Category: God’s Promises

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Success In Life

Yesterday I shared with you about our great inheritance. I hope you are able to understand how amazing this is.

With most inheritances the person making the bequest has to die to put the will into effect. Our heavenly Father has always been and forever will be, He will not die, so how does the inheritance come in to being.

Through Jesus.

Yes, Jesus came to earth, lived as a man and then died an earthly death so that we would be heirs and joint-heirs with Him to all the Father has promised. In fact, just hours before His death Jesus took the Passover supper with His disciples and he said to them:

“Jesus picked up a cup of wine and gave thanks to God. He gave it to his disciples, and they all drank some. 24  Then he said, “This is my blood, which is poured out for many people, and with it God makes his agreement. ” Mark 14:23-24 CEV

It was Christ’s blood, His death, that enacted the last will and testament and made us heirs. This is why it’s so important that we don’t treat the communion service as ritual or religious tradition.

God’s word is the testament that sets forth all the specifics of our inheritance. To fully understand and appreciate what we’ve been given we need to read it and apply it.

” Christ says ‘Yes’ to all of God’s promises. That’s why we have Christ to say ‘Amen’ for us to the glory of God. 21 And so God makes it possible for you and us to stand firmly together with Christ. God is also the one who chose us 22 and put his Spirit in our hearts to show that we belong only to him.” II Corinthians 1:20-22 ERV

I have learned from applying God’s word in the small areas of my life that He is more than capable of handling those larger issues that seem to be completely out of control. When Christ was here on earth He proved that all of God’s promises are true; He lived in the faithfulness of His father. And because He lived by the Word of God in victory so can we.

  “Jesus answered, “The Scriptures say: ‘No one can live only on food. People need every word that God has spoken.’” Matthew 4:4 CEV

God didn’t make empty promises, nor did He make them unattainable. He desires for us to be victorious and so He has given us His promises because He loves us and wants our lives to be abundantly blessed.

Enjoy the promises that God has for you today. They are yes and amen to those who love God.

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History Is Important

Yesterday was a celebration of our history. I saw some beautiful images of firework displays around the country. An explosive end to the birth day of our great nation.

Remembering who we are and where we came from is important. Remembering the names of the men and women who fought and died as a part of history is crucial. The battles fought, the victories won, the defeats they overcame all have significance.

History is important to the Lord also.

All through the Old Testament the nation of Israel was told to remind their children of how the Lord delivered them from Egypt and brought them to the promised land. They were also taught to remember the patriarchs of the faith – Abraham, Isaac and Jacob – who were the ones that saw the Lord prosper them with lands and livestock, riches and prominence.

Israel was taught to remember the God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob. The Lord didn’t want this people to forget that He had made promises to them. History is important and especially the history that God puts forth in Scripture.

As a society, we seem to think we have evolved; we’re wiser, more sophisticated, more educated than the early founding fathers of our nation. “We hold these truths to be self-evident” aren’t just ancient words on a page, they are the foundation of our society and need to be revered.

There are also some who think the simple truths of God’s word aren’t applicable anymore but that is also incorrect. That’s the same line of thinking that caused Adam and Eve to disobey God. “You don’t need to obey what God said because He knows if you eat of the tree you will be just as smart as He is”, you know how to make decisions for yourself.

God’s word is God’s word, whether it’s the begats or the chronology, the Laws given to children of Israel, the warnings of the prophets or the letters in red spoken by Jesus. It’s God’s word!

It’s truth and should be the basis and foundation of our daily living. We shouldn’t let traditions from the past, the ideas of current society or even the teachings of religion distract and divert us from standing strong on the Word of God.

Paul gave this instruction to Timothy.

“All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching the faith and correcting error, for re-setting the direction of a man’s life and training him in good living. The scriptures are the comprehensive equipment of the man of God and fit him fully for all branches of his work.” II Timothy 3:16-17 Phillips

ALL Scripture – not just some, we don’t get to pick and choose but all Scripture will make us fully equipped for life!

