Shortly after graduating college, a friend and I were invited to hold an evangelistic rally in Kampala, Uganda. When we arrived, we discovered they expected us to pay for everything—the platform, PA system, and advertising. The problem is—we only had $250 for five weeks!
After praying, we decided to invest $200 on a stage and marketing and spent the remaining $50 on rice and potatoes to eat during our stay.
We knew we’d have to believe for the sound system. We searched and discovered the only two in the country belonged to a famous rock star and the president. The rock star’s team said no, so my friend asked the man who managed the president’s system.
At first, the man laughed at the request. But my friend explained why we were there and the heart we had for the people. Before long, the man was convicted. “You care about my country more than I do,” he said.
He checked the calendar—and the only week the system wasn’t being used was the week we needed it. He didn’t just loan us the equipment; he ran it for us and aired the crusade on government radio, reaching 14 million people!
That’s God’s favor—doing what we could never do on our own!
So how can we all live in this favor? Ephesians 1:11 tells us that because we are united with Christ, we’ve received an inheritance from God, who works everything according to His plan. That means God’s favor isn’t random; it flows out of relationship with Him. Paul continues to show us how to develop this relationship.
First, we must embrace God’s affection for us. Ephesians 1:3–4 says God “has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us.”
We activate His affection by receiving it through His Word (Jn. 14:23), through the Holy Spirit’s presence (Rom. 5:5), and by building one another up in His love (Eph. 4:15).
Then, we must receive God’s adoption of us. Ephesians 1:5 says, “God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.”
Adoption into God’s family fulfills the deepest longing of our hearts. We find worth in Him choosing us in spite of our flaws. We discover wisdom through His grace, and we experience good plans coming to pass by His greatness.
Finally, we must form assurance in Him. Ephesians 1:13–14 says that when you believed in Christ, “he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit…the Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised.”
When we embrace God’s affection, receive His adoption, and rest in the assurance of His Spirit, we position ourselves to experience the fullness of His favor!
