God's Favor

It’s funny how many of my blog posts are created based on something I’ve seen on social networks. Although, I am grateful for those sites, because honestly, I would probably never write to my blog if not for my provocation and my need to vent.  But, the posts provoke thought and I appreciate that--today’s rant is about religiosity masking itself as God’s Favor.  I don’t think the “favor-clamors” actually realize that being bumptious and self-righteous is actually against God’s Word--actually it is sin.  Reading the posts and comments, I see pride, I see self-righteousness, and I see bragging. It is not “God is finding favor with me because God IS God,” but, “God is finding favor with me because I passed the test” and I’m like wouldn’t that make God a conditional God? Is God’s Favor conditional? Wait, so if the answer is yes, then is God’s Love conditional too? Doesn’t that mean God is finding favor or love with me because I didn’t curse that person, even though I wanted to snatch them up and lay them out?  But, that isn’t God. Well, *side eye*-I mean, some posts are so perplexing and (for lack of better description) bipolar!!! Sometimes, the religious get so caught up in boasting in God that they fuse being boastful as if it were appreciation and gratefulness.  Sure, it would be easy to claim favor when all your life experiences have been good. I wonder, is it still favor when the cancer that was in remission returns and has spread, when your child is choosing to love drugs and money more than faith and family, when all you know how to do is survive and your means for survival has been stripped from you.  I wonder, when life has thrown up all over your existence, is this still favor?  

I mean, what then is God’s Favor? In my opinion, God’s Favor is very different than having favor with man. Meaning, you cannot measure God’s Favor with the tangible (materials) and intangible (impalpable).  God’s Favor is simply delight, it is reward for faithfulness “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong on behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him.” In Chronicles 16:9, the keywords in this scripture are “heart is perfect toward him,” because if your heart is perfect toward God, then your heart is perfect. Period. Right?!

Really, “favor-clamors” should know that what’s operating is the illusion of self-righteousness shouting boldly to control and allow the mind to conceptualize what is translated as “God’s Favor.”  This might be an ego thing, and out of my league because I’m no psychologist, so I’m goin'ta just keep-it-on movin’.  Let me just be clear, I realize this rant may seem a bit antagonistic (LOL), but the closer I develop and elevate in my relationship and understand God as Spirit--only concerned with the spiritual, I find myself becoming more annoyed and detached to religion. So, then, what is religion?  Religion is the biggest stoppage to having a relationship with God. Religion is man. Religion is trying to reach out to God by doing something that pleases God. “If I can do enough, say enough, pray enough, give enough, sacrifice enough perhaps God will show me favor.”  The religious conception is abstaining from your favorite foods, drugs, alcohol, tobacco, sex and the places that provide them is a healthy thing to do, but abstinence does not restore a broken relationship with God. ONLY a willing and open heart can do that (just in case you’re wondering how that works).

What bothers me about the boastful is they spend so much time professing the favor of the Lord that they invalidate God-action. I think, “I would rather see the favor of God showing up in your life, then you telling me how God has shown you favor?”  What I’ve learned is, favor is not boastful, self-righteous is… and being boastful is not showing gratitude and appreciation. It doesn't work like that... the louder you shout, the more enormously favorable you will be with God. More importantly, I learned that sometimes you don’t know just how full of pride (self-righteousness) you are until you have to humble yourself, and lastly we limit God by getting in the way--as if we know better than Spirit.

Until you have had a life-altering experience, you aren’t going to get the depth of humble understanding, you may have an idea what it means to humble yourself, but you won’t know humility--that’s the difference between “head knowledge” and experience.

I guess what I’m saying is a true experience and relationship doesn’t mean you have to be braggadocios, which takes the focus off God (intangible) and glory of Spirit, and places it on the thing and outcome (tangible).  God doesn’t require emotionalism, because relationship, true spiritual relationship starts within and that is heartgasm (Christ consciousness).

Amen

Ameen

Ase’

Namaste’

Peace