. I think God's favors individual, and I think it's cooperatively. I think we didn't just happen to baptize over 100 last year. That's because we had cooperative favor. And I think there's such a thing as individual and family favor.
James Greer: [00:07:11] I want individual favor for my family, but I want cooperative favor for our church. Amen. Here's another translation. It says. Lord, our God. May your blessings or your favor be with us. Give us success in. And what all we do. So if he gives us favor and all we do, that means he can give us favor in our spiritual life. Amen. He can give us favor in our relational life, our marriage life. You can have the best marriage life you've ever had. I've been married 49 years. Hey, I want to be married another 49 years. Oh, well, how about another ten? But your marriage could still get better and better. You can be married 49 years, 50 years. You can still enjoy your marriage. Hey, man. You sent me. You've been married two years. Three years. You got to work to have a good marriage. It doesn't just happen. You work on it every single day. If you want to have a great marriage, Amen. But I want God's favor on my marriage. And God says good. It's every single area. So guess what? 2023 could be the best marriage year you ever had. But it's not just marriage. It's relations, period. When your relationships are right, it seems like everything else goes better. 2023 could be the best year in your finances. It could be your best attitude. Some of y'all need an attitude adjustment.
James Greer: [00:08:56] It could be the best year on your job that you've ever had because you stop worrying about yourself and you start saying, Man, I got God's favor on my life. I'm not worried about that, and I'm going to just work for God. So the question is, you just need more of God's favor. Amen. Third. Third. What is God's favor? Let me tell you what God's favor is. God's favor. Simply when God takes the natural and does the supernatural and a person place your thing, God's favors when he takes the natural and does the supernatural and a person place a thing for. Let me give you an example. January 29th. Do you want to be a part of God's favor? That's a question. Yeah. Yes. January 29th. You all want to be a part of God's favor? Well, good. Fight as many people as you can. And when you come and you can't hardly get in the door. And there's a lot of lost people. We're not giving away hoodies just to give away hoodies. We're giving away hoodies. Those people are far from God. Close to God. One step at a time. Amen. We'll do anything apart from sin to see people come to know Jesus Christ. So we're giving away hoodies. When people come that don't know Jesus Christ will give them the plan of salvation. They come know Jesus Christ and they get to go to heaven.
James Greer: [00:10:04] Amen. And you come and you have this historical moment and you have thousands of people. And then multitudes of people get saved. And God gets honored. God gets the glory. Amen. So when God takes the natural and does the supernatural the favor of God's will, God, God takes the ordinary and does the extraordinary. I love that because I've seen him do that in my life. I mean, it takes me. I could barely read. Has dyslexia. She gets very nervous when he has to get in front of people. And now God lets me preach and I love it. He takes the natural does a supernatural. And that's what the favorite got is. It's also when he gives me a good parking spot. They were like, and we're driving it and it's parked everywhere. And somebody said, Hey, there's a good parking spot. And I pulled in. I said, Mama, that's God's favor. That's the real favorite God. But anyway, anyway, so you need to learn what the favor of God is. But listen, you got to start looking for the favor of God or you'll miss it. We just. We just finished Christmas and Mary. Knew what the favor of God was. She got the favor of God. She understood how to activate the favor of God. See, Mary was considered just a ordinary young woman until she became the mother of Christ. When she became the mother of Christ. She went from an ordinary woman to an extraordinary one.
James Greer: [00:11:42] She came from a natural person to a supernatural person. Matter of fact, Mary received the favor of God. This is really important. Mary received a favor of God when she believed God. She activated the favor of God when she obeyed God. Now, see, this is probably the most important thing you can learn. Until you learn this, you'll receive the favor of God at salvation. But most people don't learn to activate the favor of God. And what happens when you receive the favor of God? Yeah, you're going to heaven, but you don't activate the favor of God, so you're not enjoying it while you're here on Earth. What is happen is most Christians have believed the lie of the devil. And growing up in church, I get everybody says, God says, don't do this, don't do that. And we start focusing on all that we can't do. It's already and we missed. The greatest secret is not what we can't do. It's all that God wants to give us. When God says, Don't do this. It's because He has so much he wants to give us. And so it's God's favor. See what it is is this. Stop focusing on what God says don't do and start focusing on all that God has for you to give to you. Amen. And so that's the difference. And see, Mary learned that through this time. And so that's why I'm so excited for you in 2023 to find God's favor where you can have the very best year you've ever done, where you can learn to activate the favor of God to us, activate Him what? You get the blessings of God.
