Episode 50

Since covid-19 lockdowns altered my Sunday morning routine, I’ve been attending online services beyond those presented by my home church. This past Sunday, I watched Robert Morris, Senior Pastor of Gateway Church in Texas. I sat up straight with expectation when he mentioned that he’d recently been making “I am” declarations. I’m a big fan of “I am” declarations! The Believe & Speak podcast is all about empowering your tongue with truth by making declarations about our true identity, significance and worth.

Pastor Robert said that one of his “I am” declarations had been “I am highly favored.” He then confessed that he paused after declaring “I am highly favored” to consider if it was actually true. We know from Luke 1:28 that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was highly favored. But can ordinary people like you and me also declare that we are highly favored? Yes! You are highly favored, my friend. I recommend Pastor Robert’s sermon if you need to be convinced. We can know that we are highly favored by God because he said so, and we can hold onto his promises because no word from God will ever fail.

Link to sermon: https://gatewaypeople.com/sermons/highly-favored

Longing to Belong: Discovering the Joy of Acceptance is now available for purchase on Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, Walmart.com, Booksamillion.com and Christianbook.com. It’s also available for download to your Kindle or from the Apple store for your iBooks app. Or visit my website to purchase a copy at shawnamariebryant.com

This week’s scripture: Luke 1:26-38