Favor with God and Man
There are several profoundly simple yet vitally important questions that we and others have been asking the Lord.
1. What are God’s expectations of us?
2. What are our expectations for this generation?
3. What is the currency of Heaven?
4. How can we capture the attention of God?
These are fair and justifiable Bible questions for which there are anointed and strategic Bible answers.
King Solomon was one of the wisest and most anointed leaders ever to walk the face of the earth, with the single exception of Jesus. God’s Spirit in him outlined a key secret to success as a leader. It is the same one that will meet the Lord’s expectations and position us before Him to be used significantly in His blueprint. He said,
Kindness and truth keep a king, and he hath supported by kindness his throne. Proverbs 20:28 YLT
Kindness and truth are indispensable ingredients necessary in God’s formula to awaken this generation. The Holy Spirit has been punctuating this reality in recent days. If we embody and convey the Lord’s meekness we will also share in His power; if we share in His obedience we will also share is His resurrection.
The Example of Moses
As the leader of Israel, Moses, described in Scripture as the meekest man in the land, stood on the brink of inheriting long awaited promises. Nevertheless, to his credit, he was not satisfied to simply experience God’s promises, he also longed for God’s presence. This clearly implies the unwise ability to walk in our prophetic promises without the Lord’s presence.
Furthermore Moses’ heart was not satisfied with the Lord’s promise and presence, he also desired to see His glory. These should also be our expectations and longings.
As the Lord passed before Moses in His goodness, He declared,
It is the very nature of God to be filled with kindness and truth.
Capturing God’s Attention
On April 28, 1995 I had an instructional dream in which I was allowed to observe one of the prominent leaders of the Latter Rain Revival. In fact, he is the one credited with launching this incredible move of God for that generation.
The Holy Spirit accomplished tremendous things through this humble man. Such notable miracles occurred that many historians believe the demonstration of God’s Spirit through him was the greatest since the early church. Literally millions of people were impacted with the Lord’s salvation, healing and deliverance in his ministry and others the Lord touched through him.
What was it in this man that captured the Lord’s attention? What qualities did he possess that qualified him for this important assignment and provided the currency of Heaven? Those are the questions I had asked prior to having the dream.
As I watched this man speaking in the dream, I noticed something around his neck. It looked as though it was a leather string with a horseshoe shaped emblem attached to it that rested on his chest. Periodically, he would place the perfectly fitted figure in his mouth; it was as though it then became a part of him. When he did, incredible spiritual truth flowed out of him.
In essence, whatever this emblem represented, it allowed him to be God’s mouthpiece on the earth. There are many such individuals who articulate God’s heart for a generation. It is the call of the church to be Heaven’s representation. We are ambassadors for Christ empowered with both anointing and authority to delegate His kingdom.
There are essential qualities we can possess to amplify the level of empowerment that we convey. I intuitively knew the item around his neck symbolized the traits he possessed that provided one of the secrets to his success with God.
I was then given Proverbs 3:3-4 to validate the dream’s spiritual application, stating,
Do not let kindness and truth leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good
repute in the sight of God and man.
It was evident in the dream that the marriage between kindness and truth resident in him provided a platform for God’s anointing to flourish. He somehow shared in the Lord’s nature, allowing him to be entrusted with tremendous spiritual power and authority. This is a currency of Heaven that will capture the Lord’s attention; these attributes provide a forum for favor with both God and mankind.
Kindness and Truth
We are admonished by the spirit of wisdom to never forget kindness and truth. We are to wear them like a necklace around our necks and write them upon the tablet of our hearts. In so doing we will walk in a position of favor before God and man.
Many people have authority with man but very little authority with God. Others have cultivated a vertical relationship with God but with limited avenues with mankind. The unfailing quality of kindness and truth provides both. We can stand in a position of authority with God and with man by cultivating these virtues.
Something that is worn around the neck represents an insignia of great value. We often wear jewelry and other gems of prominent value to display them as tokens of our stature. The qualities of kindness and truth are to the worn around our neck to reflect their importance to us in our spiritual stature.
In ancient times, it was formerly a custom for people to write things that were most sacred to them on pieces of parchment and wear them around their neck as a constant reminder of there personal value.
Furthermore, kindness and truth are to be inscribed upon the tablet of our hearts. The heart of man is a reflection of his core existence. When something has been written upon our heart it transcribes into everything that we do.
They are not the mere intellectual understanding of language or the mechanical repetition of words without regard to their meeting. Instead, they are intrinsic qualities that influence our very existence. All of our words and actions will then be galvanized with kindness and truth.
Understanding Kindness and Truth
Kindness as used in Proverbs 3:3-4 is taken from the Hebrew word checed. It is used 240 times in the Old Testament and is one of the most important in understanding the nature of God. It is often translated “mercy.” It incorporates not only the attribute of kindness and mercy but also compassion and loyalty as part of its fundamental quality.
As someone once said “kindness is free.” The founding father William Penn is credited with saying, “I expect to pass through life but once. If therefore, there be any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do to any fellow being, let me do it now, and not defer or neglect it, as I shall not pass this way again.”
It doesn’t cost to express kindness to an individual. It is an individual choice to pursue the nature of God. Furthermore, it is an essential attribute promised in God’s word that will characterize God’s end-time army. (See 2 Peter 1:4)
The term “truth” comes from the root word emeth conveying the meaning of a true testimony. It also represents the qualities of faithfulness, reliability to one’s word and stability.
Truth is the seal of God. The Spirit of Truth will guide us into all truth and thereby eliminate all forms of deliberate falsehood and hypocrisy.
Adorned in Holy Attire
Kindness and truth are two forms of conduct promoted as essential moral qualities to gain favor before God and man. It is necessary for them to be embraced and cultivated for there to be the fullness of spiritual impartation necessary to carry God’s garments of salvation and power.
The Holy Spirit through the Apostle Peter identifies a heart pleasing to the Lord saying,
Do not let your adornment be merely outward arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God. — 1 Peter 3:3-4
Although this passage was directed primarily to the women of his day, it also reflects the principal of internal adornment that is pleasing to God as opposed to emphasis on our external appearance. We are not merely to be adorned with external beauty but also the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable qualities of a gentle and quiet spirit. These, he tells us, are precious in the sight of God…they are the currency of Heaven.