James Greer: [00:13:18] So how do you activate the favor of God? Let's read it. Luke 1:26. Now, in the sixth month, the angel of Gabriel was sent by God to the City of Galilee named Nazareth. To a version be throttled or engaged to a man whose name was Joseph. To the House of David. The virgin's name was married two times in a couple of verses, says a Virgin of Virgin Virgin. One of the things why he emphasized the Virgin, her being a virgin means she was obeying and she was getting ready for the blessing of God. Part of the blessings God is when you obey. And having come in, the Angels said to her, Rejoice, highly favored one, The Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women. See, just a quick reminder. When you've got the favor of God, you've got the blessings of God. See, the favor and the blessings of God are with Mary. Weren't just with Mary, but they are with you when you believe and you obey God. And then it goes on. But when she saw him. She was afraid. She trembled. She was troubled at his sayings and considered what kind of manner of greeting this was.
James Greer: [00:14:32] Then they said this. Then the angel said to her, Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. See, many times when we hear what God has for us and what He wants us to do, it troubles us because we're focusing on what we might have to do or what we might have to give up instead of what we get. That's why we got to be careful what we're doing when we say that and say God's favor is always bigger than any fear that we get. Then said, Behold, you're going to conceive in your womb and bring forth a son. And should we call his name Jesus? Now let me tell you what. You don't get God's favor when you can see even Jesus Christ in your room and you bring forth a son. But let me tell you what. When you do get saved, you get the Holy Spirit that lives in you, that gives you the power to have this unbelievable change. Life, we call it. You get redeemed. You've got your parents genes. When you get saved, you get God's genes. God's Word puts it this way. 1 John 3:8. For this purpose, the Son of God was manifested. He was made known that He may. That He might destroy the works of the devil. The Lord's. Hey, one of the purposes of God is He humiliates the devil. Whosoever has been born of God does not sin.
James Greer: [00:15:58] Well, I'm born a God and I sin. You're born a God and you sin. But you don't enjoy singing. You don't want to send, but you send. For his seed remains in him. So when you get saved, you get the Holy Spirit. God's calling. God's seed remains in you. The word seed there is His sperm remains in you. You get regained and he cannot send because he has been born of God. Do you understand what he's saying now? He said Now, once you get saved, you've been redeemed. You get your natural genes and you get God's genes. If you feed the natural gene, you sin. If you feed God sent gene, you overcome sin. So God said, Listen, what I want you to do is I know now that you've been read, Gene, I want you to know that you can have more victories than you've ever had in your life because you from now on, you'll have two genes in your life. You'll struggle with the natural gene and God's gene, but you feed on God's word and you can have more victories. I love the way God's words in chronological order. It says For with God, nothing will be impossible. Okay. For With God, nothing will be impossible. You got Guy with you now? You got rejoined. See if you're here today and if you accept Jesus Christ as your personal savior. You get retained. God is with you.
James Greer: [00:17:42] And there's absolutely nothing impossible. The only thing that becomes impossible for you is what's outside God's will. Some of you are here today and you've got impossible situations. And maybe you need to come today. Just a minute. We got counselors are going to be in the front, and you need to give your impossible situation to God. You need somebody to pray with you and to pray for you. And we'll do that today. And you're impossible situation might become possible today. Some of your God said He's calling you to do something and you know what it is to do and. It's about fear. What if I just obey God? And God said, Stop worrying about what you've got to give up and start focusing on all that you get. First 38. Tells how Mary activated the favor of God. That's when you get the blessings of God. Mary said, Behold. Maidservant to the Lord. Let it be to me, according to your word. And the angel departed. One thing when she believed God. Many of you done that. You had today's the day to do that. It's another thing to say, God have your will and way in my life. I'm going to do what you say. I'm going to obey you. When you start activating the will of God, it's when you say, God, I'm going to obey you. I would say. Most Christians. Have the favor of God. But few Christians activate it.
James Greer: [00:19:28] Because they've been taught a false truth about the truth about activating favorite God. Most Christians think if I give myself to God, if I just say, Hey, God, have your will, have your way in my life, God, I know there's some things I need to change in my life to follow you and things I need to give up. You're looking at all the things you've got to give up instead of all the wonderful things you can look at. Mary. Man. Can you imagine being the mother of Jesus Christ? Yes. People made fun of her. Sure, she had to have a baby in a manger. But, man, she got to raise a son to save the entire world. God wants to use you probably more than you could dream. More than you can imagine. You know why? You know why that? I know God wants you so many people to journey church. Because we got so many ordinary people like me. And because you're ordinary. Guy can do the extraordinary. And he does. Extraordinary. I guess the honor guy gets the glory. And that's what he wants to do. He wants to have the favor of God in your life. But you got to obey what you stand. Let me pray with you. Pray for you. God, more than anything else. First of all, I pray that each person here today and on line will make absolutely sure they have the favor of God.
