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Dr. Charles Stanley: The favorable hand of God does not mean no pain, no suffering, no hurt, no heartache. The favorable hand of God will oftentimes lead us into situations and circumstances and down through valleys in our life that will bring great pain and great suffering and heartache. Most believers' response to heartache and pain and suffering is, "Where's God?" Well, God's been so good to me, but now look what I'm going through. God, where are you? God, if you loved me, Lord, if you had a favorable hand toward me...

Guest (Male): God was watching over the prophet Nehemiah, but that did not guarantee him a life of ease and comfort. In fact, God uprooted Nehemiah and assigned him to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Today’s edition of In Touch, the teaching ministry of Dr. Charles Stanley, returns to Nehemiah chapter one to understand more about the favorable hand of the Lord. Let's listen in to Dr. Stanley's message.

Dr. Charles Stanley: God loves everybody. But God, because He's a God of love, desires to show His favor toward His children. That is, He desires to show His goodness. He desires to express His goodness. He desires to give to us everything we need, everything we desire that fits His will and purpose for our life. So He is a good God, the Bible says. He is a loving God. And I think Nehemiah put it in such a beautiful way when he said, "The good hand of my God was upon me." He says the favorable hand of God was upon me.

As I look through this book and read the scripture over and over and over again, asking myself this question: What is it in a man's life and what is it in his relationship to God that he could say the good hand of my God is upon me? That God has a favorable hand toward me. Because I think all of us would like to feel that and sense that, that we are favored by God. Doesn't mean we are better than someone else. Doesn't mean that we are more loved than someone else. But it means that God works in your life and my life, that it's very evident that He has favored us. That is, that He is expressing His goodness and expressing His love toward us.

There are a number of things and if you are wise, you'll jot them all down. For the simple reason that the truth is, all of us want to feel the favor and the goodness of God upon our life. One of the first things that I notice in the life of Nehemiah is this: that here was a man who lived with a definite purpose in mind.

If you have no purpose in life and you just sort of float through doing the best you can with no sense of direction, nothing you want to accomplish, and no sense of godly purpose and godly direction and somehow allowing God to use you in some fashion, then why should you expect the favorable hand of God to be upon you? Why should you expect the favorable hand, good hand of God to be upon you in a very special way or an extra way? Why should you expect that if you don't have any purpose, nothing you're trying to accomplish, and you're just sort of floating through life?

It is very clear here's a man who lived with a definite purpose in mind. And he said, "The good hand of my God is upon me. The favorable hand of God is upon me." The second characteristic I notice in his life was this: that here is a man in whose life prayer is a priority. If you and I want the favor of God, then we must build an intimate relationship with Him, and that comes through praying, through listening, through talking to Him, setting aside time to listen. God, what are you saying to me? What are you saying to us at this particular time in our life?

And so here is a man whose life is certainly very clearly lived with a certain purpose in mind. He has a sense of direction. He is a man in whose life prayer is a priority. When something rises that he does not know how to deal with, he immediately goes to the Father seeking direction and asking for God to give him direction for his life. Certainly that's the pattern of the Lord Jesus. The Bible says every morning He was out there praying, every evening He was praying. Not because He had to, but because He loved His relationship with the Father.

If we want the favorable hand of God upon us, what is it that God wants from us most of all? He wants an intimate relationship, not service. Service is a result of that. An intimate relationship, building a relationship with us whereby He desires and is able to pour out those extra blessings. His favorable hand is upon us. He was a person in whose life prayer was a priority.

The third thing I want you to notice about him is this: that his was the pathway of faith. If we want the favorable hand of God upon us, we must learn to walk by faith. We must trust God because our faith says more about what we believe about God than probably any other aspect of our life.

If we believe that God is who He says He is, then whatever He tells us to do, we'll be willing to do it because we can trust Him. If God is not trustworthy, what kind of a God is He? If He is a trustworthy God, a faithful God, a God who is reliably there when He says, "I'll always be there, never leave you nor forsake you." Every single promise that He's given. He says, "You can do all things through Christ who will strengthen you. Your God will supply all of your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus."

That person who is walking by faith is going to experience the favorable hand of God because God desires to pour out His blessings. And as Paul says, He'll do more abundantly than you and I expect or think. That's the favorable hand of God. He's a man of faith. He's a man who's willing to trust the Lord for whatever the need may be.

