One of our senior leaders in my campus fellowship graduated as the overall best student during his time on campus. If I had not directly worked and lived with him, I would have assumed that God just favoured him. But staying with him, I saw him stretch in study and go to class to read despite long hours of fellowship meetings. His life taught me that favour is not for the lazy.

Friend, favour is not for the lazy (Proverbs 22:29). God has not planned that you live without His favour. Favour and labour are not mutually exclusive. Actually, God’s favour must flavour our labour for us to experience the kind of results that God ordained for you. When a man’s life lacks favour, all you see around him is labour without result (Psalms 127:1-2).

Labouring without commensurate result is a manifestation of the curse (Genesis 3:17-19). But when favour steps in, you get results more than your labour. With favour, your two plus two would be greater than four. Life is not balanced. Things are not always equal. You must intentionally, intelligently, and scripturally engage the force of favour (Psalms 44:3).

Favour is not for the lazy. Most people see favour as divine activity upon their own inactivity. This is not true (Luke 5:1-8). Even if your name is Favour, when you lack the right labour, you would only be a caricature of that name. You won’t know what true favour is until you step into the zone of work. Ruth did not get to marry Boaz by staying at home. She was industrious. She went all out working with her hands (Ruth 2:1-9).

Favour is waiting for you out there, but would you dare step out? Goodness and mercy only follow those who are taking the right steps in the direction of purpose and destiny (Psalms 23:6). You cannot be singing standing on the promises while sitting on the premises. You need the vehicle of work for the promise to become a performance in your life (Genesis 26:1-14).

Favour is not luck. While luck happens by accident, favour happens by process. What process are you engaging in that is positioning you rightly for God’s favour (Daniel 1:8, 6:3)? Do you carry out your work with excellence? Do you go the extramile to serve your clients or meet targets at your workplace? You cannot be believing God for promotion at work while being the laziest of the employees (Genesis 39:1-6). Favour is not fair. But it is just.

‘Demola Awoyele
Lead Pastor,
Destiny Impact Church
Akure, Nigeria