God Promises?

Proverbs 3:5-6 is a very well know verse amongst the faith community. Say it out loud as you read it:

⁵ Trust in the Lord with all your heart;

do not depend on your own understanding.

⁶ Seek his will in all you do,

and he will show you which path to take. (ESV)

Proverbs 3:5-6

What and incredible guarantee from the Lord. I heard Pastor James MacDonald from Harvest Bible Chapel teaching on the promises of God. He was discussing the difference between when you and I make a promise and when God makes a promise.

When we promise something to someone, we are essentially saying that we will do everything we can to fulfill the promise that we have made. The problem is, we are subject to changing and often vulnerable circumstances that can interfere with the promise we have made. Sometimes this is a result of our own doing, sometimes it is completely out of our control.

On the other hand; when God makes a promise you can take it to the bank. When God says, "I promise," what he is saying is, "I CAN and I WILL!" That is so comforting!

One thing that we need to recognize about God's promises is, sometimes there are contingencies attached. Other times there are no contingencies and it is important to evaluate God's promises and to observe any attached contingencies to that promise.

When God says through the Apostle Paul in Romans 8:1, "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus," there is no contingence attached to the promise being stated. You could say that, "being in Christ," is the contingency, but the assumption is that you are already in Christ and therefore will not face condemnation!

Lets look at the Proverb promise now starting with the promise that is being made. The promise is that God will "Show you the path!" Some other bible versions read that God will "make your path straight," or "make your road smooth."

That is an incredible promise. Especially when we face turbulent times, difficult decisions or tragic situations. Its nice to know that we have God who promises to make the "Path Straight" for us. Now, lets look at the contingency attached to the promise. You could almost say, "The Lord will make your path straight, if..."

Look at the first part of this passage. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart." So there is starts. What is the first stipulation if God is to make our path known? We must "TRUST" in the Lord with all our hearts. Its one thing to say we trust God. It is a whole other ball of wax to actually exercise that trust with all our being! How often do we say, "I trust God....BUT."

It is God's calling for us to "TRUST HIM," NO BUTS! What does that look like in our lives? It looks like this. "I've lost my job, I Trust God!" "My marriage is a wreck, I Trust God!" We are about to lose our house, I TRUST GOD!" "My kids are driving me nuts, I TRUST GOD!" "I don't have enough time or money to give it to the Lord, I TRUST GOD!" "I am sick, I TRUST GOD!" "I (fill in the blank), I TRUST GOD!" Trust the Lord with all your heart.

Part two of the contingency to this promise is, "do not depend on your own understanding." The minute we become dependent on our own understanding is the minute that we become blind to the fulness and goodness of God's will! See, we are finite creatures and have limitations that our infinite God does not have. God has infinite understanding and zero limitations. Romans 11:34 says, "Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?"

That doesn't imply that we cease to grow in the, "Wisdom and knowledge of God." On the contrary! The Apostle Peter tells us, "Continue to grow in the grace and the knowledge of our Lord, Jesus Christ." We must grow in God's knowledge provided to us through and in His Word! Become dependent on His understanding and dependent on what He has revealed to us through scripture! Always remember, we only see part of the picture, but God sees the whole thing!

Next is one of the most important things we can do as believers in Jesus Christ and as children of God. "Seek His will in all you do." Another version says, "In all your ways, acknowledge Him." Do you do that? I fall short here more than I would like to admit! God calls us to acknowledge Him in EVERYTHING we do and to seek His will...

Similar to the, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart" statement, this can be easier said than done. We must acknowledge God in every aspect of our lives. "I lost my job, I know God has a plan and I know His will is good!" "My marriage is falling apart, I know God cares about my marriage and I will seek His will, not my own, He is in control," "I have been devastated with illness in my life, God is my healer and great physician and in my suffering I will become more dependent on Him every day!" I think you get the idea. In all your ways, "Acknowledge God!"

We have access to an infallible promise from God to have the path in our troubles, our hardships, our trials, our suffering, our confusion and our blindness be made known and smooth. It is important to understand that doesn't mean that the trials won't continue, but it does mean that God will give you wisdom, guidance, power and a peace beyond comprehension in those times.

