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Walking in God's Promises
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The Bible is filled with promises made to us. God wants the absolute best for us, and His word makes that plain. However, it is important to keep in mind that there are a few conditions that must be met in order for these promises to take fruition in our lives. Before we dive into the promises of God, let's take a look at the requirements set before us.
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1. We must be born again Christians.
John 3:3 tells us that we must be born again to see the kingdom of God.
"Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again." - John 3:3 (NIV)
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The kingdom of God (also referred to as the kingdom of heaven mainly in the book of Matthew) is the fulfillment of God's will on Earth. We must be born again, believing that Jesus died for our sins and rose on the third day that we might have eternal life. Without this basic requirement being met, we are blocked from seeing the kingdom of God and we hinder our access to everything God has for us.
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2. We must have faith.
The Bible tells us in Hebrews 11:6 that our Christian walk starts with faith and is the foundation of our journey.
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And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. - Hebrews 11:6 (NIV)
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"Impossible" is a strong word, but Paul intentionally used it to describe the essential and most basic task of pleasing God without faith. There's no chance of it happening. Pleasing God, as we'll discuss in the next point, is also an essential aspect of our daily walk with God. Ultimately, we are called to be servants of Christ. This is done by pleasing God which is stated in Galatians 1:10.
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Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ. - Galatians 1:10 (NIV)
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3. We must please God.
Pleasing God comes down to our ability to deny fleshly (sinful) desires and live in accordance to the Spirit. Romans 8:1-11 illustrates the life we have available to us in the Spirit. Once you become a born again Christian, you are made spiritually alive and the Holy Spirit dwells within you as indicated in Romans 8:9.
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You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. - Romans 8:9 (NIV)
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Have you ever felt that there is a war going on inside of you? The urge to do wrong combats with the inclination to do what's right. This is the war between the flesh and the Spirit.
In Galatians 5:16-21, Paul explains this war and encourages us to keep in step with the Spirit (read more on this topic in our lesson War: The Flesh vs. The Spirit). Giving in to those urges to do what's wrong, or fleshly desires, goes against God's word and ultimately displeases God. However, we please God when we choose to do what's right and follow the Spirit. Though this is no easy task, God always provides a way out of doing what's wrong as stated in 1 Corinthians 10:13.
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No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. - 1 Corinthians 10:13 (NIV)
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God won't leave you high and dry. The latter portion of that verse tells us that God will provide a way out. By keeping that in mind and listening for the Spirit's call to do things in accordance with God's word, you can ultimately live in a way that pleases God and further abide in the promises of God.
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4. We must trust God.
It's hard to trust in someone you don't know. It would be highly unlikely to ever see a parent allow someone to babysit their children if they've never had the opportunity to interview or even meet the potential babysitter. To trust God, we must know Him. We may say that we trust God fully, but do we really? Or do we attempt to take matters into our own hands when things don't happen as quickly as we would like them to?
Sadly, this is a downfall that blemishes many of our lives as we strive to live in a way that pleases God. We say that we trust Him, but we often go into debt to get the things we want instead of waiting on Him. We quickly marry the person we think is right for us instead of waiting on God to send us the person He has for us. The list goes on and on.
It's safe to argue that this is one of the most difficult aspects of the Christian walk. Like Peter who called out to Jesus to have him walk on the water, we stand in a miracle for a short time only to be distracted by the wind and the waves of our circumstances that surround us. Taking our eyes off of God causes us to sink. The bulk of our focus should be on the Creator and not the creation.
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In order to fully understand the concept of trusting God, we must first recognize a few key traits of God.
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God's sense of time is much different than ours. Psalm 90:4 says, "A thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night."
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God knows the end from the beginning. He sees the big picture, literally. "Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:" - Isaiah 46:10 (KJV). In other words, God knows everything past, present and future.
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God doesn't change. In Malachi 3:6, God says, "'I the Lord do not change..." Who God is and has always been will never change for all eternity. He is perfect and can therefore get no better or worse.
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God's word cannot fail. Luke 1:37 puts it very plainly: "For no word from God will ever fail.” We can rest assured in the fact that God will make good on His word.
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God knows what we need. As much as we should pray, we should also understand that God knows what we need. Jesus explains in Matthew 6:7-8 that God knows what we need before we even ask Him.
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God is wiser than we can understand. As humans, trying to understand how wise God is would be comparable to a bird attempting to understand the concept of the internet. It lacks the ability to conceive such a complex notion. In the same way, we could never grasp how wise God is. Romans 11:33 says "Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!" He sees things we can't and knows things we can't fathom.
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God loves us. His love for us is so great that He was willing to give up His only Son for us. One of the most resounding scriptures in the Bible attempts to describe how much God loves us. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." - John 3:16.
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There are many other traits of God outside of the ones listed above, but by understanding these traits, we can better trust God. We must understand that we're in good hands when we trust in the One who sees time differently, knows all things, won't change, can't fail, knows what we need, is wise beyond measure, and truly loves us. Doing anything otherwise says that we think we can do a better job than God can. God gives us a choice; we as humans have freewill. He won't force you to trust in Him. But by choosing to do so, you can rest in the promises of God.
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PROMISES
The
of God
We encourage you to read these promises on a daily basis as a form of encouragement. The Bible is filled with many more promises that cover various areas of your life. However, this should certainly serve as a great starting point. They are in no particular order, and you can also use them as you pray. Try reading some of them aloud as part of your daily prayer.
You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out.
He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?
The blessing of the Lord brings wealth,
without painful toil for it.
And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.
“Submit to God and be at peace with him; in this way, prosperity will come to you.”
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
Humility is the fear of the Lord;
its wages are riches and honor and life.
Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
9 Honor the Lord with your wealth,
with the firstfruits of all your crops;
10 then your barns will be filled to overflowing,
and your vats will brim over with new wine.
This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.
The generous will themselves be blessed,
for they share their food with the poor.
Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
10 Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.
29 And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. 30 For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
7 “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,
whose confidence is in him.
8 They will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit.”
1 Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.
24 One person gives freely, yet gains even more;
another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.
25 A generous person will prosper;
whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.
But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.
"Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much."
Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
The plans of the diligent lead to profit
as surely as haste leads to poverty.
Commit to the Lord whatever you do,
and he will establish your plans.
All hard work brings a profit,
but mere talk leads only to poverty.
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.
You will keep in perfect peace
those whose minds are steadfast,
because they trust in you.
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“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
23 The Lord makes firm the steps
of the one who delights in him;
24 though he may stumble, he will not fall,
for the Lord upholds him with his hand.
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."
9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.
9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!"
13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.
9 “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
11 “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for[a] a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.
If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.
23 In that day you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 24 Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.
Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
“Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven."
Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
“‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.”
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21 Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God 22 and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him.