Then I think there's another principle here, another characteristic of the person who certainly experiences the favorable hand of God, and that's this: that the bottom line, the principle that governs their life is the principle of obedience. If we want the favorable hand of God upon us, if we want Him to be able to pour out His blessings upon us unhindered by something within us, then we must learn to walk in obedience to Him, leaving the consequences to Him. And that's why you can never separate faith and obedience. You can't separate them.

Here's the reason. If I obey God and leave the consequences to Him, it means I'm going to trust Him to handle the results of my obedience. If I really and truly trust Him, I'm going to do what He requires me to do. So here's a man whose life is characterized by obedience.

But there's another characteristic here that's so evident in his life: here's a man who practiced diligence. He was industrious. Now a lot of people would like for God's favorable hand to be upon them, but they just want it handed to them. They just want to pray and let God just bless them with no commitment and no diligence and no hard work.

This is still a day of diligence and hard work and being industrious as a Christian. You see, not only did he give direction, but he got in there and helped make it happen. And God is looking for industrious people, people who are willing to work, people who are willing to sacrifice, people who are willing to give their best. Not just when it's convenient, but when it's not convenient.

If God can find people who are willing to be industrious and working hard, willing to sacrifice, willing to pay the price, you know what He's going to do? He's going to pour out His favorable hand for those who have a purpose in life and are praying and walking by faith, living in obedience to Him, and who are willing to work at whatever God calls you to do and to do your best at that.

God deserves our best no matter what we're doing. Whatever He's called us to do, He deserves our very best at that. I believe the favorable hand of God, the good hand of God, is going to rest, be offered to, and poured out upon those who are diligently willing to give their best. If you determine in your life that no matter what God leads you to do and wherever He sends you, you're going to give it your best.

You're going to give it your best because the Bible says that you and I are to serve, we are to work in our secular vocation or whatever as unto the Lord. If I'm serving and working as unto the Lord, I'm not checking the clock. I'm not more concerned about my finances than my job. I am more concerned in pleasing my Heavenly Father. And if you and I please our Heavenly Father, listen, when we walk pleasing our Heavenly Father in faith, in obedience to Him, God will give us favor in the eyes oftentimes of the world. Now they won't quite understand what's going on. God is giving us favor.

There's another characteristic I see in his life that I think is so very important and that's this. Each of these words begins with a "P," but I'm going to add one here because here, what did he do? He rounded up people to participate with him in what God had called him to do. The word here is humility.

Here is a man who did not believe that he could get it all done himself. It was the participation of others. And as he began to share the vision that God had given him, and he says the good hand of God has been favorable to me, what did he do? He surrounded himself with people. He began to organize them and he motivated them and he got them involved.

Nowhere did he have the idea, "Here I am, Nehemiah, coming from the king and I'm going to get this done." He knew that he couldn't do it. There were some things he didn't know how to do. And probably one of the reasons that God's good hand of favor does not get poured out upon us more than it does is because oftentimes we want to handle things ourselves and we think we can do it.

God has made all of us weak enough in order to need Him. And the best position in life to be in is to know that you don't know it all and that you can't do it yourself, and that we are needy and that we are weak and that we are absolutely totally dependent upon Him. That's why Paul said, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." He didn't just say I can do all things. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" because whatever God calls us to do, God will enable us to do it. That's what the work of the Holy Spirit is all about: enabling us to become the persons God wants us to be and enabling us to accomplish the work God has called us to accomplish.

When you and I are willing to recognize that we don't have all the answers, that we need one another, that no matter how strong we are, that we are still weak, and that we desperately need to relate and to depend upon each other's gifts and talents and skills, God will pour out His favor upon us when we walk and when we come to the work that God has called us to do with a humble spirit. That doesn't mean piously humble. It means the recognition that I need you, you need me, we need God to do whatever He desires to accomplish in our life.

Another characteristic that's so evident here is this and something that I would put it in this fashion. If we want the good hand of God upon us and the favorable hand of God upon us, we have to recognize and accept that with God's purpose in our life comes pain and comes suffering.

The favorable hand of God does not mean no pain, no suffering, no hurt, no heartache. The favorable hand of God will oftentimes lead us into situations and circumstances and down through valleys in our life that will bring great pain and great suffering and heartache. Most believers' response to heartache and pain and suffering is, "Where's God?" Well, God's been so good to me, but now look what I'm going through. God, where are you? God, if you loved me, Lord, if you had a favorable hand toward me, Lord, where's your good hand? This isn't your good hand; this is your chastising hand.

