It’s the Year of the Lord’s Favor
This article is by Joel and Victoria Osteen
Words are powerful. They have the ability to set the direction for our lives. When they’re spoken over us by someone who has authority, such as a parent, a coach, or a mentor, they can determine our destiny. The reason some people aren’t reaching their potential is they’ve never had blessings spoken over them. They’ve never had anyone declare what they can become, who God says they are, and how they have seeds of greatness. The prophet Isaiah said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me to declare good news to the poor, to proclaim liberty to the captives…to proclaim the year of God’s favor” (Isaiah 61:1-2). All those who would receive this declaration, those who would let these words take root, would see it come to pass.
Hundreds of years later, Jesus was in the synagogue in Nazareth. He unrolled a scroll to the same declaration in the writings of Isaiah and read it to the people. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me to declare…the year of God’s favor.” Jesus knew the power of declaring. He knew you have to hear victory spoken over you, to hear abundance, healing, and freedom for it to come to pass.
You may have heard God’s favor in the past, but life happens. Perhaps 2020 brought disappointments and dreams that didn’t work out, and it’s taken your passion. Thoughts of doubt have come, such as “It’s never going to happen. I’ll never recover. I’ve seen my best days.” If the negative is drowning out what God has spoken over you, you need fresh favor spoken over your life. You need a fresh anointing. That’s why I’m going to declare a blessing upon you as Isaiah did, as Jesus did:
I declare this will be a year of God’s favor for you and your family, with healthy relationships and good friends. I declare new doors are going to open, with promotion, success, with creativity. I declare you are blessed with good health, with vitality and energy. I declare freedom for every bad habit, recovering for everything that was stolen. I declare that from this day forward you will experience a new sense of freedom, a new happiness, a new fulfillment. I declare you are blessed.
If you let these words take root, if you receive them into your spirit, they have the power to ignite something inside, to wake up dreams, to stir up gifts, to unleash the favor, the blessings, the potential that God put in you. Now take the limits off God, and take the limits off yourself. He’s equipped, empowered, and anointed you. With God all things are possible.