As God often does, He began dealing with me about the year ahead several months in advance. Last fall,
He spoke to my spirit in an unmistakable way, telling me that 2025 would be a year of double grace and
double favor. My purpose in this letter is to explain what that means, and how you can expect it to be
helpful to you and to those you serve.
In its simplest terms, grace is God giving us what we do not deserve and cannot earn. The understanding, of course, is that we will receive good things, since we serve a good God.
The ultimate benefit of God’s grace is salvation being extended to us because of the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross. Titus 2:11 says, “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men….”
However, grace is not limited to only salvation from sin, as incredible as that is. We see God’s grace in every normal and natural action of our bodies, such as breathing, or the operation of our physical senses, such as sight and hearing. If it was not for God’s grace, we would not be able to function at all.
This brings up a question: if that measure of God’s grace, which appears to be limitless, is available to everyone, what could double grace possibly mean?
Before I answer that question, I will move on to a related concept, which is favor. Favor involves having approval, support, or being liked. Favor is the intangible factor that causes people to say yes to you when they should say no. It is what makes people like you who should not like you, or have no natural reason to favor you. Regarding God’s favor, it is having approval, support, or being liked by the God of the universe. When you have His favor, it really doesn’t matter who doesn’t like you.
We know we have God’s favor, since Psalm 5:12 says, “For You, Lord, will bless the righteous; You surround him with favor like a shield.” We are inundated with God’s grace. We are surrounded by His favor. What could double grace and double favor possibly mean?
Here is an illustration, from the words of Jesus Himself, in Matthew 25:14-30: “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling into a far country, who called his own servants and entrusted his goods to them. To one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to every man according to his ability. And immediately he took his journey. He who had received the five talents went and traded with them and made another five talents. So also, he who had received two gained another two. But he who had received one went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money.
“After a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. He who had received five talents came and brought the other five talents, saying, ‘Master, you entrusted to me five talents. Look, I have gained five talents more.’
“His master said to him, ‘Well done, you good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things. I will make you ruler over many things. Enter the joy of your master.’
“He who had received two talents also came and said, ‘Master, you entrusted me with two talents. See, I have gained two more talents besides them.’
“Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Master, I knew that you are a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not winnow. So I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’
“His master answered, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not winnowed. Then you ought to have given my money to the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest.
“ ‘So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents. For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from him who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away. And throw the unprofitable servant into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’”
The issue in this parable is not how much the master gave the servants at the beginning of the story. The Bible clearly says that the master distributed talents to the servants according to their ability. The master was not unrighteous in giving them different amounts. He made them responsible for different amounts because he understood their capacity for success. Each of them had potential. Each of them had opportunity. Each of them had resources. What they did after that was their own responsibility.
There are those who would say that the man who had only one talent would have had success if he had only started with more. That is false. That man could have done the same things that led to the other servants’ success, but he decided to do things differently. Rather than stepping out in faith, he allowed fear to dominate him. Instead of using his “talents,” he hid them. It wouldn’t have mattered if he had a hundred talents—he would have hid them all. He made no gains and received no rewards. In fact, the opposite happened to him. He was called wicked, slothful, and unprofitable.
On the other hand, the two other servants used the “talents” they had to make even more. They were rewarded by three things. First, they gained more by using what they had. Next, they were promised even more responsibility in their lord’s domain. Finally, they brought joy to their master by their wise use of the resources he had given them. This resulted in increase, not only for their master, but for themselves personally.
Grace and favor were available to all three servants. The two who used their talents to increase their master’s holdings received rewards. They were called good and faithful servants. They were the recipients of double grace and double favor.
Here is the key: God, in His sovereignty, has made resources available to all of us in His kingdom. As with the servants in this story, we all have potential, and opportunity, and the capacity for increase. Grace and favor are available in abundant supply. What we do with what God has already provided will determine just how much we can achieve and how far we can go. In 2025, I believe there is someone who is going to find out just how much that involves. This is a year of double grace and double favor for all those who will use what God has given them for the increase of His kingdom!
If there was a year when you dared to dream, this is the year. Now is the time for you to set out in pursuit of the goal God has planted in your heart. This is the season for whatever good thing God wants to give you to double.