History is a teacher, guiding us, instructing us, protecting us from making costly mistakes. We have a history from the beginning of time of God’s faithfulness, mercy, love and protection. Let’s never forget all He has done!

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A Morning Prayer

So often as I read through Scripture, I find prayers that seem to be offered in the morning. For me, that’s the best way to start the day – in prayer!

Today, I found one that I don’t remember reading before.

“But Lord, be merciful to us,
    for we have waited for you.
Be our strong arm each day (morning)*
    and our salvation in times of trouble.
3 The enemy runs at the sound of your voice.
    When you stand up, the nations flee!
4 Just as caterpillars and locusts strip the fields and vines,
    so the fallen army of Assyria will be stripped!

5 Though the Lord is very great and lives in heaven,
    he will make Jerusalem his home of justice and righteousness.
6 In that day he will be your sure foundation,
    providing a rich store of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge.
    The fear of the Lord will be your treasure.” Isaiah 33:2-6 NLT

*(day is translated morning in many other versions)

“Make us strong each morning, and come to save us when we are in trouble.” Is. 33:2 CEV

How many mornings do I wake up knowing I need strength for the day? More than I care to count.

Some days it’s physical strength and others it’s mental or emotional strength that I know I need.

This prayer paints an interesting word picture for us.

When the Lord speaks on our behalf our enemies run at the sound of His voice. Like caterpillars and locust strip a field the Lord strips the power and authority of those who try to cause us harm.

Amazing!

Have you ever seen the blight that locust cause to a field or the destruction that a hungry caterpillar makes in a garden? Locust strip every leaf from the stalk and caterpillars eat so many holes in the plant that they are unproductive.

Now imagine our Father, the Lord of hosts, sending out that kind of destruction against our enemy, the devil, with His words.

“In that day he will be your sure foundation, providing a rich store of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge. The fear of the Lord will be your treasure.” Isaiah 33:6

In what day? In that day, the day the Lord lifts his voice against those things that are harassing and intimidating us, we will be on a sure foundation that provides us with salvation, wisdom and knowledge. Our commitment to the Lord will be our treasure.

It’s faith in God’s word that brings us victory, the victory that overcomes the world.

I think this would be a good prayer to start each morning, how about you?

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Needing Water?

Living in the desert I have learned to be observant of the cacti. They stress when they go too long without rain. Prickly Pear start to droop. Even the giant saguaros become thinner.

Heat! Dry heat!

Everything now is waiting for the summer monsoons to come so that they are refreshed. It’s amazing what a little water does to restore life in the desert.

Those of you in the mid-West and the East might have high temperatures but it is also accompanied with high humidity. I’ve been in Iowa when it was 95 degrees with 95% humidity. WOW! That will take your breath away but it’s great for growing corn and soy beans.

Growth requires both warmth and moisture.

We are a lot like that. Have you felt like you were going through a “desert summer” season in life? Everything around you seems to be drying up – scorched, dry, cracked. Is there any relief in sight?

There is!

“I am your Creator. You were in my care even before you were born. Israel, don’t be terrified. You are my chosen servant, my very favorite. 3 I will bless the thirsty land by sending streams of water; I will bless your descendants by giving them my Spirit. 4 They will spring up like grass or like willow trees near flowing streams. 5 They will worship me and become my people. They will write my name on the back of their hands. 6 I am the Lord All-Powerful, the first and the last, the one and only God. Israel, I have rescued you! I am your King.” Isaiah 44:2-6 CEV

Jesus made this comment:

“Those who are hungry and thirsty to be right with God are happy, because they will be filled.” Matthew 5:6 NLV

When we are thirsty for the Father and all of His goodness, we will be filled, just like the desert landscape that drinks in the moisture after a rain. We are refreshed and we blossom.

“Happy is the man who does not walk in the way sinful men tell him to, or stand in the path of sinners, or sit with those who laugh at the truth. 2 But he finds joy in the Law of the Lord and thinks about His Law day and night. 3 This man is like a tree planted by rivers of water, which gives its fruit at the right time and its leaf never dries up. Whatever he does will work out well for him.” Psalm 1:1-3 NLV

It’s amazing how often we can find references to dryness and be refreshed in Scripture if we look for it.

