Religion column written by Dr. Bob Allen

There is a way to understand the value of the favor of the Lord.  Now Let me help you to understand how to get it.

Psalm 115:16 says, ”The heavens, even the heavens, are the Lord’s; but the earth hath He given to the children of men.” My friend, everything on this earth has been given to us from the Father. He has given us great favor.

Rev 4:11 “You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory  and honor and power, and praise For You created all things, for your pleasure, and for your pleasure they are and were created.”

Loved one, Father God created you because He wants you, and wants to take pleasure in you. He just loves what He created!  Father God provides everything that pertains to your life.

Matt  7:7 Jesus said, “Ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened unto you.” The door is open to you.

He has given us exceedingly great and precious promises, and because of His grace we may be partakers of His divine nature escaping the corruption that is in the world through lust. Now that’s real favor.

Prov 8: 32-34 “Now, therefore, hearken unto Me, O ye children: for blessed are they that keep my ways. Hear instruction and be wise, and refuse it not. Blessed is the man that hears me, watching daily at my door.”

Pro 8:35 “Whosoever finds Me finds life, and shall obtain the favor of the Lord”. Two of these favors would be rest and peace. I hope you will point this out to your children. Could there be anything greater than finding favor with God?

Psalm 111:1 the psalmist said, “Praise ye the Lord, I will praise the Lord with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation.” My friend listens to me! Praise brings favor. So Just do it.

Psalm 5:12” for thou, Lord, will bless the righteous: with favor thou will compass him as with a shield.”  He will protect you.  He will favor you.

I want to speak to two kinds of people today. Those who know the Lord and those who don’t. I want to praise, worship and honor the Lord with all of you who know Him. I want us to do it with our whole heart. And for those who don’t know him,  I want to bring you into your wonderful inheritance of a glorious, everlasting life.

You say, Bob, I am just trying to survive here. I need to know how to make it in this life. Stay with me friend. Let’s find a starting place.

First, you must get yourselves into the kingdom of God before you can reap the benefits, and get the favor of the Lord.

John 3:3 Jesus said,” Verily, verily, I say unto you except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” How do you and your family stand here? Are you in the Kingdom? You might ask what being born again really means.  When you are born again, it is by the Spirit of God. Father God is a Spirit and His Spirit now comes to live in you. To make it simple, you get a brand new life, a new start. You are a brand new self. You’re now, of the God kind, like Jesus. You have been upgraded. You were made right; you were put right through the body and the shed blood of Christ Jesus. You must pray and ask Jesus to come into your heart and wash your sins away.

Now he has given us a Savior and a Redeemer his son Christ Jesus to walk us through life and to redeem us from this world. Salvation is not just a last day deal you better make sure you are in now. You need to find life now. You need the favor of the Lord today. Is sin a problem? It doesn’t have to be my friend, it is all taken care of for you; all you need to do is turn from it, change direction, call out to Jesus.

Heb 10:17 Father God said and their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord”.

2Cor 5:21” for he hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him”. What a savior, what favor? You’re the sinner, but he took the hit for you. Now you can get righteous, for free, if you now believe, or if you are already a believer this is what your life now looks like, well! It is just as if you had never sinned.

Rom 8:1 this is you, my friend, “there is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit.” Yes, it’s true you walk free my friend. You now look very good in the sight of God.

John 17:17 Jesus said, ”Sanctify them. Through the truth, thy word is the truth.” From the day, you believed and accepted the Lord Jesus as Savior, and believed his word you were sanctified. You say, me! Yes, you have the favor of the Lord.

Eph 5:25-26 Christ Jesus loved the church, and gave himself for it, that he might sanctify it; he cleanses it with the washing of the water by the word. His word washes old thinking out, put’s in new thinking.

Heb 10:10 “we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once and for all. That’s Big, Big, Big.

Hew 10:12 and this man (Jesus,) after he had offered one sacrifice for sin forever sat down on the right hand of God. My friends there can be no greater favor than this, like the one who shed his blood and body for you. And put you in the kingdom, and now you are sealed, you are vacuum packed in, you are made right, and you are put right by the shed blood of Jesus.

However if you are not born again, not in the kingdom of God you need to jump in now he will cleanse you, sanctified you, zip lock you in, make you perfect. I know you are thinking, make my messed up life perfect, I know the closest most of you ever got to being perfect is when you were filling out a job application.

Dr. Bob Allen