James Greer: [00:21:04] It doesn't matter if you've been to church. Doesn't matter if you join church doesn't matter. That doesn't matter. It has to make sure there's a time that you knew that you sinned and you knew there's no other way other than Jesus Christ to forgive you of your sin. You believe God sent his son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for your sin and shed his blood and rose on the third day. And you'd like to ask him to forgive your sins and come into your heart. Be the Lord of your life. And you just step out in a minute. Some of you have the favor of God. There's a time that you believe that God sent His son. But there's things that Gods ask you to do just hasn't activated the favor of God. And Mary said, I'm your maidservant. God. Here I am. Whatever your word says, dude. And some of you said need to come today and say, God, whatever your word tells me to do, that's what I'm going to do. I want to activate your favorite. I want your favor in every area of my life. I want it my finance life, whatever your word says and finances, I want to do it. If you tell me the times I want to tithe. If you tell me to give, I want to give. I want to. I want to activate my spiritual life. God. I need to be in church.
James Greer: [00:22:20] Yes. Do I need to be in a small group? Yes. Do I need to read your word? Yes. God, it's not because of what I have to do. Kind is what I get to do. God, I need your favor. First of all, make sure I have Christ. Second figured out, Bay. Third, there's those that have impossible situations. But God said all things are possible because He's with you. See if you're safe. You've been redeemed. You get the Holy Spirit that lives in you. And today might be the day that God wants to take what looks like it possible and make it possible. Whatever it is God calls you to. Maybe you've really never stepped up and said, Hey, I want to follow through with public baptism. I was baptized as a child or a baby, and I didn't really know what I was doing. But today I know and I'm going to step out and I'm going to make it public and I'm going to follow through. Maybe you've been visiting this church. Visiting this church. It's a new year and you want to come and you want to come to the front. So I want to make it official. I want to be a part of Journey Church. Maybe you want to have somebody pray with you and pray for you. Whatever it is God has laid upon your heart. I pray that you let Him have this world his way. It's a precious name of Jesus I pray. Amen.
Recorded in Pineville, Louisiana.
James Greer: [00:01:35] I'm not going to tell you about. It's just fantastic. I mean. So he's blessed our. He's blessed our emotional life. Do you know in February? I think it's better not to say, I think February 21st. We have been married 49 years. Not only if I've been married 49 years, I'm married 49 years to the love of my life. A lot of people married 49 years. They don't even like their wife. But not me. I mean, I'm married to 49 years, to the love of my life and not always the love of my life. My man, my wife. To me, she's still hot. I can't say that when she's here because she said, Don't say that again. But she's not here. So I can say whatever I want. And I know y'all won't tell her. So this is a face is 320. I mean, he's just blessed me. Just oh, he's blessed me financially. He's blessed me the most. He's blessed me spiritually, man. I can remember when we're had about 20, 30 people now say men one day. We're going to have 100 people. But what I want you to know is, hey. I want you to have God's favor in every area of your life. In fact, let me give you another verse that describes fire, 1 Corinthians 2:9. It says for it is written. I have not seen ears, not heard, nor even entered into the heart of man.
James Greer: [00:02:50] The things which God has prepared, say, prepared for those who love him. Now, let me tell you, I often use that verse during funerals because I think you can't imagine how great it is in heaven where Adam is Mike Nelson's son, 26 years old. I can't you can't imagine how beautiful it is in heaven. But I also know that we don't have to wait till we get to heaven. The Bible says thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. So why can't we enjoy some of heaven while we're here on Earth? God said, I've already prepared it for those. So God said, I've already prepared some things beyond what you could see, think, or even imagine. For those people that learn how to activate the favor of God while they're here. The psalmist puts it this way Psalm 31:19 says, How great is the goodness? Not just there's some goodness. He says, There's greatest goodness you have stored up for those who fear you. You lavish it on those who come to you for protection, blessing them before a watching world. What God is saying is this. He said, your goodness is not just so. So he said, it's great. He said your goodness when he says goodness, he said, you're gladness your favor, your joy, your wealth, your prosperity is stored up. He said, I've already got it stored up for you and I'm waiting to pour it out upon you.