“He lets me rest in fields of green grass. He leads me beside the quiet waters.” Psalm 23:2 NLV

If you’re feeling dry and thirsty today ask the Lord to refresh you with the Living Water that only He can give!

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Sack Lunch vs Banquet

Several years ago Dave and I had an interesting experience at a local Mexican restaurant.

Just after we arrived a family came in and sat at the next table. As they sat their waiting for the waitress to bring their drinks I noticed the one little girl had brought in a sack from Wendy’s. As her parents ordered and enjoyed their chips and salsa, the little girl reached into the sack and took out her Frosty, fries and burger. I thought, how cute!

But now the life lesson.

“Jesus said to him, ‘A man gave a big dinner. He invited many people. 17 When it was time to eat, he sent his servant to tell the guests, ‘Come. The food is ready.’ 18 But all the guests said they could not come. Each one made an excuse…’

21 “So the servant returned and told his master what happened. The master was angry. He said, ‘Hurry! Go into the streets and alleys of the town. Bring me the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.’

22 “Later, the servant said to him, ‘Master, I did what you told me to do, but we still have places for more people.’ 23 The master said to the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and country roads. Tell the people there to come. I want my house to be full!” Luke 14:16-23 ERV

The Father wants to lavish on us the things He has prepared for us.

So many times we come to the Father’s table with our own provision – Abraham and Sarah had God’s promise for a son but they made their own provision and Ishmael was born. Not a good thing…

We have allowed the tradition of religion to tell us that we can’t or shouldn’t expect God to bless us or to provide – excuses – we aren’t worthy or “God helps those who help themselves” and the focus gets placed on us and not on Him. We begin thinking like the prodigal son who said “the servants in my father’s house are eating well, I’ll just go be a servant”. But our Father doesn’t want servants, He wants sons!

He wants us to experience the joy of our salvation – the great and precious promises that He has provided for us through the death of His son!

“Praise the Lord, O my soul. And all that is within me, praise His holy name. 2 Praise the Lord, O my soul. And forget none of His acts of kindness. 3 He forgives all my sins. He heals all my diseases. 4 He saves my life from the grave. He crowns me with loving-kindness and pity. 5 He fills my years with good things and I am made young again like the eagle… 8 The Lord is full of loving-pity and kindness. He is slow to anger and has much loving-kindness.” Psalm 103:1-8 NLV

Maybe this life lesson was just for me. Maybe you’ve never come to the Father’s table with provisions of your own making but if you have, let me encourage you to drop your sack lunch in the receptacle at the door and come eat freely at the table the Father has prepared for you.

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Let It Be

Reading through the Scriptures this morning I paused in several different places, reading and re-reading the verses, then saying “Lord, let it be as Your word says”.

You remember the words of the Beatles song – let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be, speaking words of wisdom, let it be. There is no other place that we should go for wisdom than to the word of God.

Let it be!

In light of all we hear and see these verses are so pertinent.

“Let the peace that Christ gives control your thinking. It is for peace that you were chosen to be together in one body. And always be thankful. 16 Let the teaching of Christ live inside you richly. Use all wisdom to teach and counsel each other. Sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 Everything you say and everything you do should be done for Jesus your Lord. And in all you do, give thanks to God the Father through Jesus.” Colossians 3:15-17 ERV

Peace in Christ should rule our thinking.

Thankfulness should always be in our hearts.

The Word of God should live richly within us.

Everything we do and say should bring honor to the Father.

The Father has placed these things within us – peace, thankfulness, His promises. There is one more verse I would like to add to these.

“Let your light shine in front of men. Then they will see the good things you do and will honor your Father Who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16 NLV

We should be a shining light for all to see.

I can’t help but think that the light Jesus was referring to was the peace, joy, thankfulness and the promise we have from the Father. In all these things we are a conduit from the Father to those around us. When they see these good things, our Father will receive honor.

Say with me, “Lord, let it be”!

