"As for God, His way is perfect. The Lord's way is flawless. He shields all who take refuge in Him." Psalm 18:30. "Standing on the promises that cannot fail, When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail, By the living Word of God I shall prevail, Standing on the promises of God." Gospel hymn. "All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness." 2 Timothy 3:16. "Nothing has happened to you that is a surprise to God. God will still get you to where you are supposed to be." (Pinterest)
Sometimes we need to just to get to the real. We would like to think that we are all that; self sufficient, pulled ourselves up by our own bootstraps, etc. But, alas our bootstraps are just useless pieces of leather or cloth without God giving us the strength to even get up. "As you do not know the path of the wind...So you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things." Ecclesiastes 11:5. Not that I ever forget, but I like many others can use a reminder that there is a creator who loves His creation and is there to love and guide his creation. We can find His promises in His word. "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful." Hebrews 10:23. "If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot disown himself." 2 Timothy 2:13.
I may have shared that I am a part of a book club. We read best sellers in all genres and give our critique. At this time, we are reading "The Harbinger" The Ancient Mystery That Holds The Secret of America's Future by Jonathan Cahn. This is a good read. In a nutshell, it describes how America's journey is tied to God's plans for our country and how America has taken a turn from the path of righteouness and blessings and has decided that God's leadership is optional. Needless to say, there are consequences. "A two-and-a-half thousand year old mystery behind what's happening in the twenty-first century from politics to the economy to foreign affairs." "The Harbinger." Get the book! This book inspired me to read deeper into God's word to examine whether I am "standing on the promises or just sitting on the premises." God's promises are something He always keeps. "No, I will not break my covenant; I will not take back one word of what I said." Psalm 89:34. I could shout right here! Hallelujah!! Only God can say this and keep His word.
Let me explain, I am a person of faith (this is no secret). I know this, but I am about to make it plain. Just professing to be a person of faith is not enough. You have to live it out. We cannot live an "every man for himself and God for all lifestyle and lay claim to the promises in God's word. As I began reading "The Harbinger, I was reminded of a time in our country when we revered God and considered ourselves blessed because we honored God and endeavored to love Him and keep His commandments. And yes, we were indeed blessed and was respected as one of the most powerful and blessed nations in the world. We acknowledged openly that God was the source of our blessings. Then something happened. We began to believe in our strength and in the power of our might. We started to act as though we did not need God anymore. He was no longer welcome in the public square. He was kicked out of schools all together. Laws were made to replace God's word; wrong became right in the name of tolerance. I do not need to tell you where we are now. Look around. "It's a sign of a nation that once knew God, but then fell away....and now given warning and the call to return." Page 49, The Harbinger. Let me hasten to add, God stilll loves his creation. He created us in His image. In His promises, we have the opportunity to reconcile.
Standing on the promises means taking God at His word and living accordingly. Sittng on the premises means pretending that you do not know the difference and living accordingly. I got news for you, ignorance does not give you a free pass. Ask those who have committed crimes and claimed to not know they had broken the law. They were sentenced anyway. Ignorance of the law is no excuse. So it is with God's word. This topic may be a little preachy, but I believe we need to examine and accept that we are accountable to God, our creator. I did not make this up. It's recorded in God's word. We can run from the truth, but cannot hide from it. The sooner we make peace with the truth, the sooner we return to peace with one another and with God. "God wants us to live condemnation free (Romans 8:1) by taking full advantage of His endless supply of forgiving, restoring, encouraging, and empowering grace." Article by Jon Bloom.
You might be thinking that all this has nothing to do with God's promises and how we live today. But, you would be wrong in your thinking. It is precisely because of His promises that we are able to live a life of love and peace and blessings. Let's take a quick look at some of God's promises: The promise of eternal life, the promise of guidance, the promise of victory, the promise of answered prayer, the promise of wisdom, the promise of peace, the promise of God's presence, the promise of forgiveness; to name a few. One pastor puts it this way: "A promise is the assurance that God gives to His people so they walk by faith...while they wait for Him to work." Knowing that God is with us in all we do, empowers us to be the best that we can be.
Some of God's promises are conditional, meaning that we must do our part (obey God) to receive the benefit of the promise. We cannot live as though God does not exist and expect that we are in line to receive God's promises. At the very basic, we must desire to know and desire to do what pleases God, and understand how much He loves us and wants to bless us. He has not left us to our own devices, he has shown us in His word. "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you." Psalm 32:8.
God has shared with us the two greatest commandments: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: "Love your neighbor as yourself." Matthew 22:37-39. We know where to start. Are we there? This is a question that only you and I can answer for ourselves. If you have not made a move in any direction, then you are "sitting on the premises." Get serious. All that God requires of us is embedded in these two greatest commandments. I implore you to stand up and be blessed. You and I were not created to go it alone, meaning God created us to need Him and each other. You will discover or re-discover the love, joy and fulfillment that has been missing just by embracing and living out these commandments. It goes without saying that our world would be a better place. Start now.
Pray to get in the right frame of mind, and to get your heart ready to be a recipient of God's promises. Start reading His word, the Holy Bible, today. There is great wisdom to live by in His word, it is also where you will learn of God's promises.
Take an inventory of your life. Be honest about where you are. Perhaps you are doing all you can to be a success in life, but something is missing. Maybe you have overlooked the role of the creator in your life. We have been blessed with so much that we can forget where these blessings originate. Trust Him, His promises are sure and your life will improve when you live in line with His promises. I bear witness.
Practice gratitude. A heart of gratitude rejoices before God. A heart of gratitude is humble in praise (Psalm 51:17) A grateful heartfelt praise to God (Psalm 9:1, 111:1, 138:1). A heart of gratitude always recollects the past of what God has done. Remember to give thanks in all things. It is what God desires of us.
Live a life of service. Endeavor to show the love of God to all you encounter. In this way, you show your love of God and your desire to be a blessing to your "neighbor" in keeping with God's commandments. Pray for yourself and others continually and strive each day to grow in your faith. You are a light that reflects the goodness of God. Never forget that.
Remember, there are seasons to life and God's promises speak of this. Some of these seasons can be difficult, but His promise to never leave or forsake us will get us through. Study the word. Stand on it.
The only way to live your best life is to live it according to God's design. Every day in every way we ought to be a living example of love and light, accepting that it was not by our hand that we exist. It was/is an all powerful, loving creator who made us in His image to love Him and to care for and love one another. Try as we might, we cannot run away from His design without facing some dire consequences. Not because of God, but because usually our own actions bring unwanted misery into our lives. That notwithstanding, God is still there to guide, heal and forgive. Our world is now seeing the results of trying to marginalize God; lost. Hope springs eternal, for He sent His Son into the world to seek and save the lost. For this, for us, Jesus died. That's love. John 3:16.
God keeps His promises. Search His word and you will know that His promises are sure. You will be inspired to stand on them as they were designed to lovingly enhance your life.
May God continue to bless you as you go forward in this journey we call life. The best is yet to come!
Yours, Yvette
Thank you for your continued support. I remain truly appreciative. You can comment at vttlane@gmail.com. Your comments have truly blessed me. Thank you again.