The favorable hand of God always allows for pain because pain is part of His purifying process in our life. And no matter what He's called us to do, He is ultimately calling us to be conformed to the likeness of His Son. So whatever the purpose in life is, and you and I may be able to accomplish a lot of things in life or a few things, makes no difference. Ultimately, God's divine purpose is to shape us into the likeness of His Son.

His favorable hand isn't a hand full of things that I choose. If I say, "Oh, the favorable hand of God. Here's what I'd like for you to put in your hand. If you're going to offer that to me, God, here's what I'd like to have." All of us have our choices in life. All of us have our desires in life. All of us have our "rathers" in life. Things we'd rather have or rather do or rather go.

But the favorable hand of God has the best there is for us. The favorable hand of God is ready to be emptied onto you and me. The favorable hand of God is always ready to be emptied upon us if we position ourselves to be able to receive it. But if I see only things that I like and things that please me and things that make me feel good, if I only see those things as a favorable hand of God, what I will do is reject that favorable hand because sometimes with it comes pain and suffering and heartache and things we don't understand, things we can't fix.

God is still in absolute control. That does not mean that His favorable hand has turned to be false. But His favorable good hand, the good hand of God was upon me. When you and I walk with a purpose, prayerfully, in faith, obediently, cooperatively, when we recognize the hardships and the setbacks, when we recognize these things as still the good hand of God being poured out upon us, we're going to experience over and over again God's favorable hand being poured out upon us.

And we're going to see and experience blessings that we can't even begin to fathom. And we're going to be able to recognize again and again this is the grace of God. This is the goodness of God. This is the love of God. This is that undeserved favor of God being poured out upon us. Because we deserve it? Never. But because God is of such nature, He desires to pour out His favorable hand upon His children. There will be progress.

And then, of course, the last word I want to give you is praise. Because here's one thing you'll notice all through this book: You're going to find out that nowhere does Nehemiah take any credit for it. He talks about the good hand of the Lord. In the 20th verse of this second chapter, "The God of heaven will give us success." And if you'll notice over here again the sixth chapter, he says it was God who helped us accomplish this work.

And so what is he doing all through here? He's praising the Lord. Now look what happens. Sometimes we ask God for things or ask Him for direction of our life, and we want to be blessed and we want the Lord to do in our lives and do for us what we think, "God, if you don't do it, it's not going to happen."

God is so good and so loving and so kind and so gracious. Paul said it this way in Ephesians, he said in this third chapter: "I want you to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up in all the knowledge of God. Now unto Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be glory and praise."

You know what happened as a result of Nehemiah's responsibility here and his faithfulness to God? Well, look at it if you will. Look if you will in the eighth chapter. Because here's where Ezra also gets in on the scene. He's a scribe. The scripture says in the eighth chapter, now, of course, the walls are built, the gates are built, and they're protected and now what happens? What happens is they begin to worship God.

Verse four: "And Ezra the scribe stood at a wooden podium which they had made for the purpose." That's where we get the whole idea of pulpits and podiums and so forth, it's scriptural. He stood there. And what happens? And beside him stood all of these folks. Verse five: "And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was standing above all the people." That's why they put preachers up here. We didn't decide this.

"And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was standing above all the people, and when he opened it, all the people stood up. Then Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God. And all the people answered, 'Amen, Amen,' while lifting up their hands. Then they bowed low and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground."

What did they do? They gave praise and glory and honor to God. And the rest of this book speaks of their praise and their glory and their honor to Almighty God. It doesn't make any difference what your vocation is. It doesn't make any difference what God's called you to do.

If you and I live obediently before Him with His purpose in mind, prayerfully walking in faith, trusting Him, obediently before Him, willing to cooperate in the spirit of humility, understanding that pain is going to be a part of our life, being industrious and diligent in the things that God has called us to do, giving Him the praise and the glory and the honor, there will be progress in our life. There will be accomplishments in our life.

And you know what? God will accomplish in your life far more than you expect. He says far more than you expect. And I do believe it's more than we expect, more than we deserve, and far more, far more than you and I could ever do among ourselves. The good hand of God, the favorable hand of God, willing to be poured out upon His children.

But if a person has no sense of purpose, they pray only in emergencies, they're not trusting God and they're lazy, they're not committed to being obedient to Him, they complain when difficulty and hardship hits them, and their life is like a capsule—they play lone ranger, they want to do it all themselves—then, my friend, listen.