How truly blessed we are to have such a great God!

One more note: Acknowledging God in all our ways and trusting Him with all our hearts requires a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. God has revealed Himself and His glory through His Son's life, death and resurrection. To deny Christ is to deny God.

"That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. and the For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved." (NIV)

Romans 10:9

MAKE WAR!!!

The following video is a powerful perspective of the battle we fight daily as believers in Jesus Christ... I would encourage you to watch it and spend some time in prayer with the Lord. Where do you need to "MAKE WAR," in your life? Ask the Lord to reveal that to you. Make a list and then prayerfully engage in the battle of a lifetime!!!

Discovering Our Identity In Christ

I am God's child (John 1:12); I have been justified (Romans 5:1); I am Christ's friend (John 15:15); I belong to God (1 Corinthians 6:20); I am a member of Christ's Body (1 Corinthians 12:27); I am assured all things work together for good (Romans 8:28); I have been established, anointed and sealed by God (2 Corinthians 1:21-22); I am confident that God will perfect the work He has begun in me (Philippians 1:6); I am a citizen of heaven (Philippians 3:20); I am hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3); I have not been given a spirit of fear, but of power, love and self-discipline (2 Timothy 1:7); I am born of God and the evil one cannot touch me (1 John 5:18); I am blessed in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing (Ephesians 1:3); I am chosen before the creation of the world (Ephesians 1:4, 11); I am holy and blameless (Ephesians 1:4); I am adopted as his child (Ephesians 1:5); I am given God's glorious grace lavishly and without restriction (Ephesians 1:5,8); I am in Him (Ephesians 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:30); I have redemption (Ephesians 1:8); I am forgiven (Ephesians 1:8; Colossians 1:14); I have purpose (Ephesians 1:9 & 3:11); I have hope (Ephesians 1:12); I am included (Ephesians 1:13); I am sealed with the promised Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13); I am a saint (Ephesians 1:18); I am salt and light of the earth (Matthew 5:13-14); I have been chosen (John 15:1,5); I am a personal witness of Jesus Christ (Acts 1:8); I am God's coworker (2 Corinthians 6:1); I am a minister of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:17-20); I am alive with Christ (Ephesians 2:5); I am raised up with Christ (Ephesians 2:6; Colossians 2:12); I am seated with Christ in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 2:6); I have been shown the incomparable riches of God's grace (Ephesians 2:7); I am a recipient to Gods Kindness (Ephesians 2:7); I am God's workmanship (Ephesians 2:10); I have been brought near to God through Christ's blood (Ephesians 2:13); I have peace (Ephesians 2:14); I have access to the Father (Ephesians 2:18); I am a member of God's household (Ephesians 2:19); I am secure (Ephesians 2:20)I am a holy temple (Ephesians 2:21; 1 Corinthians 6:19); I am a dwelling for the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 2:22); I share in the promise of Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:6); God's power works through me (Ephesians 3:7); I can approach God with freedom and confidence (Ephesians 3:12); I am completed by God (Ephesians 3:19); I can bring glory to God (Ephesians 3:21) I have been called (Ephesians 4:1; 2 Timothy 1:9); I can be humble, gentle, patient and lovingly tolerant of others (Ephesians 4:2); I can mature spiritually (Ephesians 4:15); I can be certain of God's truths and the lifestyle which He has called me to (Ephesians 4:17); I can have a new attitude and a new lifestyle (Ephesians 4:21-32); I can be kind and compassionate to others (Ephesians 4:32); I can forgive others (Ephesians 4:32); I can understand what God's will is (Ephesians 5:17); I can give thanks for everything (Ephesians 5:20); I can be strong (Ephesians 6:10); I have God's power (Ephesians 6:10); I can stand firm in the day of evil (Ephesians 6:13); I am dead to sin (Romans 1:12); I am not alone (Hebrews 13:5); I am growing (Colossians 2:7); I am His disciple (John 13:15); I am prayed for by Jesus Christ (John 17:20-23); I am not in want (Philippians 4:19); I possess the mind of Christ (I Corinthians 2:16) I am promised eternal life (John 6:47); I am victorious (I John 5:4); I am dearly loved (Colossians 3:12) I am blameless (I Corinthians 1:8); I am set free (Romans 8:2; John 8:32); I am crucified with Christ (Galatians 2:20); I am a light in the world (Matthew 5:14); I am more than a conqueror (Romans 8:37) I am part of God's kingdom (Revelation 1:6); I am healed from sin (I Peter 2:24); I am no longer condemned (Romans 8:1, 2); I am not helpless (Philippians 4:13); I am overcoming (I John 4:4); I am persevering (Philippians 3:14); I am protected (John 10:28); I am born again (I Peter 1:23); I am a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17);I am delivered (Colossians 1:13); I am redeemed from the curse of the Law (Galatians 3:13); I am qualified to share in His inheritance (Colossians 1:12); I am victorious (1 Corinthians 15:57)