James Greer: [00:04:12] For those who fear me, those who worship me, those who love me, those who reverence me to lavish it on it, the word lavish means to overwhelm you. What God is saying is that okay, if you're overwhelmed with God's blessings and God's favor, Amen. To a watching world. There's a world out there that's darkness. And God said, I'd like for you to be the light. There's a world out there that's hopeless. And he said, I'd like you to bring them hope. There's a world out there that's helpless, and you start giving them help. Here's another translation. I love the way the message puts it. You're ready. What a stack of blessings you have piled up for those who worship me. Can you imagine? God just stacking them up, Stacking them up, Stacking them up. Stacking them up. God saying in heaven, I've just got a whole stack of blessings. I'm just stacking them up. And what's he doing with his stack of blessings? I'm stacking them up for those who worship you. When I say worship, you, just say those that love him and depend upon him. Those that love him and depend upon him when you start loving him and depend upon. Ready and waiting for those who run to you to escape an unkind world. God said, Man, can you imagine that? I've got all these blessings just piled up.
James Greer: [00:05:37] I'm waiting to start pouring them out upon you. Just the three inside. And I'm going to talk about how to activate the favor of God later. But one of the ways you activate the favor of God is when you worship him by loving, start dependent upon him. Second thing, I want you to know about God's favor. God's favor brings blessings to every area of our life, to every area of our life. Now there's going to be a key verse. Probably for the next few weeks, and it's going to be found in Psalms 90:16. And it's really about the favor of God. And it says, Let your work be manifested to your service. That's us. Amen. Let your work be manifest. Let it be made known to your and your glorious power to your children. That's us again. Let the favor of the Lord, our God, be upon us. And how what happens when that happens and prosper from us, The works of our hand o prosper the works of our hand. God says, Listen, it's okay. We can ask, let, let the favor of God be upon us. It's okay to ask God for the favor. I want God's favor upon me, and I want it on the church. I think God's favors individual, and I think it's cooperatively. I think we didn't just happen to baptize over 100 last year. That's because we had cooperative favor. And I think there's such a thing as individual and family favor.
James Greer: [00:07:11] I want individual favor for my family, but I want cooperative favor for our church. Amen. Here's another translation. It says. Lord, our God. May your blessings or your favor be with us. Give us success in. And what all we do. So if he gives us favor and all we do, that means he can give us favor in our spiritual life. Amen. He can give us favor in our relational life, our marriage life. You can have the best marriage life you've ever had. I've been married 49 years. Hey, I want to be married another 49 years. Oh, well, how about another ten? But your marriage could still get better and better. You can be married 49 years, 50 years. You can still enjoy your marriage. Hey, man. You sent me. You've been married two years. Three years. You got to work to have a good marriage. It doesn't just happen. You work on it every single day. If you want to have a great marriage, Amen. But I want God's favor on my marriage. And God says good. It's every single area. So guess what? 2023 could be the best marriage year you ever had. But it's not just marriage. It's relations, period. When your relationships are right, it seems like everything else goes better. 2023 could be the best year in your finances. It could be your best attitude. Some of y'all need an attitude adjustment.
James Greer: [00:08:56] It could be the best year on your job that you've ever had because you stop worrying about yourself and you start saying, Man, I got God's favor on my life. I'm not worried about that, and I'm going to just work for God. So the question is, you just need more of God's favor. Amen. Third. Third. What is God's favor? Let me tell you what God's favor is. God's favor. Simply when God takes the natural and does the supernatural and a person place your thing, God's favors when he takes the natural and does the supernatural and a person place a thing for. Let me give you an example. January 29th. Do you want to be a part of God's favor? That's a question. Yeah. Yes. January 29th. You all want to be a part of God's favor? Well, good. Fight as many people as you can. And when you come and you can't hardly get in the door. And there's a lot of lost people. We're not giving away hoodies just to give away hoodies. We're giving away hoodies. Those people are far from God. Close to God. One step at a time. Amen. We'll do anything apart from sin to see people come to know Jesus Christ. So we're giving away hoodies. When people come that don't know Jesus Christ will give them the plan of salvation. They come know Jesus Christ and they get to go to heaven.
