GOD’S PROMISES FOR US
“God never made a promise that was too good to be true.”
TEXT: Jeremiah 29 vs..11, ” For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
- 1. INTRODUCTION.
A promise is a declaration or assurance that one will do something or that a particular thing will happen. It is a declaration that one will do something or refrain from doing something specified. It is a legally binding declaration that gives the person to whom it is made a right to expect or to claim the performance or forbearance of a specified act.
God’s promise is given to those who willfully commit their lives to obey Him. For believers today, God’s promises still apply to those who place their faith in Christ Jesus.
God’s word is filled with promises from our Creator to provide and deliver. The scripture is the ultimate source of truth and God is faithful to fulfill all His promises. Right from the time, He met Abraham and later Isaac his son, Jacob, He made a lot of promises to them which He fulfilled. His word is yes and amen .2 Corinthians 1:20.
“For all the promises of God in Him is Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.”
God’s word can never fall on the ground without fulfilling its promises.1 Samuel 3; 19 says “And Samuel grew, and the lord was with him and there did not fall one of His words to the ground.”
We should know that God is absolutely reliable when it comes to fulfilling His promises. His word is His bond. God cannot lie, His word must surely come to pass. Titus 1:2 says
” In hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began”.
2. GOD’S PROMISES COULD EITHER BE POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE
God’s promises could be, either way, it could be positive or negative. God promised us eternal life. Eternity could either be in heaven or hell. There is eternal life in heaven for those who live righteously, and eternal condemnation in hellfire for those who live in sin.
John 3:16 says:
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
2 Corinthians 1:8-9 says
8. ”In flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power.
3. GOD’S UNCONDITIONAL PROMISES
God’s promises could be unconditional. This means He will do what He has promised to do without attaching any condition to it. A typical example is after the great flood that destroyed man during Noah’s era, God made a promise that He will not destroy man with a flood again whether man disobey Him or not. This unconditional promise is fulfilled this day, that no matter how heavy we may experience rainfall in any part of the world, there can never be a flood that will destroy the entire humanity. This promise is sealed with a Rainbow sign. https://www.forthowardcc.com/blog/post/the-rainbow-covenant-
“Thus I establish my covenant with you: Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood; never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth. And God said: “This is the sign of the covenant which I make between me and you, and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: I set my rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth”. Genesis 9:11-13.
https://arocha.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/article_gods-covenant.pdf
4. GOD’S CONDITIONAL PROMISES.
Sometimes God’s promises could come with the condition “.If” is a conditional statement. If you obey my word, if you obey my commandment, you will receive my blessings. If you disobey my commandment, curses will follow you.
2 And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you because you obey the voice of the LORD your God:
3. Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country.
4 Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, the produce of your ground and the increase of your herds, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks.
5. Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.
6. Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.
7. The LORD will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face; they shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways.
8. The LORD will command the blessing on you in your storehouses and in all to which you set your hand, and He will bless you in the land which the LORD your God is giving you.
9. The LORD will establish you as a holy people to Himself, just as He has sworn to you if you keep the commandments of the LORD your God and walk in His ways.
10. Then all peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they shall be afraid of you.
11. And the LORD will grant you plenty of goods, in the fruit of your body, in the increase of your livestock, and in the produce of your ground, in the land of which the LORD swore to your fathers to give you.
12. The LORD will open to you His good treasure, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your hand. You shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow.
13. And the LORD will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath, if you heed the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you today, and are careful to observe them.
14. So you shall not turn aside from any of the words which I command you this day, to the right or the left, to go after other gods to serve them.
Failure to be obedient to God’s command attracts His curses. (Deuteronomy 28:15).
5. WHY SHOULD WE RELY ON GOD’S PROMISES TO US?
- A. BECAUSE OF THE NATURE OF GOD
One reason we can stand on God’s promises is because of the nature of God. It is the nature of God that made His promises trustworthy, something sure to stand on. An attribute of God which He does not share with us is called immutability. This God’s attribute means that God is unchanging in His character, will, and promises, therefore we can have absolute confidence in God’s reliability to make good on His promises because of His unchanging character.
Mathew 24:35 says “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.”
B. BECAUSE OF THE NATURE OF GOD’S WORD
The nature of God’s word is based on the character of God, In other words, since God is faithful, His word is reliable.
