- Divine favour comes from God you don’t work for it. You can gain favour from people by doing certain things. The way you live with people can earn you favour.
When you receive Jesus Christ as your personal saviour, you receive the grace of God and are clothed with divine favour.
Psalm 5:12 NIV Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield.
- When you receive Jesus Christ, You are justified, You are reconciled to God and the favor of God is upon.
LUKE 2:52 NKJV And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.
- As a Christian you have to grow in wisdom and in the favour of God. The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. The more you grow in the Lord you grow in the favour of God
- As you grow in your calling, you also grow in the favour of God.
You have the grace of God and the favour of God is upon you but you have to activate it.
EXAMPLE OF THE CAR: If someone gives you a car as a gift and you park it because you don’t know how to drive it, it will not benefit you. To enjoy it, you have to know how to drive it.
- WALK WITH GOD
- The presence of God in our lives brings divine favour
GENESIS 39:1-6 NIV 1 Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. Potiphar, an Egyptian who was one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him there.
2 The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. 3When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did, 4Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned. 5From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the Lord blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the Lord was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field. 6So Potiphar left everything he had in Joseph’s care; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate.
- Joseph was a son of Jacob whom he loved. His brothers hated him for that
- God showed him his future through a dream that one day he will be a great leader. He shared the dream with his brothers and they even hated him more and planned to kill him.
- They changed their mind and decided to sell him, they sold him to midianites
JOSEPH WAS SOLD TO POTIPHAR THE EGYPITIANS – Genesis 39:1
- The LORD was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, and he was in the house of his Egyptian master. VS 2
- The LORD was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, and he was in the house of his Egyptian master. VS 3
- Joseph found favour in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned. VS 4
- From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the Lord blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the Lord was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field. 6 So Potiphar left everything he had in Joseph’s care; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate. Gen 39:1-6
YUSUFU ALIKUWA NA KIBAKI CHA KI MUNGU KWASABU MUNGU AKUWA PAMOJA NAE
- The presence of God was with him and gave him success
- His boss realised that God is with Joseph
- Joseph found favour before Potiphar and he made Him a manager of everything he had
- The favour changed Joseph from a slave to a manager
- God blessed Potiphar because of Joseph
KAMA UNATAKA KUONA UDHIHRISHO WA KIBALI CHA MUNGU KATIKA MAISHA YAKO
- ABIDE IN THE WORD OF GOD – JOHN 15: 1-10
-Obey and put your trust in the Lord
- LINDA KIBAKI CHA BWANA KATIKA MAISHA YAKO
Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, 7and after a while his master’s wife took notice of Joseph and said, “Come to bed with me!” 8 But he refused. “With me in charge,” he told her, “my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care. 9No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” 10And though she Joseph valued the presence of God in His life, He refused to sin against His God
- The enemy wanted to destroy His dreams and destiny using his brothers but God protected Him
- Satan used Potiphar’s wife to destroy Joseph’s destiny by causing him to sin against His God
- The greatest battles satan wages on your life are to separate you from God. Satan has no power over your life unless you open a door for him to have access over your life.
- Joseph was willing to lose everything except the favour of God upon His life.
KIBALI CHA MUNGU KILIMFANYA YUSUFU AFANIKIWE GEREZANI
Genesis 19-23
19When his master heard the story his wife told him, saying, “This is how your slave treated me,” he burned with anger. 20Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined.
But while Joseph was there in the prison, 21the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. 22So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. 23The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.
WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF JOSEPH AGREED TO SLEEP WITH POTIPHARS WIFE?
- That would have been the end of his dreams. He wouldn’t have gone to prison, the journey to the palace was to go through the prison
- YOU ARE GROWING IN GOD’S FAVOUR. AT THE RIGHT TIME YOU WILL SEE THE RESULT
- JOSESPH GREW IN GOD’S FAVOUR
- In Potiphar’s house he prospered and He was made second to Potiphar
- In prison he Prospered and was made second to the in charge of the prison
- From the prison he went to the palace and became second to the King of Egypt
- CHOCHFEA UTENDAJI WA KIBALI CHA BWANA KATIKA MAISHA YAKO KW A MAOMBI NA IMANI
CTIVATE THE DIVINE FAVOR IN YOUR LIFE THROUGH PRAYER AND FAITH
HEBREW 4:16 NIV
Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
GOD SAVES THE JEWS
ESTHER 3:1-11 NIV Come time later King Xerxes promoted Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite over all the other nobles, making him the most powerful official in the empire. 2All the king’s officials would bow down before Haman to show him respect whenever he passed by, for so the king had commanded. But Mordecai refused to bow down or show him respect.
3 Then the palace officials at the king’s gate asked Mordecai, “Why are you disobeying the king’s command?” 4They spoke to him day after day, but still he refused to comply with the order. So they spoke to Haman about this to see if he would tolerate Mordecai’s conduct, since Mordecai had told them he was a Jew.
5 When Haman saw that Mordecai would not bow down or show him respect, he was filled with rage. 6He had learned of Mordecai’s nationality, so he decided it was not enough to lay hands on Mordecai alone. Instead, he looked for a way to destroy all the Jews throughout the entire empire of Xerxes.
7 So in the month of April,a during the twelfth year of King Xerxes’ reign, lots were cast in Haman’s presence (the lots were called purim) to determine the best day and month to take action. And the day selected was March 7, nearly a year later.b 8 Then Haman approached King Xerxes and said, “There is a certain race of people scattered through all the provinces of your empire who keep themselves separate from everyone else. Their laws are different from those of any other people, and they refuse to obey the laws of the king. So it is not in the king’s interest to let them live. 9If it please the king, issue a decree that they be destroyed, and I will give 10,000 large sacksc of silver to the government administrators to be deposited in the royal treasury.”