Pure Joy (JAMES 1:2-3)

In the Book of James in the bible Chapter 1 verse 2 - 3 it says, “2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.” This exhortation has been one of the biggest challenges in my life as a worshiper of Jesus Christ. I have failed time and time again in considering my trials “PURE JOY.” As a matter of fact I have probably failed in doing this most of the time.

One of the reasons that we fail in this area of our walks with Christ is a miss understanding of what this passage means. See, I have often thought that somehow as a believer filled with the spirit of God I should be happy all the time, even when I face trials? So, when I face a trial and I am “NOT HAPPY,” anyway so to speak, I have felt at times like maybe I was doing something wrong in my relationship with God.

The reason for that is because I have associated the word Joy with the word Happy and they are not always the same thing. Jesus himself faced one of the greatest trials in human history when he was crucified on the cross. It’s pretty obvious from what we read about Christ in Gethsemane prior to the crucifixion that what was to come terrified him. He even prayed that God would take that burden He would bare. You could hardly say that Christ was Happy about the trial he was about to go through. I hope to encourage you today by clarifying this scripture a bit!

What is the difference between happiness and joy? Happiness is most often an emotional response that we have when we experience something. It’s a feeling we have. I feel happy or I don’t feel happy. That’s not to say that we can’t at times choose to be happy even when we face trials but, it can be very difficult to “be happy” when we are weary, sick, in mourning or suffering from other various things.

Joy can be experienced as a result of happiness but it is not dependant on happiness. Joy is experienced when faith is practiced and faith can be practiced through and in all things. Joy is understanding that God is in control, that there is hope in all things through Jesus Christ, that when we are weak, He is strong, that our trials will build us up. Joy comes when we praise God in out toughest time knowing that our understanding is fallible but his plan is perfect! Joy comes when we rest in complete submission to God’s will. Again, that doesn’t mean you will FEEL happy, but there is a peace that comes with faith in Christ that surpasses all understanding.

What are the trials you face today? If your like me and my family, we are struggling a great deal financially right now. I don’t suppose any one else out there is? I say that rhetorically of course! You might be mourning the loss of someone. Maybe your out of work, you are sick, in pain, in a broken relationship. What is your trial? What has your response to your trial been? Have you been questioning if God is even there? Have you been losing hope? Have you stooped in such sorrow that you can barely move? Maybe your like me, I struggle with anxiety and depression in a major way and I tend to just shut down. There is a better way, the God way!

I want to encourage you and say, “you can experience “Pure Joy,” in your trial." If you are growing weary in your trial, step out in faith and submit all that you are, even your trials over to Christ. Recognize the things that we talked about as absolute truth; that is: GOD IS IN CONTROL AND HAS NOT ABANDONED YOU! Draw strength from that TRUTH and bow down in worship, in total surrender to God and experience your faith and the peace God offers on a whole new level. You will see God’s work in your life and in the life of others through you in a mighty, powerful, supernatural way!

Isaiah 40:28-31

²⁸ Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God,

the Creator of the ends of the earth.

He does not faint or grow weary;

his understanding is unsearchable.

²⁹He gives power to the faint,

and to him who has no might he increases strength.

³⁰Even youths shall faint and be weary,

and young men shall fall exhausted;

³¹but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength;

they shall mount up with wings like eagles;

they shall run and not be weary;

they shall walk and not faint.