Monday, June 2, 2014

Promises of God

Adapted from Always True by James McDonald

"The LORD is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed." Deuteronomy 31:8 

A man is only as good as his word… That is a quote I have said to my boys over and over again to try to instill in them the value of fulfilling a promise made.  We are humans and humans have faults but God does not fail at keeping his promises.  He always keeps His word.  Before we can fully embrace the delight of God’s promises, we have to experience the desperateness of our need.  We can only grasp how great and precious God’s promises are when we realize how much we need them.  

There are five promises that God gives us over and over in the Bible.  

The first promises is God is Always With Me ( I Will Not Fear)
Sometimes when going through hard times, it seems like we are as far away from God as we have ever been.  We may feel alone, isolated, angry, but most of all, we may feel scared and fearful.  Fear can steal our peace and hijack our sanity.  The presence of God is the antidote for fear.  You are never alone, even when you feel like you are alone. 

We have a tendency to feel as if God has abandoned us during hard times, but the truth is that He moves towards us and leans in closer than ever before so we can hear His voice.  He stands with you in the fire and he is your closest friend in a world of strangers.  He walks beside you every step of the way.  He is individually and personally caring for you

Not only is Jesus caring for you, He is praying for you.  Hebrews 7:25 says Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.  Jesus lives to intercede for us!  The word intercede includes a sense of pleading.  Jesus is continuously and persuasively presenting you before the Father!  Before you ever kneel down to pour your heart out to God, Jesus has already pleaded for you to His Father on your behalf.  Before you even ask, God already knows your need.  Jesus is our intercessor when we cannot even speak the words – or don’t know what to ask for.  During those times, Jesus has our back.  He knows what we need and He approaches His Father on our behalf.  You can be sure that God listens when His son is praying.

Faith and Fear Go Hand in Hand
God is greater than all our fears. That is worth reading again…God is greater than all our fears. He desires to empower us to dismantle and demolish fear’s strongholds in our lives.

What’s the first thing on our minds or out of our mouths when facing danger? Is it David’s words, “When I am afraid, I will trust in You”? (Psalm 56:3).  

Training our hearts and heads to trust in God is the requirement for fruitful service to His kingdom. When we train our entire being to have faith in God, the giants of this world fade away from our sight because our eyes are fixed on Him. 

One of the greatest treasures of the universe is the promise that God will be with us.  He is our Defender, Helper, Sovereign Lord, and Savior.  He will never leave us or forsake us.  He is right beside us every step of the way and He is at work on our behalf – even if we can’t see it!

Scripture to Claim:
"Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the LORD your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you." Deuteronomy 31:6  

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