PROMISES

 

PROMISES STILL KEPT

When the sun went down . . . there appeared a smoking oven and a burning torch that passed between those pieces. —Genesis 15:17

In the ancient Near East a treaty between a superior (a lord or king) and an inferior (his subjects) was called a suzerain treaty. The ratification ceremony required animals to be sacrificed and cut in half. The animal parts were then arranged in two rows on the ground, forming an aisle between them. As the suzerain walked between the halves, he was publicly declaring he would keep the covenant and would become like the slain animals if he failed to keep his word.

When Abram asked God how he could be sure His promises would come to pass, God used the culturally significant symbolism of the suzerain treaty to affirm His promises (Gen. 15). When the burning torch passed through the pieces of the sacrifice, Abram understood that God was declaring it was His job to keep the covenant.

God’s covenant with Abram and His assurance of its completion extends to followers of Christ. That is why Paul repeatedly refers to believers as sons of Abraham in his New Testament writings (Rom. 4:11-18; Gal. 3:29). Once we accept Jesus Christ as Savior, God becomes the keeper in our covenant of faith (see John 10:28-29).

Because God is the keeper of our salvation, with renewed confidence in Him we trust Him with our lives.

He will never fail us, He will not forsake;
His eternal covenant He will never break.
Onward then, and fear not, children of the day;
For His Word shall never, never pass away.
Our salvation is secure because God does the holding

THE FATHER'S HEART :

But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. – Luke 15:20

How much love do you have for sinners?

That may sound like a strange question, but it's one I want you to think about today. All too often, once we get saved and get our lives cleaned up a little bit, we lose our compassion for those who are still lost. We look at the drunk stumbling down the street or the guy at the office who lies to the boss and tells dirty jokes and turn up our spiritual noses.

But if we ever truly understood the heart of our heavenly Father, we'd never do that again. Jesus told a story that can give us a glimpse of that heart. It's the story we call the prodigal son.

You've probably heard it many times, how the son rebelled and dishonored his father, and how the father, in spite of it all, received him home with joy when he repented. But there's one phrase in it I want to draw your attention to today. It's this one: "But when [the prodigal son] was yet a great way off, his father saw him."

That phrase gives such a moving glimpse of the heart of that loving father. It tells us that even before his boy had repented, even during those long days when he was up to his eyebrows in sin, that father was watching for him, longing for him to come home.

Every morning he scanned the horizon, hoping to see the silhouette of his returning son. And the last thing every night, he'd look again... straining his eyes in hope. His son was constantly on his mind, and his heart was always full of love for him. The kind of gut-wrenching love that, on the day his son came home, drove that father to run to him and kiss him.

That's the kind of heart our heavenly Father has for those who are lost. It's the kind of heart He had for you while you were still wandering in the world. It's the kind of heart that embraced you with open arms even when you were still covered with the grime of sin.

There's a whole world full of weary people out there who haven't yet found that embrace. They're more than just "sinners," they're our potential brothers...lost ones in desperate need of a loving heavenly Father. God forbid we should ever turn up our noses at them. May He help us instead to start bringing them home.

ENTER DOUBT, EXIT FAITH :

Matthew 14:30, "But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me."

The reason Peter began to sink was because of his fear. In verse 31 Jesus used the word "doubt" in reference to Peter's fear. Fear is simply negative faith or faith in reverse. Where did this fear come from? Second Timothy 1:7 says, "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power and of love, and of a sound mind." It didn't come from God. This fear was able to come upon Peter because he took his attention off of Jesus and put it on his situation.

Fear or doubt cannot "just overcome" us. We have to let it in. If Peter had kept his attention on Jesus, the author and finisher of his faith (Heb. 12:2), he wouldn't have feared. In the same way that faith comes by hearing the Word of God (Rom. 10:17), fear comes by hearing or seeing something contrary to God's Word. We would not be tempted with fear or doubt if we didn't consider things that Satan uses to minister fear and doubt. The wind and waves didn't really have anything to do with Peter walking on the water.