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Long Life & Honor

The more I thought about how to title this morning’s blog the more it sounded like something from Star Trek, “Live long and prosper”.

It made me wonder, how many seasoned saints heard Leonard Nimoy make that statement in the 1960’s and said “that sure sounds like Scripture”?

I am not a Trekkie. In fact, I’ve probably only seen a half dozen episodes of the original series and none of the movies or subsequent spinoffs. However, that theme is worth pondering.

I actually found it twice this morning in the book of Proverbs.

“By humility and the fear of the Lord Are riches and honor and life.” Proverbs 22:4 NKJV

“He who follows righteousness and mercy Finds life, righteousness, and honor.” Proverbs 21:21 NKJV

These two verses, repeated as close together as they are, give us instruction for daily life. Life goals, as it were. Most of us want to prosper in this life but prosperity can mean different things to different people. To some it means great wealth and to others it means a life filled with joy and peace.

Jesus repeated Solomon’s teaching when He said to His disciples:

“The robber comes only to steal and to kill and to destroy. I came so they might have life, a great full life.” John 10:10 NLV

Early in our marriage I had my own definition of prosperity. I told David I would know we were prosperous when I could go to the grocery store without a calculator and be able to pay for the items in my cart. That may seem very simplistic, and it is but going from not having enough to having a full cart and the money to pay for it was prosperity. It still is!

“The Lord is my Shepherd. I will have everything I need.” Psalm 23:1 NLV

“ And my God will give you everything you need because of His great riches in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19 NLV

Getting to know the Father and His character, understanding the example that Jesus set for us and following the leading of the Holy Spirit bring us to a place of confidence in the promises of God.

“The Helper (Holy Spirit) will tell about Me when He comes. I will send Him to you from the Father. He is the Spirit of Truth and comes from the Father. ” John 15:26 NLV

So, the question comes. How do we live long and prosper? We humble ourselves, trusting God’s wisdom more than we do our own, and let Him direct our steps.

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Under the Circumstances

Too many times people become overwhelmed by the circumstances that surround them. I remember once I taught a ladies Bible Study on “Are You Under the Circumstances or A World Overcomer?”

This was a six week study so suffice it to say that I won’t be doing the full teaching here…

The enemy tries to get us to focus on the circumstances. Daniel had to face lions, David went up against a giant, Peter was in a small boat on a stormy sea, Paul was shipwrecked, beaten, bitten by a poisonous snake, stoned and imprisoned.

However, I continually find myself going back to these verses and principles, putting myself in remembrance of what God says my life should be. The Father wants us to look up, above the circumstances, to His promises, power and peace.

“I have told you these things so that you can have peace in me. In this world you will have troubles. But be brave! I have defeated the world!” John 16:33 ERV

“You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” I John 4:4 NKJV

“Every child of God can defeat the world, and our faith is what gives us this victory. 5 No one can defeat the world without having faith in Jesus as the Son of God.” I John 5:4-5 CEV

So when you are feeling overwhelmed or under the circumstances do what King David said.

“God, hear my cry for help. Listen to my prayer. 2 From a faraway land I call to you for help. I feel so weak and helpless! Carry me to a high rock where no one can reach me. 3 You are my place of safety, a strong tower that protects me from my enemies.” Psalm 61:1-3 ERV

I can almost hear someone say, “that’s fine and good for you but my lifestyle isn’t close to God. He probably doesn’t want anything to do with me and wouldn’t help me if I asked.”

Let me remind you of a young man who felt that way about his father. He had squandered his money – lived with prostitutes, gamblers and didn’t care about anyone but himself. Then when he got to the bottom, he thought he would try to go home and work as a hired hand.

The Father had other plans. He saw his son coming from a long way, ran to him, hugged and kissed him and restored him to right standing. And so, He WILL do it for you too.

Don’t be overwhelmed by the world instead overcome it in Jesus!

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Not Hearers – Doers

The other day I was watching a show on television. The mother had given her son a chore that needed to be done. Quite a while later the mother noticed it still wasn’t done so she repeated the instruction.