10The king agreed, confirming his decision by removing his signet ring from his finger and giving it to Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews. 11The king said, “The money and the people are both yours to do with as you see fit.”
ESTHER 4:1-3
1When Mordecai learned about all that had been done, he tore his clothes, put on burlap and ashes, and went out into the city, crying with a loud and bitter wail. 2He went as far as the gate of the palace, for no one was allowed to enter the palace gate while wearing clothes of mourning. 3And as news of the king’s decree reached all the provinces, there was great mourning among the Jews. They fasted, wept, and wailed, and many people lay in burlap and ashes.
ESTHER 4-7-10
7Mordecai told him the whole story, including the exact amount of money Haman had promised to pay into the royal treasury for the destruction of the Jews. 8Mordecai gave Hathach a copy of the decree issued in Susa that called for the death of all Jews. He asked Hathach to show it to Esther and explain the situation to her. He also asked Hathach to direct her to go to the king to beg for mercy and plead for her people. 9So Hathach returned to Esther with Mordecai’s message.
10Then Esther told Hathach to go back and relay this message to Mordecai: 11“All the king’s officials and even the people in the provinces know that anyone who appears before the king in his inner court without being invited is doomed to die unless the king holds out his gold scepter. And the king has not called for me to come to him for thirty days.” 12So Hathacha gave Esther’s message to Mordecai.
13Mordecai sent this reply to Esther: “Don’t think for a moment that because you’re in the palace you will escape when all other Jews are killed. 14If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?”
15Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: 16“Go and gather together all the Jews of Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will do the same. And then, though it is against the law, I will go in to see the king. If I must die, I must die.” 17So Mordecai went away and did everything as Esther had ordered him.
ESTHER CHAPTER 5:1-4
1On the third day of the fast, Esther put on her royal robes and entered the inner court of the palace, just across from the king’s hall. The king was sitting on his royal throne, facing the entrance. 2When he saw Queen Esther standing there in the inner court, he welcomed her and held out the gold scepter to her. So Esther approached and touched the end of the scepter.
3Then the king asked her, “What do you want, Queen Esther? What is your request? I will give it to you, even if it is half the kingdom!4And Esther replied, “If it please the king, let the king and Haman come today to a banquet I have prepared for the king.”
And Esther replied, “If it please the king, let the king and Haman come today to a banquet I have prepared for the king.”
5The king turned to his attendants and said, “Tell Haman to come quickly to a banquet, as Esther has requested.” So the king and Haman went to Esther’s banquet.
6And while they were drinking wine, the king said to Esther, “Now tell me what you really want. What is your request? I will give it to you, even if it is half the kingdom!”
7Esther replied, “This is my request and deepest wish. 8If I have found favor with the king, and if it pleases the king to grant my request and do what I ask, please come with Haman tomorrow to the banquet I will prepare for you. Then I will explain what this is all about.”
HEMANI APANGA KUMUMUA MORDECAI
ESTHER 5:14
14 So Haman’s wife, Zeresh, and all his friends suggested, “Set up a sharpened pole that stands seventy-five feeta tall, and in the morning ask the king to impale Mordecai on it. When this is done, you can go on your merry way to the banquet with the king.” This pleased Haman, and he ordered the pole set up.
GOD REMEMBERS MORDECAI
1 That night the king had trouble sleeping, so he ordered an attendant to bring the book of the history of his reign so it could be read to him. 2In those records he discovered an account of how Mordecai had exposed the plot of Bigthana and Teresh, two of the eunuchs who guarded the door to the king’s private quarters. They had plotted to assassinate King Xerxes.
3“What reward or recognition did we ever give Mordecai for this?” the king asked.
His attendants replied, “Nothing has been done for him.”
GOD SAVES THE LIFE OF JEWS
ESTHER 7:1-4
1So the king and Haman went to Queen Esther’s banquet. 2On this second occasion, while they were drinking wine, the king again said to Esther, “Tell me what you want, Queen Esther. What is your request? I will give it to you, even if it is half the kingdom!”
3Queen Esther replied, “If I have found favor with the king, and if it pleases the king to grant my request, I ask that my life and the lives of my people will be spared. 4For my people and I have been sold to those who would kill, slaughter, and annihilate us. If we had merely been sold as slaves, I could remain quiet, for that would be too trivial a matter to warrant disturbing the king.”
- It was God’s favour upon Esther that made her the queen so that she will save her people
- Mordecai was forgotten but Divine favour restored what the enemy had stolen
- The divine favour changed the laws which was not to be changed. Jews enjoyed life in a foreign land and worshipped their God
- (BE AWARE OF GOD’S FAVOR IN YOUR LIFE)
- HAVE CONVICTION AND PROFESSION THAT YOU ARE FAVOURED BY GOD
- PAUL’S CONVICTION AND PROFESSION – ROMANS 8:31-39
31 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” j
37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, k neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
- DAVID’S CONVICTION AND PROFESSION. Psalms 23 NIV
1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,3 he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, aI will fear no evil,for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
- (STAY HUMBEL LET GOD BE GLORIFIED) GENESIS 41:15-16
15 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.” 16“I cannot do it,” Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.”
- KILA MARA MSHUKURU MUNGU NA TAMBUA KIBALI CHA MUNGU KATIKA MAISHA YAKO.
- ALWAYS GIVE THANKS AND RECOGNISE HIS FAVOUR IN YOUR LIFE
