I’ve noticed recently that I’m hearing more about people’s “secret sauce.” It’s a phrase that will be used like this, “What’s your secret sauce for success?” When people see a company, an organization or an individual gain advantage, success or prosperity, people want to know what is unique about them, and what sets them apart.
The Bible is full of examples of men and women who had a “secret sauce.” If one were to ‘boil it down,’ I believe the Bible reveals that what a man or woman should pursue over and above everything else is one thing–God’s favor. Favor is living a life of faith and obedience that captures the delight and blessings of God. It lives in good relationship with God and knows that favor comes to those who ask for it. When we dream about how we can live for God, God, might I dare to say, begins to dream how He can pour favor on us. When one has favor with God, he or she will have all they need for godly success!
Let’s remember, though, that the favor of God doesn’t always look like this world’s definition of success. The favor of the Lord results in a life that has lasting, even generational, impact. The first person we read in the Bible that found the “favor” of the Lord was Noah. The world during this time had rejected the worship and blessings of God, and judgment would be the end result of their choices. But Noah remained pure and righteous in a twisted generation, and we read that he “found favor in the eyes of the Lord” (Genesis 6:8). What did favor look like for Noah? Well, he was subjected to a lot of ridicule for building an ark when people didn’t even know what rain was! He invested years of time, money, and sweat equity in order to obey what God had asked of him. He passed his faith on to his sons who were committed to the same unique and unpopular vision of their father. No one around him recognized what God’s favor looked like, but when the skies poured down their rain and the ground burst forth with fountains of water, Noah was glad that he had caught the attention and “eyes” of the Lord. Noah and his family were the sole survivors. Sometimes favor is merely surviving when no one else does. Because he survived, we are all here. That’s favor resulting in a generational legacy. Finding God’s favor was Noah’s “secret sauce” for success.
Once the favor of the Lord begins to be evident in individuals, that favor will then be recognized and honored by others. These people will end up helping them move forward in what God has called them to do. Don’t get me wrong. there will always be some who resent and oppose any evidence of God’s favor upon a person’s life. But those who aren’t cynical will feel a respect for any evidence of favor. One great Bible example of this recently jumped out at me like I was reading it for the first time. Moses had lost all the wealth and prestige of Pharaoh’s court when he decided that pleasing God mattered more than anything else. In other words, he sought the favor and riches of God rather than the favor and wealth of man. But when he said ‘yes’ to God, we read an amazing Scripture verse that describes favor that came only years later. This came after a lot of personal soul-searching, God-seeking, loneliness and obscurity! He caught the attention and eyes of God when he had lost the attention of men. The temptation is to believe that we need to catch people’s attention in order to gain success, but the one and only thing we really need is God’s attention. Here’s the verse that leapt off the page. “And the LORD gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Furthermore, the man Moses himself was greatly esteemed in the land of Egypt, both in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants and in the sight of the people (Exodus 11:3). Not everyone ended up liking Moses and the Jewish slaves. As a matter of fact, Pharaoh hated them with a vengeance. But it didn’t matter who hated them, who really mattered were those with whom God had given them favor. The Egyptians ended up giving them gold, silver and valuable things for their departure and journey. Isn’t it amazing that God can GIVE favor? When he gives it, it happens? Ask Him for it! Ask Him to give you favor. He can do it!
Even Jesus Himself captured the attention of His Father by seeking Him and obeying Him. This was the path toward His own success. “And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men” (Luke 2:52). If favor was the means by which Jesus left a name and legacy on the earth, certainly growing in favor with God and men is the strategy for all of us. We read here that it is an ever-increasing Kingdom commodity.
Finally, let’s look at what might sabotage the activation of the favor of God in our lives. It is our human tendency to blame people and circumstances for where we are in our lives. Things like anger, frustration, disappointment, blame and unforgiveness are misguided wastes of energy and momentum. They are real favor killers! Rather, let’s turn things around. If we’re feeling frustrated and lacking in favor, a similar prayer to the following one might be a suggestion. “Lord, I want to talk with You about my life. This is an issue between You and me and not anyone else. I’ve come to recognize that no one is big enough to rob me of destiny when You are on my side. Truthfully, I’m feeling neither blessed nor productive. I’m coming to You! I need Your favor! I need to forgive and bless everyone in my life by both my words and my actions. I will not blame others for where I’m at in my life. I need to recognize that I must search my own heart for any place of doubt, unbelief, or disobedience concerning something you’ve asked of me. I need to capture your attention by the good words that come out of my mouth, by my unwavering faith in Your goodness towards me, and by my constant prayer, communication, and awareness of Your presence. You are with me every step of the way. I will not doubt You, but rather I will honor You. I will capture your attention and favor by showing You that I desire to do everything You ask me to do. I thank you that You have the power to increase my favor with You and with men. Thank You for the example of favor that You showed to others. I believe that You are no respecter of person, and I can have Your favor as well. I need Your favor, and I’m asking now for it. Thank you.”
Favor! The Great Secret Sauce! I’m praying for all you who read this post. I pray that you will increase in “wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.”
Jim