Do you know that God does not get mad at you, ever? Even when you mess up. He’s never disappointed in you.

But how is this possible? God hates sin, right? Yes, He does, but when we are in Jesus, that is who He sees. As born again believers, our short-comings are covered in the blood of Jesus.

The wrath of God towards sin was satisfied by the sacrifice of Jesus. We are made righteous when we believe in Jesus for our salvation. And now, we walk with Him, in His righteousness, with the favor of God shining down on us.

We don’t always FEEL the pleasure of the Father. That doesn’t mean He isn’t pleased with us. Our relationship with God is like a two way street. His side of the street, coming towards you is never blocked, closed or under construction. But our side of the street, going from us to Him is constantly undergoing construction, sometimes jammed with traffic and even completely shut down from time to time. And this kind of road only functions “in fullness” when both sides are clear.

What clears these blockages? It comes down to the area of our souls…which is our mind, will, and emotions. The road gets cleared through the renewing of our minds to God’s Word, inner healing, deliverance, forgiveness and being aware and obedient to the voice of God (to name a few).

When we yield ourselves to the Holy Spirit’s gentle nudges and obey God, that’s when we start to clear that road and begin to actually feel the favor and pleasure of the Father. For instance: when you are feeling angry at someone and want to say something nasty or cutting towards them, but you exercise self-control (a fruit of the Spirit), and, instead, you keep your mouth shut. Later, don’t you feel “proud” of yourself? That’s the pleasure of the Father. You just cleared the way to receive His favor by your obedience to the Word (Be angry and don’t sin) and by yielding to Holy Spirit in you.

Another example: When you wake up in the morning and go straight for your phone, but then “something” makes you think about picking up your Bible. You grab your Bible instead and begin to read a passage of Scripture that speaks directly to whatever you are going through. Do you feel that sense of peace and maybe even a little bit of hope? That’s the pleasure and favor of the Father. Choosing the Word over the world clears a blockage on your side of the road and opens you up to receive His peace, His hope, His love.

One last example: What about when we do actually sin? When we do fall short? Yes, we feel that horrible yuck of condemnation. But do you know that the Bible says that condemnation is not for those who are in Jesus? (Romans 8:1) That gross feeling you have after you sin is not the anger of God. Because you have the Holy Spirit living in you, He lets you know when you are doing stuff that does not line up with who you are in Christ. It’s a call for correction. Not anger, not condemnation. It’s a gentle urging towards repentance. What is repentance? Acknowledging your sin and then turning away from it, purposing in your heart that you will not do it again. Then, surrendering to the Holy Spirit and allowing Him to fortify you for the next time. After repenting, have you ever felt a sense of relief and a “squeaky clean” sensation? That is the pleasure of the Father. Repentance opens up our side of the road!

His love, favor, pleasure is completely complete and constantly flowing toward all times, no mater what.

I think you understand what I’m saying.

Here’s a verse about the favor of God to meditate on today:

“For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous; With favor You will surround him as with a shield.” Psalms‬ ‭5‬:‭12‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Who are “the righteous?” You are!

“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” II Corinthians‬ ‭5‬:‭21‬ ‭NKJV‬‬