James Greer: [00:10:04] Amen. And you come and you have this historical moment and you have thousands of people. And then multitudes of people get saved. And God gets honored. God gets the glory. Amen. So when God takes the natural and does the supernatural the favor of God's will, God, God takes the ordinary and does the extraordinary. I love that because I've seen him do that in my life. I mean, it takes me. I could barely read. Has dyslexia. She gets very nervous when he has to get in front of people. And now God lets me preach and I love it. He takes the natural does a supernatural. And that's what the favorite got is. It's also when he gives me a good parking spot. They were like, and we're driving it and it's parked everywhere. And somebody said, Hey, there's a good parking spot. And I pulled in. I said, Mama, that's God's favor. That's the real favorite God. But anyway, anyway, so you need to learn what the favor of God is. But listen, you got to start looking for the favor of God or you'll miss it. We just. We just finished Christmas and Mary. Knew what the favor of God was. She got the favor of God. She understood how to activate the favor of God. See, Mary was considered just a ordinary young woman until she became the mother of Christ. When she became the mother of Christ. She went from an ordinary woman to an extraordinary one.
James Greer: [00:11:42] She came from a natural person to a supernatural person. Matter of fact, Mary received the favor of God. This is really important. Mary received a favor of God when she believed God. She activated the favor of God when she obeyed God. Now, see, this is probably the most important thing you can learn. Until you learn this, you'll receive the favor of God at salvation. But most people don't learn to activate the favor of God. And what happens when you receive the favor of God? Yeah, you're going to heaven, but you don't activate the favor of God, so you're not enjoying it while you're here on Earth. What is happen is most Christians have believed the lie of the devil. And growing up in church, I get everybody says, God says, don't do this, don't do that. And we start focusing on all that we can't do. It's already and we missed. The greatest secret is not what we can't do. It's all that God wants to give us. When God says, Don't do this. It's because He has so much he wants to give us. And so it's God's favor. See what it is is this. Stop focusing on what God says don't do and start focusing on all that God has for you to give to you. Amen. And so that's the difference. And see, Mary learned that through this time. And so that's why I'm so excited for you in 2023 to find God's favor where you can have the very best year you've ever done, where you can learn to activate the favor of God to us, activate Him what? You get the blessings of God.
James Greer: [00:13:18] So how do you activate the favor of God? Let's read it. Luke 1:26. Now, in the sixth month, the angel of Gabriel was sent by God to the City of Galilee named Nazareth. To a version be throttled or engaged to a man whose name was Joseph. To the House of David. The virgin's name was married two times in a couple of verses, says a Virgin of Virgin Virgin. One of the things why he emphasized the Virgin, her being a virgin means she was obeying and she was getting ready for the blessing of God. Part of the blessings God is when you obey. And having come in, the Angels said to her, Rejoice, highly favored one, The Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women. See, just a quick reminder. When you've got the favor of God, you've got the blessings of God. See, the favor and the blessings of God are with Mary. Weren't just with Mary, but they are with you when you believe and you obey God. And then it goes on. But when she saw him. She was afraid. She trembled. She was troubled at his sayings and considered what kind of manner of greeting this was.
James Greer: [00:14:32] Then they said this. Then the angel said to her, Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. See, many times when we hear what God has for us and what He wants us to do, it troubles us because we're focusing on what we might have to do or what we might have to give up instead of what we get. That's why we got to be careful what we're doing when we say that and say God's favor is always bigger than any fear that we get. Then said, Behold, you're going to conceive in your womb and bring forth a son. And should we call his name Jesus? Now let me tell you what. You don't get God's favor when you can see even Jesus Christ in your room and you bring forth a son. But let me tell you what. When you do get saved, you get the Holy Spirit that lives in you, that gives you the power to have this unbelievable change. Life, we call it. You get redeemed. You've got your parents genes. When you get saved, you get God's genes. God's Word puts it this way. 1 John 3:8. For this purpose, the Son of God was manifested. He was made known that He may. That He might destroy the works of the devil. The Lord's. Hey, one of the purposes of God is He humiliates the devil. Whosoever has been born of God does not sin.
James Greer: [00:15:58] Well, I'm born a God and I sin. You're born a God and you sin. But you don't enjoy singing. You don't want to send, but you send. For his seed remains in him. So when you get saved, you get the Holy Spirit. God's calling. God's seed remains in you. The word seed there is His sperm remains in you. You get regained and he cannot send because he has been born of God. Do you understand what he's saying now? He said Now, once you get saved, you've been redeemed. You get your natural genes and you get God's genes. If you feed the natural gene, you sin. If you feed God sent gene, you overcome sin. So God said, Listen, what I want you to do is I know now that you've been read, Gene, I want you to know that you can have more victories than you've ever had in your life because you from now on, you'll have two genes in your life. You'll struggle with the natural gene and God's gene, but you feed on God's word and you can have more victories. I love the way God's words in chronological order. It says For with God, nothing will be impossible. Okay. For With God, nothing will be impossible. You got Guy with you now? You got rejoined. See if you're here today and if you accept Jesus Christ as your personal savior. You get retained. God is with you.