The son answered, “I heard you the first time, I’ll get around to it”.

Oh my!

That attitude is so pervasive in our society, infecting adults as well as teens. “I’ll get around to it”. It’s not a new issue, the apostle James dealt with it in the first century with the Christians of his day.

“17 Everything good comes from God. Every perfect gift is from him. These good gifts come down from the Father who made all the lights in the sky. But God never changes like the shadows from those lights. He is always the same. 18 God decided to give us life through the true message he sent to us. He wanted us to be the most important of all that he created.

19 My dear brothers and sisters, always be more willing to listen than to speak. Keep control of your anger. 20 Anger does not help you live the way God wants. 21 So get rid of everything evil in your lives—every kind of wrong you do. Be humble and accept God’s teaching that is planted in your hearts. This teaching can save you.

22 Do what God’s teaching says; don’t just listen and do nothing. When you only sit and listen, you are fooling yourselves. 23 Hearing God’s teaching and doing nothing is like looking at your face in the mirror 24 and doing nothing about what you saw. You go away and immediately forget how bad you looked. 25 But when you look into God’s perfect law that sets people free, pay attention to it. If you do what it says, you will have God’s blessing. Never just listen to his teaching and forget what you heard.

26 You might think you are a very religious person. But if your tongue is out of control, you are fooling yourself. Your careless talk makes your offerings to God worthless. 27 The worship that God wants is this: caring for orphans or widows who need help and keeping yourself free from the world’s evil influence. This is the kind of worship that God accepts as pure and good.” James 1:17-27 ERV

This morning blog isn’t meant to be a thought that will inspire or encourage; it’s about DOING what we have already been taught. We should never stop learning, never stop receiving good teaching but it’s imperative that we LIVE what we hear.

What is one thing that you know the Lord wants you to do and you’ve been putting it off? For me it’s the instruction in verse 19 above. Be a better listener and slower to speak.

That’s part of the Heart to Heart Connection I was talking about yesterday. Listening to others, listening to the Lord.

Be a ready listener and then follow through and be a doer!

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Words Matter!

Do you remember the old saying, “My word is my bond”?

People used to give value to what they say, to the words they used. Words had importance, value and meaning and now it seems it has just become so much noise.

To God, words are important. With His words He framed the world and all that is in it. “And God said, light be and there was light”.

When God promised Abraham a son, we’re told that Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness. David wrote the longest chapter in the Bible, Psalm 119, about God’s word and the importance of it.

“Young people can live a clean life by obeying your word. 10 I worship you with all my heart.
Don’t let me walk away from your commands. 11 I treasure your word above all else; it keeps me from sinning against you.” Psalm 119:9-11 CEV

Jesus was referred to as the Word. What He said had value and power! People were healed when he spoke a word; his words cursed a fig tree and caused it to die from the roots up; they turned the water into wine and raised the dead.

Jesus told the Pharisees in Matthew 12 that out of the abundance or fullness of their hearts, the mouth speaks and that by their words they would be justified or condemned. He went on to say that they would be judged for every idle word that came from their mouths.

The Pharisees had been plotting against Jesus earlier in this chapter and even went so far as to say that the works Jesus was doing were of the devil. They were trying to stir up the people against Jesus using their words and Jesus wanted them to know that their words would come back to judge them.

King Solomon, the wisest man to ever live, wrote these words. “Your words can be as satisfying as fruit, as pleasing as the food that fills your stomach. 21 The tongue can speak words that bring life or death. Those who love to talk must be ready to accept what it brings.” Proverbs 18:20-21 CEV

So today, let our words bring life. Life to us and our situations, life to our mate & children, life to our colleagues, words of life, peace, health, prosperity and salvation.

“People cannot see their own mistakes, so don’t let me commit secret sins. 13 Don’t let me do what I know is wrong. Don’t let sin control me. If you help me, I can be pure and free from sin 14 May my words and thoughts please you. LORD, you are my Rock—the one who rescues me.” Psalm 19:12-14 CEV

God’s word has changed my life. I want my words to change the lives of others.

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