Choosing the Favor-Filled Life

Do you know someone who seems to face one problem after another? Every time you see them, there’s a new crisis with their health, their finances, their family, or their emotions. It’s as if the enemy is harassing them around the clock.

Maybe that person is you.

Here’s the good news: God offers a real breakthrough to anyone willing to listen to His voice and obey it. His Word promises that you can live in His blessing and favor instead of being stuck in an endless cycle of pain and frustration.

Blessings That Chase You Down

Deuteronomy 28:1-14 paints a beautiful picture of what life looks like when you walk in God’s favor. The Lord says that when you obey Him, His blessings will “come upon you and overtake you” (v. 2 NKJV). In other words, you don’t have to chase God’s blessings. They’ll chase you!

Look at how far His favor reaches (NKJV):

• Everywhere you go, whether in the city or the country (v. 3).
• In the fruit of your body and the fruit of your labor (v. 4).
• In your coming in and your going out (v. 6).
• In victory over your enemies (v. 7).
• In everything you set your hand to (v. 8).
• In being established as “a holy people” to the Lord (v. 9).
• In the opening of “His good treasure” over your life (v. 12).
• In becoming “the head and not the tail” (v. 13).

But like so many promises in the Bible, this abundant favor comes with a condition. Every blessing in Deuteronomy 28 flows from God’s invitation in verse 1: “Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today …” (NKJV).

The Choice Is Yours

Many people believe God’s blessings are random, something they can’t do anything about. That fatalistic view keeps them from taking responsibility for the life of favor God wants them to have.

That’s not what the Bible teaches. God has already made His decision: He wants to bless you as His child. Now the ball is in your court, waiting for your decision to align your life with His Word.

Throughout Scripture, men and women faced choices that shaped both their earthly blessings and their eternal destiny. God set this choice before the Israelites in Deuteronomy 30:15-16, 19-20 (ESV):

“See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil. If you obey the commandments of the LORD your God that I command you today, by loving the LORD your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it.

“I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, loving the LORD your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days …”

This shouldn’t be a hard choice, because the consequences are so clear. Will you choose life or death? Would you rather be pursued by God’s blessings or harassed by the curses that disobedience brings?

This passage also shows what choosing life looks like in practice. It takes a firm decision to love the Lord, walk in His ways, obey His voice, and hold fast to Him.

You can’t avoid this decision. God is calling you to put Him first with your whole heart. Joshua gave Israel the same bold challenge: “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve … But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD” (Joshua 24:15 NKJV).

You have to make a choice, and the time to make it is now! You can obey the Lord and experience His favor and joy, or you can go your own way and face failure and disappointment. It’s up to you.

Your Turnaround Starts with a Step of Faith

I believe in the power of prayer. I’ve seen the Lord bring breakthroughs to countless partners who contacted our International Prayer Center and asked someone to stand with them in prayer. I’ve also seen another spiritual principle at work, both in Scripture and in my own life:

Sometimes a step of faith and obedience is what releases God’s extraordinary favor.

People in the Bible were sometimes asked to do unusual things to receive their breakthroughs. A widow gave her last bit of food to a prophet. A suffering woman pressed through a crowd to touch the hem of Jesus’ garment. Naaman dipped seven times in the Jordan River. A blind man washed in the Pool of Siloam. King David sowed a sacrificial financial seed. Whenever someone stepped out in faith and obeyed the Lord, He brought a breakthrough.

What step of faith is God asking you to take today? He may be inviting you to draw closer to Him. He may be asking you to repent of something or to forgive someone who hurt you.

When you want to experience more of His favor, a seed of some kind is always involved. It might be a seed of repentance, forgiveness, or obedience. It might be a seed of faith, kindness, love, or time spent in His presence. It might be a financial offering.

I challenge you to move beyond a surface-level faith into a place where the impossible becomes possible. As you seek the Lord and sow seeds of faith, expectancy, and obedience, I’m convinced a great harvest of favor is coming your way.

God has given you the ability to believe Him for transformational things. So go ahead and believe for more of His favor! Trust His Word, obey His instructions, and step into His promises today.

God bless you!

David Cerullo

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I earn God’s favor by obeying Him?

No. Salvation and a relationship with God are gifts of grace, received through faith in Jesus (Ephesians 2:8-9 ESV). Obedience isn’t a way to earn His love. It’s how you respond to His love, and it positions you to walk in the blessings He already wants to give you. Think of it less like a paycheck and more like a child staying close to a generous Father.

Does walking in God’s favor mean I won’t face hard times?

No. Jesus told His disciples plainly, “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33 ESV). Favor doesn’t mean the absence of trouble. It means God’s presence, provision, and strength are with you in the middle of it, and that He’s working all things together for your good (Romans 8:28 ESV).

Do the blessings of Deuteronomy 28 apply to Christians today?

Deuteronomy 28 was spoken to Israel under the covenant God made with them at Sinai. Yet the New Testament teaches that through Christ, believers become heirs of the blessing God promised Abraham (Galatians 3:13-14, 29 ESV), so the heart of the passage still holds true: God delights to bless those who love Him and walk in His ways.

What does it mean to “sow a seed” of faith?

Scripture describes a principle of seedtime and harvest: what you sow, you will reap (Galatians 6:7-9 ESV; 2 Corinthians 9:6 ESV). A seed can be financial, but it can also be an act of forgiveness, a season of prayer, an hour of serving someone, or simply a choice to trust God when it’s hard. Every seed planted in faith gives God something to multiply.

What’s one practical way to start choosing God’s favor this week?

Set aside 10 minutes each morning this week to ask God one simple question: “Lord, where are You asking me to obey?” Write down whatever comes to mind, whether it’s a conversation you’ve been avoiding, a habit to lay down, or a step of generosity. Then choose one thing and act on it before the week is over. Small, consistent steps of obedience build a life that overflows with His favor.