God’s word is permanent, established, and settled.
(Psalms 119:89 says “Forever, O LORD, Your word is settled in heaven”
God’s word is powerful (Hebrew 1:3, 11:3)
God’s word is pure, providing truth (Proverb 30; 5)
God’s word is perpetual, remaining forever. (Psalms 119:89)
God’s word is perfect (psalms 19:7).
6. GOD’S PROMISES TO US
1. God promises to strengthen us.
2. God promises to give us rest.
3. God promises to answer our prayers.
4. God promises to take care of all our needs.
5. God promises to work everything out for our good.
6. God promises to be with us.
7. God promises to protect us.
8. God promises to give us freedom from sin.
7. GOD REMINDS US DAILY
1. I am your strength.
2. I will never leave you.
3. I have a plan to prosper you.
4. I will fight for you.
5. I will give you peace.
6. I will always love you.
6. HOW TO ACTIVATE GOD’S PROMISES IN OUR LIVES
God’s blessings and promises are not automatic in our lives. We don’t just wake up and begin to see His promises in our lives. We have a role to play. There are certain things we must do for these promises to become real in our lives.
Some of the steps to follow include.
A. PRAYING ON THE PROMISES OF GOD
We need to be strong on our knees in order to claim and receive God’s promises. We are expected to talk to God in prayer concerning His promises. Jeremiah 33:3 says
‘Call to me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.”.
Personalizing God’s promises to make His promises yours is doing the needful. Prayer is the key. John 14:13 says
“And whatever you ask in my name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”
We are expected to ask, seek and knock so that we can receive His promises.
B. STANDING ON THE PROMISES OF GOD
To be standing on God’s promises means, we will not bow down or give in or be persuaded to do anything contrary to God’s will. Standing on God’s promises is not only to have complete assurance in their fulfillment but to live one‘s life in faithful service to the one who made those promises. God has already fulfilled the promises He made to us in the past and will continue to fulfill His promises today and in the future.
Hebrew 1:3 says”
who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.
C. AVOID SIN. If you want to receive God’s promises, avoid sin. Sin could be a very big hindrance for you not to receive His promises and blessings. Sin is a cankerworm that can eat the fabrics of our hearts and soul. The scripture says that the hand of God is not short nor His ear deaf, but sin has brought a demarcation between us and God. (Isaiah 59:1).
D.TRUST IN GOD’S PROMISES
Joshua 21: says “Not a word failed of any good thing which the LORD had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass”.
God cannot lie, His word must surely come to pass, therefore there is a need to trust His promises… “Trust” is the keyword. Since we rest assured that God will do what He says He will do, then we will keep our trust in Him and not in man. Putting our trust in Him is being obedient to His word, it means having confidence in Him and in His promises. It means to serve Him faithfully, it means living a life that pleases Him. Trust and obey, for there is no other way to be happy in Jesus.
E. CLAIM HIS PROMISES BY FAITH
To Claim is to believe God in His promises by faith, declaring it every day in your life, believing it, and applying it in your life. Live a life of faith every day; speak faith, have faith, and act faith. Let God’s promises become real in your life.
PRAYER POINTS
1. Thank you Lord for your faithfulness because your word says faithful is He who calls us and faithful is he who will fulfill His promises.
2. Thank you Lord for all your unfailing promises over my life.
3. Father please my eyes are on you, fulfill all your promises in my life in Jesus’s name.
4. Father, let your anointing for the greater glory and manifestation of your power in my life as you promised us to come into fulfillment in my life.
5. Psalms 138:8 says, “The LORD will perfect that which concerns me; your mercy, O LORD, endures forever; Do not forsake the works of your hands. Father, let this promise become real in my life.
6. “And now, oh lord, confirm forever, the word that you have spoken concerning your servant and concerning His house and do as you have spoken. Thank you, Lord, for answers to all our prayers
Author — Godson O.
It is always good to hear about God’s promises to us. I always keep in mind that whatever happens to me, God is always going to be with me. Some people believe that God doesn’t let bad things happen to them, but bad things do happen. God promises that he will always be with us.
You’re right. No one is promised a trouble-free life. Instead, we’re being promised deliverance, and grace to go through it. Thanks for your great comment.