Did you know there are over 7,000 promises from God in the Bible? Paul tells us in his second letter to the Corinthians, “no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God” (2 Corinthians 1:20 NIV). This means we can count on God to keep every promise He’s made. Some promises require something from us. If we don’t hold up our end of the bargain, then God doesn’t have to do what He said.
When we don’t do what we need to do for the promises of God to be actualized in our lives, we have a tendency to blame God. This is why, if you ever think, even a little bit, that God might not be holding up His end, you need to read the Bible and see what it really says. God cannot lie, and He will always do what He says He’s going to do.
Often we rely upon the promises of God without knowing what they are or what we need to do to be able to receive them. Frankly, before the Lord brought it to my attention today, I had no idea there were over 7,000 promises of His in the Bible. However, now that I know, I’m going to keep my eyes open for them when I read it. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to miss out. What’s worse than not knowing God’s promises is thinking we know them when we don’t.
Most importantly, we need to know that God’s promises, for the most part, are only for Christians. The gift of eternal life, for example, is only for those who call on the name of the Lord.
If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
Romans 10:9 (NIV)
You can’t go through life thinking you’re going to Heaven when you die if you haven’t done what you need to do.
- Declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord.”
- Believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead.
If you don’t do those two things, then you’re not going to Heaven. That’s a promise from God. This promise from God is the foundation upon which all of His other promises for the Believer are built upon.
If we don’t read the Bible, it’s hard for us to understand our part in God’s promises. When someone quotes Scripture inaccurately or incompletely we don’t know the difference.
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
James 4:7 (NIV)
I often hear people saying all we have to do is resist the devil, and he’ll flee from us. That’s wrong. We need to first submit ourselves to God and then, the devil will flee from us.
Another popular promise of God people talk about is healing the land.
If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
2 Chronicles 7:14 (NIV)
There are five things the Christian needs to do for this promise to be fulfilled.
- Be a Christian.
- Humble yourself.
- Pray.
- Seek God’s face.
- Turn from your wicked ways.
Being humble is a big deal. If we’re not humble, then we’re in trouble. We know “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble” (1 Peter 5:5 NIV). Our prayers are largely in vain when we don’t go to God in humility. Furthermore, when we seek God’s face, we need to do so with all of our hearts and souls (Deuteronomy 4:29). Otherwise, we’re not going to find it. Finally, I can’t imagine how we’d be able to turn from sin if we’re not humble. These are just the things to do for God to heal the land!
I like peace. Who doesn’t?
You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.
Isaiah 26:3 (NIV)
We often talk about the peace that passes all human understanding. However, to be kept in perfect peace we need to do a couple of things.
- Keep our minds steadfast on the Lord.
- Trust God.
How about faith? We know that God gives to each person a measure of faith (Romans 12:3). How does God determine how much faith any one person gets?
Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.
Romans 10:17 (NIV)
Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
Hebrews 11:1 (NIV)
We get faith by hearing the message about Christ. When we read or listen to the Bible, we’re hearing about Christ. In addition, when we listen to sermons and hear the word preached about Christ, we’re hearing about Him. Doesn’t it make sense then, if we don’t read the Bible, listen to sermons, or go to church, that we’re not going to have much in the way of faith?
When we have faith, and when we exercise it and see it actualized, then we get a little more faith. We use faith when we believe God. When He comes through, our faith increases. Sometimes this means stepping out into the unknown. It always means trusting God.
Wisdom is important. Solomon asked for wisdom from God to lead the Israelites well, and God gave him wisdom, grace, and riches.
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.
James 1:5 (NIV)
In this promise, we see that we need to ask God if we lack wisdom, and He’ll give it to us generously without finding fault. However, there’s more to it.
But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.
James 1:6 (NIV)
There’s no point in asking God for wisdom if we don’t believe He can deliver. Even worse, we shouldn’t be asking God for wisdom if we’re seeking wisdom from everywhere else at the same time! God isn’t a person who we can “feel out” to get His opinion on something so we can go and do something else.
All of us want to prosper and be blessed. However, how can we prosper and see the blessings of God in our lives?
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, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. 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.
Psalm 1:1-3 (NIV)
If we do what the Psalmist says here, then we will be blessed, and we will prosper. However, if we do things the way the world does and delight in the ways of the world, instead of the ways of God, we’re not going to be blessed, nor will we prosper.
We need to realize that our walk with God is anything but passive. We run into problems when we treat God like a casual acquaintance. Today, we’ve briefly covered some of the promises of God that require us to do something to see them fulfilled. Fortunately, the faithfulness of God isn’t based on our faithfulness, so there’s a lot He does in His mercy and grace. If we want to live a victorious life in Christ, we ought to be doing the best we can to make sure we’re holding up our end, so we can get to know Him better, and see all of His promises fulfilled in our lives.
Do you know God? God knows you, and He loves you. He sees you as significant because you are. No one is insignificant to Him. He’s with you today, right now, and He wants you to know Him. Jesus died for your sins and mine so we could be free of guilt, be freed from death, and live eternally with Him. Eternal salvation is just a prayer away.
Pray this prayer with me to accept the gift of salvation today:
Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior. Amen.
If you prayed that prayer, then congratulations! You are on the first step of a brand new life. Allow me to be the first to welcome you to my family, the family of God. There are abundant resources available online for new Christians. You can visit here for more information on what to do next. You can also leave me a comment, and I’ll do my best to help you on the next step of this incredible journey.
Four-Calendar Café 