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Second Peter 1:4 tells us that God has given His precious and
magnificent promises to us. They are now
our own personal possessions. God has lavished these promises on each
person within the body of Christ. We have received these priceless
promises, because as a loving Father, God is good and gracious toward
those who have become His children in Christ.
Christians do tend to neglect these promises. The personal
consequences of such neglect can be severe
especially for believers enduring great trials. The powers of darkness
would love it if we faced them in battle without the power and protection
which these promises provide. With this in mind, allow me to remind you of
the promises of God which are yours in Christ.
These promises are intended to greatly enhance the quality of
our spiritual walk. Believers need to be
reminded to grab hold of these promises. They are to be internalized. They
are to impact our thinking. They are to mold our emotions. They are to
shape our whole attitude toward life. They are to ignite our faith
enabling us to place our utmost confidence in God.
These promises are laden throughout the Scriptures. They
are varied, intricate and numerous. Each is
fashioned by God to deal with whatever spiritual need we have. God's
promises are meant to guide us through each and every trial providence
sends our way.
The promises of God intensify our spiritual insight. They
direct our focus off of our difficult
circumstances and onto the greatness of our loving God. They are set forth
throughout the Scripture to provoke us to consciously entrust our souls to
God. They protect us from the burden and sorrow effacing our troubles on
our own - apart from the Lord's sustaining power and love.
Each of God's promises is a winsome,
beckoning call from a loving God urging us to walk closely with Him, to
trust Him and to find Him to be entirely faithful. God's promises are
great personal treasures which allow us to place our trust in God in very
specific areas.
These promises are so beneficial that the Holy Spirit uses the words
"precious" and "magnificent" to describe their amazing value to the
believer. These promises are incomparably valuable because God is faithful
to respond to each of them. If we lean upon them, He will most certainly
fulfill these promises
and through them bring
His grace into our lives.
For example, in Revelation 3:20 we read: "Behold, I stand at the door and
knock; if anyone hears My voice and
opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with
Me."
Revelation 3:20 is one of the many promises within Scripture which assures
us of God's love and of His desire
to commune with us intimately. In this wonderful promise, God expresses
His longing to fellowship with us closely. This verse depicts God knocking
upon the door of our hearts, so to speak, so that we might
open our hearts and
experience intimate communion with Him.
Is not Revelation 3:20 an amazing promise? Does not this single promise
strongly encourage
you to draw near to God with confidence that He will draw near to you?
[James 4:8] This is just one of the many promises in Scripture which have
been given to God's children.
We have a vast storehouse of spiritual treasures from which we may partake
at any time simply
through the exercise of our faith. Let us not walk as spiritual paupers.
Let us kindle our faith. Let us rely whole-heartedly upon the promises of
God.
Self Evaluation and Application: Evaluate your
walk with God. Are you
walking by faith? How
strong has your trust been in the Lord recently? Have you been leaning
upon God’s precious and magnificent promises or have you been
impoverishing your soul through neglect?
Are you presently suffering in the midst of trials because your faith is
weak and inactive?
If so, take the following steps to kindle your faith in God:
• Search the Scriptures and identify two or
three promises which
specifically relate to
your trial.
• Meditate prayerfully on these promises
throughout the week.
• Watch with confident anticipation as God
demonstrates His steadfast
commitment to respond to
us because we have entrusted
ourselves and our trials to Him in reliance upon the specific
promises of His Word. |