Yours for the Harvest,
Dr. Rod Parsley
Founder & General Overseer
In its simplest terms, grace is God giving us what we do not deserve and cannot earn. The understanding, of course, is that we will receive good things, since we serve a good God.
The ultimate benefit of God’s grace is salvation being extended to us because of the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross. Titus 2:11 says, “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men….”
However, grace is not limited to only salvation from sin, as incredible as that is. We see God’s grace in every normal and natural action of our bodies, such as breathing, or the operation of our physical senses, such as sight and hearing. If it was not for God’s grace, we would not be able to function at all.
This brings up a question: if that measure of God’s grace, which appears to be limitless, is available to everyone, what could double grace possibly mean?
Before I answer that question, I will move on to a related concept, which is favor. Favor involves having approval, support, or being liked. Favor is the intangible factor that causes people to say yes to you when they should say no. It is what makes people like you who should not like you, or have no natural reason to favor you. Regarding God’s favor, it is having approval, support, or being liked by the God of the universe. When you have His favor, it really doesn’t matter who doesn’t like you.
We know we have God’s favor, since Psalm 5:12 says, “For You, Lord, will bless the righteous; You surround him with favor like a shield.” We are inundated with God’s grace. We are surrounded by His favor. What could double grace and double favor possibly mean?
Here is an illustration, from the words of Jesus Himself, in Matthew 25:14-30: “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling into a far country, who called his own servants and entrusted his goods to them. To one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to every man according to his ability. And immediately he took his journey. He who had received the five talents went and traded with them and made another five talents. So also, he who had received two gained another two. But he who had received one went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money.
“After a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. He who had received five talents came and brought the other five talents, saying, ‘Master, you entrusted to me five talents. Look, I have gained five talents more.’
“His master said to him, ‘Well done, you good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things. I will make you ruler over many things. Enter the joy of your master.’
“He who had received two talents also came and said, ‘Master, you entrusted me with two talents. See, I have gained two more talents besides them.’
“Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Master, I knew that you are a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not winnow. So I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’
“His master answered, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not winnowed. Then you ought to have given my money to the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest.
“ ‘So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents. For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from him who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away. And throw the unprofitable servant into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’”
The issue in this parable is not how much the master gave the servants at the beginning of the story. The Bible clearly says that the master distributed talents to the servants according to their ability. The master was not unrighteous in giving them different amounts. He made them responsible for different amounts because he understood their capacity for success. Each of them had potential. Each of them had opportunity. Each of them had resources. What they did after that was their own responsibility.
There are those who would say that the man who had only one talent would have had success if he had only started with more. That is false. That man could have done the same things that led to the other servants’ success, but he decided to do things differently. Rather than stepping out in faith, he allowed fear to dominate him. Instead of using his “talents,” he hid them. It wouldn’t have mattered if he had a hundred talents—he would have hid them all. He made no gains and received no rewards. In fact, the opposite happened to him. He was called wicked, slothful, and unprofitable.
On the other hand, the two other servants used the “talents” they had to make even more. They were rewarded by three things. First, they gained more by using what they had. Next, they were promised even more responsibility in their lord’s domain. Finally, they brought joy to their master by their wise use of the resources he had given them. This resulted in increase, not only for their master, but for themselves personally.
Grace and favor were available to all three servants. The two who used their talents to increase their master’s holdings received rewards. They were called good and faithful servants. They were the recipients of double grace and double favor.
Here is the key: God, in His sovereignty, has made resources available to all of us in His kingdom. As with the servants in this story, we all have potential, and opportunity, and the capacity for increase. Grace and favor are available in abundant supply. What we do with what God has already provided will determine just how much we can achieve and how far we can go. In 2025, I believe there is someone who is going to find out just how much that involves. This is a year of double grace and double favor for all those who will use what God has given them for the increase of His kingdom!
If there was a year when you dared to dream, this is the year. Now is the time for you to set out in pursuit of the goal God has planted in your heart. This is the season for whatever good thing God wants to give you to double.
Yours for the Harvest,
Dr. Rod Parsley
Founder & General Overseer