Standing Firm On God’s Promises

Psalm 84:11: “No good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.”

The beauty of being covered by the blood of Christ is that once born of His Spirit, we begin to see the world in a whole new way, we begin to perceive things differently. And with this new set of eyes, our value systems begin to change, and our everyday walk begins to change it’s shape. Suddenly the things that used to be pleasurable and fun, the negative things, just don’t seem to be fun anymore. We value the things that God values. And when we begin to live this way, our lives become truly blessed, for God rewards those who seek after Him.

In the Jewish culture, this weekend marks the beginning of a brand New Year. Let us all put on a brand new attitude, one of faith and confidence in the promises of God! Let us remember that our God is a faithful God, who seeks to reward those who love Him above all things. Let us remember that all things work out for good for those who love Him, and are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28).

We are all called to fulfill some purpose while here on earth, and every facet of our lives is part of that kingdom building work! Remember that God always finishes what He started, and be confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus (Phillipians 1:6). And let us always remember that when we seek after the things that are of God– when we focus on His plans for us instead of our plans for us; when we allow Him to have control over our lives and our destinies, He promises to fulfill the desires of our hearts. (Psalm 37:4
Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.)

My friends, the promises of God are sure and they are true. When we make His Word the foundation of our hope and our happiness, when we are standing securely in His Word, then no downturned economy, criminal background, chemical addiction, bad relationship or any other ghost of our past can take us out of the game! Because God’s promises are sure and strong, and they will sustain you even in the roughest times. When I think back over my life in the past ten years, I am grateful that I finally came to understand who God is and how truly powerful He is, and I see now that had I not been standing on His promises specifically in the past three years of my life, I would surely have given up. But when your source of hope comes from God, then there is always hope. And when God is your source of love, then there is always love. And love never fails. God will never fail you. He will never leave you, nor will He forsake you (Joshua 1:5). Remember that above anything else, He loves you so much , that he sent His Son to die in your place so that you can be free to live the life you have today (John 3:16) Jesus entered this world to take on the burden of our sins and the penalty of our sinfulness so that we could share His perfection.

Today, if our hearts are aligned with God, our walk is considered blameless, for there is no condemnation for us because of what Jesus did for us on the cross. He gave his life so that we might truly live. Go boldly knowing that God rewards those who seek after Him. Declare your faith by speaking positive words over yourself, your loved ones, your situations and circumstances.

Pray. Then, Practice

I’m always wary of people who pray “[God], give me (xyz virtue: patience, love, strength, etc.)”. I’m not sure that it is clear that God (or whatever you call Him) is not a magician. That is not to say that He is not capable of granting us anything we truly desire; after all, He is God. He can do whatever He wishes. The thing is, none of us is going to wake up one morning to find ourselves fully perfected. The day that happens is, quite honestly, the day we cease to exist on this plane. We are blessed with days on this earth to practice those things which we sincerely desire for ourselves in order to find that perfection which we seek.

In other words, you’re not going to wake up tomorrow, having prayed “God give me patience”, to find that you are now a completely patient creature (hallelujah, wouldn’t that be awesome?!).

 

Pray for patience.

Then, practice patience.

 

Pray for love.

Then practice love.

 

Pray for understanding.

Then practice understanding.

 

Pray.

Then, practice.

 

Set your thoughts into motion in the direction in which you want yourself to go. Then, set your actions in the same direction. When your thoughts, words and actions are in alignment, miraculous things happen. Once we pray for things like this, the universe opens a way to bring us exactly what we asked for. There will be several opportunities on a daily basis to give us the ability to practice and achieve what we set our minds to. We just need the vision to see it and the strength of will and obedience to follow through.

 

Will we fail sometimes? Yes, and that’s okay!!!

 

Acquiring any new skill is going to take time. Think of it like learning to play the guitar. At first it will be slow, demanding, maybe even a little painful to feel. It will sound awful, dreadful even. But the more you practice, the easier it becomes. and one day you will find that you are the very thing you once wished you were.

Find out what your soul needs. Heed the call. Answer.

Pray, then practice.