James Greer: [00:17:42] And there's absolutely nothing impossible. The only thing that becomes impossible for you is what's outside God's will. Some of you are here today and you've got impossible situations. And maybe you need to come today. Just a minute. We got counselors are going to be in the front, and you need to give your impossible situation to God. You need somebody to pray with you and to pray for you. And we'll do that today. And you're impossible situation might become possible today. Some of your God said He's calling you to do something and you know what it is to do and. It's about fear. What if I just obey God? And God said, Stop worrying about what you've got to give up and start focusing on all that you get. First 38. Tells how Mary activated the favor of God. That's when you get the blessings of God. Mary said, Behold. Maidservant to the Lord. Let it be to me, according to your word. And the angel departed. One thing when she believed God. Many of you done that. You had today's the day to do that. It's another thing to say, God have your will and way in my life. I'm going to do what you say. I'm going to obey you. When you start activating the will of God, it's when you say, God, I'm going to obey you. I would say. Most Christians. Have the favor of God. But few Christians activate it.
James Greer: [00:19:28] Because they've been taught a false truth about the truth about activating favorite God. Most Christians think if I give myself to God, if I just say, Hey, God, have your will, have your way in my life, God, I know there's some things I need to change in my life to follow you and things I need to give up. You're looking at all the things you've got to give up instead of all the wonderful things you can look at. Mary. Man. Can you imagine being the mother of Jesus Christ? Yes. People made fun of her. Sure, she had to have a baby in a manger. But, man, she got to raise a son to save the entire world. God wants to use you probably more than you could dream. More than you can imagine. You know why? You know why that? I know God wants you so many people to journey church. Because we got so many ordinary people like me. And because you're ordinary. Guy can do the extraordinary. And he does. Extraordinary. I guess the honor guy gets the glory. And that's what he wants to do. He wants to have the favor of God in your life. But you got to obey what you stand. Let me pray with you. Pray for you. God, more than anything else. First of all, I pray that each person here today and on line will make absolutely sure they have the favor of God.
James Greer: [00:21:04] It doesn't matter if you've been to church. Doesn't matter if you join church doesn't matter. That doesn't matter. It has to make sure there's a time that you knew that you sinned and you knew there's no other way other than Jesus Christ to forgive you of your sin. You believe God sent his son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for your sin and shed his blood and rose on the third day. And you'd like to ask him to forgive your sins and come into your heart. Be the Lord of your life. And you just step out in a minute. Some of you have the favor of God. There's a time that you believe that God sent His son. But there's things that Gods ask you to do just hasn't activated the favor of God. And Mary said, I'm your maidservant. God. Here I am. Whatever your word says, dude. And some of you said need to come today and say, God, whatever your word tells me to do, that's what I'm going to do. I want to activate your favorite. I want your favor in every area of my life. I want it my finance life, whatever your word says and finances, I want to do it. If you tell me the times I want to tithe. If you tell me to give, I want to give. I want to. I want to activate my spiritual life. God. I need to be in church.
James Greer: [00:22:20] Yes. Do I need to be in a small group? Yes. Do I need to read your word? Yes. God, it's not because of what I have to do. Kind is what I get to do. God, I need your favor. First of all, make sure I have Christ. Second figured out, Bay. Third, there's those that have impossible situations. But God said all things are possible because He's with you. See if you're safe. You've been redeemed. You get the Holy Spirit that lives in you. And today might be the day that God wants to take what looks like it possible and make it possible. Whatever it is God calls you to. Maybe you've really never stepped up and said, Hey, I want to follow through with public baptism. I was baptized as a child or a baby, and I didn't really know what I was doing. But today I know and I'm going to step out and I'm going to make it public and I'm going to follow through. Maybe you've been visiting this church. Visiting this church. It's a new year and you want to come and you want to come to the front. So I want to make it official. I want to be a part of Journey Church. Maybe you want to have somebody pray with you and pray for you. Whatever it is God has laid upon your heart. I pray that you let Him have this world his way. It's a precious name of Jesus I pray. Amen.
Recorded in Pineville, Louisiana.
Read More