I'll tell you something else about the favorable hand of God. It isn't half-full. The favorable hand of God is full of the best of God's blessings that fit you and me at that moment in our life, and it will fit us again the next time He pours them out. And the truth is that you and I can live under the favorable hand of God. It is a choice that we make if we're willing to make the right choices in life.

Where does it all begin? It begins with the first most important decision a person can make in their life. That decision is a spiritual decision. It is a life-changing decision. It is a decision that has eternal consequences and will make an awesome impact in your life. That is the decision to trust the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal savior.

It is the decision to recognize that God is your Creator. It is the decision to recognize that He has the right to rule and reign in your life. It is the decision to recognize that sin has separated you between you and your God. It is the decision to receive by faith Jesus as your savior, recognizing His death at Calvary as payment for your sin, acknowledging Him as your savior, your Lord, and your master. That's the first step.

And the moment you do that, something will happen in your life. Sins are forgiven, you become a child of God. Then God's favorable hand that's been shut up because you've lived in rebellion toward God is suddenly full, ready to be poured out in your life so that you too can say, "The favorable hand of God was upon me."

Father, we thank You that You make it simple and plain for us. That in our rebellion, in our indifference, in our frustration, our anxieties, our fears, we so often stymie and hinder the pouring out of Your best blessings toward us. So I want to pray that everyone who hears this message may examine his or her life. That those who are unsaved may trust Jesus Christ as their savior and position themselves then to be allowed to receive and to believe and to experience Your wonderful love.

I pray for every believer to examine their heart in the light of these characteristics of Nehemiah. That all of us may be walking as Your children, continually experiencing the good favor of our God. For we ask it in Jesus' name, Amen.

Guest (Male): Experiencing God’s favor begins with receiving Jesus Christ as your savior because in doing so, you’re adopted into God’s family. Then cultivate the characteristics that you heard about today on In Touch and pray for the willingness to receive whatever God has in store for you. To develop a heart that seeks God in response to Him, check out our resources at intouch.org and click over to Today On Radio to listen to this message again.

And order a copy of Dr. Stanley’s complete message, "The Favorable Hand of the Lord," visit our online bookstore. Find that and more at intouch.org. Or call or text us. The number is 1-800-INTOUCH. And write to us; address your letter to: In Touch, P.O. Box 7900, Atlanta, Georgia, 30357. Again, our phone number, 1-800-INTOUCH. There are many ideas about who the Holy Spirit is and His role in our lives. Today’s Moment with Charles Stanley provides some focus. It’s coming up.

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Guest (Male): ...and some time and attention, you can be a patient example, a generous leader, a joyful provider. In his book, *Man of God*, Dr. Charles Stanley looks at what it takes to grow into a man after God's own heart. Order your copy at intouch.org or 1-800-INTOUCH.

Guest (Male): You’re listening to In Touch. It’s important for us to understand the role of the Holy Spirit. With insight for believers, here’s a moment with Charles Stanley.

Dr. Charles Stanley: It’s very important because people who do not understand that find themselves heading in one of two directions. First of all, they totally ignore the Holy Spirit. Secondly, there are excesses and misunderstandings about why God sent Him. God sent the Holy Spirit through His Son, Jesus Christ. Remember Jesus said, "If I go away, I’ll not leave you comfortless," and He said if you recall, "I will send the Helper. He’ll be in you, with you, and upon you."

Very important we understand that in order to live a godly life, it must be the work of the Spirit in us. Secondly, in order to carry out the mission God has called us—each of us—with, it’s the work of the Holy Spirit. And thirdly, oftentimes people talk about getting the Spirit. And the truth is, it’s not so much I get the Spirit because when we were saved, the Holy Spirit sealed us at that moment as a child of God forever.

And likewise, the scripture says if you do not have the Spirit of God, you are none of His. So every single believer is indwelt by the Holy Spirit upon salvation so that He can use us, work through us, live through us the life of the Lord Jesus Christ. The truth is, no one who is saved is without the Spirit. And so there's all kind of misunderstandings about the Spirit which the Bible is very, very clear about.

Guest (Male): To learn more about the Holy Spirit, stop by intouch.org. Did you have a fresh understanding as you listened to this program today? Tell us what you learned. Coming up on In Touch: What do you do if you’re a believer and you’re feeling condemned? Read the first verse of Romans chapter eight and find encouragement when you join us next time for In Touch, the teaching ministry of Dr. Charles Stanley. This program is a presentation of In Touch Ministries, Atlanta, Georgia, and remains on the station through the grace of God and your faithful prayers and gifts.