He couldn't have walked on the water apart from Jesus even if it had been calm. The circumstances simply took Peter's attention off of his Master and led him back into carnal thinking. Likewise, Satan tries to distract us with thinking about our problems.

Peter's faith didn't fail him all at once, as can be seen by the fact that he only "began" to sink. If there had been no faith present, he would have sunk all at once and not gradually. This illustrates that the entrance of fear and the exit of faith do not happen instantly. There are always signs that this is happening. If we will turn our attention back to Jesus, as Peter did, He will save us from drowning. No problem is too big for God. We should cast our care about the problem over on God and just keep our eyes on Jesus, the Word.

DON’T OVERRIDE THE ALARMS :

The Lord will keep you from all harm — he will watch over your life. - Psalm 121:7, NIV

Do you ever feel an inner “alarm” going off when you know you shouldn’t be doing something? As soon as we feel that uneasiness, we need to stop and evaluate what’s going on. Too often, people override that feeling thinking they’ll sort it out later, but then they have to deal with things that God could have saved them from.

The time to respond is the time when you sense the alarm. You may be in the middle of a conversation and the alarm goes off. You know you’re supposed to walk away. Don’t ignore it. Or, you’re about to purchase something. You’re about to make some plans and you feel that check, that uneasiness, that alarm. That’s not random. That’s God talking to you. Pull back and see what God is saying.

If you will learn to listen, God can keep you from trouble. He can keep you from danger. Don’t ignore it and make life more difficult; instead, quickly obey. Follow His leading. Don’t override the alarms so you can partake of the blessing, favor and protection that God has prepared for you.

REMEMBER

“It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63).

Words are not just noise; they are spirit. When you speak certain words, you are literally creating things that will come to pass in your life.

And we were made to rule in life through Jesus Christ

Romans 15:17 17    Therefore I have reason to glory in Christ Jesus in the things which pertain to God. 18 For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ has not accomplished through me, in word and deed, to make the Gentiles obedient ---19 in mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God, so that from Jerusalem and round about to Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.

When the Israelites were bitten by serpents in the wilderness, God told Moses to put a bronze serpent on a pole—a picture of Jesus judged on the cross for us (see Jn 3:14). Those who beheld the serpent on the pole lived (see Num 21:9), while those who focused on their wounds died.

Today, look to the cross and see Jesus bearing every sickness and pain for you. Expect your healing to manifest and your body to be made completely whole!

When Jesus performed the miracle in the account of the multiplication of the five loaves and two fish (John 6:1–14), He did not focus on the limited supply in His hands or the great number of people waiting to be fed. Instead, He looked up to heaven—to the unlimited supply of His Father God.

Do the same today. See the Father’s over-supplying grace meeting your practical needs with 12 baskets full of leftovers. See your little become exceedingly much.

God's ears are attentive to the prayers that are offered to Him. When you seek God in prayer and invite Him into your situation, He will go to work on your behalf to do what needs to be done. Whether it relates to government, those in authority, current events that affect people on a global scale or your personal situation, you have the right to employ God's supernatural power.

“The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe” (Proverbs 18:10).

In trouble, Call on the name of the Lord! His name conceals you from harm and shelters you from evil.

PRAYER FOR THE DAY :

“In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before You and wait in expectation.” (Psalm 5:3)

Dear Lord God, I praise You. I honor You. I thank You God for another beautiful day. Let Your unfailing love come upon me and make me more valuable in Your hand. I humbly pray for Your kingdom come and Your Will be done in me as it is in heaven for I am Your chosen servant and wonderfully made child. Bless me O God, remember me with favor for all I have done in Your name.

Gratefully, in Jesus’ holy name. Amen !!!

 

Fair Use Notice: There is some copyrighted material on this site, the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in an effort to our efforts to advance understanding of serious issues. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit for educational purposes.