1 Corinthians 1: 20-22 NIV
20 For 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. 21 Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, 22 set his seal of ownership on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
Do you guys know the song “You Fight On” by James Pinckney?
It goes like this...
“You fight on, oh, you fight on,
You fight on, oh, you fight on,
Keep your sword, in your hand,
you fight on!”
In this song, I want to bring our attention to the word ‘sword’ in the song. I believe the song is referring to the word ‘sword’ to the Word of God which holds so many promises from God that were made to us. While we’re fighting on or persevering for God, we must hold on to His promises that He made to us. However, there are some principles that we need to understand when it comes to the promises of God.
#1 The Promises of God Come with a PROCESS
God promised the Children of Israel that He would take them to their promised Land, Canaan. They were to take possession of the land God had promised their forefathers (Abraham), a land “flowing with milk and honey” (Exodus 3:8). But due to their unbelief and disobedience, they had to go through the wilderness for 40 years although it should have taken them a few weeks to get through it. But several of them did not
make it. They did not believe that God could help them, and the people as a whole were persuaded that it was not possible to take the land despite God providing for them. A lot of them died off as they wandered through the wilderness and never made it to the promise land.
Now, what about you? What happens if you abort the process that God has for you? God couldn’t entrust the Israelites with Canaan because their hearts and minds were in the wrong place. Plus it wasn’t for Him. They were worshipping pagan Gods and soon after the Israelites left Egypt, they complained that they did not have enough food. They said it would be better to be slaves in Egypt than to starve in the wilderness (Exodus 16:1-3).
In your own “wilderness”, it’s important to stay with God and remember His promises for you. Will your faith be challenged? Absolutely! Will you have discouraging moments? Of course! Will you be at times frustrated and overwhelmed? Oh yes! BUT STILL, you must endure and remain in God. Remember, “a promise is a promise” and God will be faithful to you even when you’re faithless to Him. Apostle Paul understood the significance of the wilderness that he had to endure. Check out Romans 8: 18 (but read the whole chapter because it’s so encouraging), Paul said “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” Whatever you are doing in this time, in this moment, CANNOT be compared to what God has in store for you. Trust the process that God has for you. Allow Him to prune you, to groom you, to discipline you, to correct you, to love you, to edify you, to cultivate you.
#2 The Promises of God Come with Transformation
Whew! Oh what a change that Lord is doing in us!
How can God give us or entrust us with His treasures or His promises if our heart isn’t right? If our mind isn’t focused or concerned about Him, If we are still entertaining the things of this world AND try to please God…If we’re not in the right posture in God? According to Matthew 9:17 NLT Jesus said “And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the old skins would burst from the pressure, spilling the wine and ruining the skins. New wine is stored in new wineskins so that both are preserved.”
Take a moment to reflect and be honest with yourself: Could you handle everything that God has promised to you right now? This might include your responsibilities, the people around you such as family, colleagues, and even those who oppose you, as well as your abilities and level of success. You finally got the promotion you desired, but you cannot handle it because you fail to commit to allow God to transform your character. Are you capable of being a responsible steward or manager who understands the weight of the responsibility that comes with it? It’s imperative that we allow God to transform and cleanse us to prepare for what’s to come. Otherwise, we run the risk of mismanaging, destroying, or corrupting the gifts that God has bestowed upon us.
#3 The Promises of God Come with Warfare
During times of war, the enemy will try to discourage you and make you doubt that God’s Promise will come true for you. He may use people, situations, dreams, or anything to distract you from God by filling you with fear, doubt, hesitation, and even pleasant distractions (You know the enemy can distract with things you love right?). However, we must remain alert and denounce every deception that the enemy tries to throw at us. Instead, we must declare the Word of the Lord or God’s Promises over our lives and fight on. We must hold on to His Promises and not let go!
Pray This Prayer:
Lord, I thank You that You are the God of the impossible. You can do anything. I want to trust in Your ability and not my own. Teach me to see difficulties in my life from Your perspective. Help me to focus on You and Your power. Help me to believe in a good report and focused on You even in hard circumstances (Numbers 14:7-9). My responsibility is to carefully read, trust, and obey Your Word. Today I bring before You this difficulty in my life (Name a hard situation you are right now facing). Help me not to fear but to trust You in this situation. I declare my faith in Your ability to fulfill Your promises to me. You will fight for me and win the battles in my life. You are mighty, powerful, righteous and true.
I have nothing to fear with You on my side. I will be strong and courageous. I will not be terrified or discouraged, for the Lord my God will be with me wherever I go (Joshua 1:9). You will never leave me or forsake me (Joshua 1:5). I do not need to figure everything out. You already know the best plan for my life. I will not try any man-made method to do only what You can do. Show me Your supernatural power. Teach me how to walk in faith. Please teach me how to pray breakthrough prayers. I choose to have faith in Your ability to breakthrough every obstacle in my life. You will give me the land and every place where my feet step (Joshua 1:3).
“Through you we push back our enemies; through your name we trample our foes. I do not trust in my bow, my sword does not bring me victory; but you give us victory over our enemies, you put our adversaries to shame. In God we make our boast all day long, and we will praise your name forever. Selah” (Psalm 44:5-8).
“Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay. You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand” (Psalm 16:5-11). In Jesus name, amen.”
Citation
Przybylski, D. (2018, July 30). A Prayer for Trusting in God's Ability. Cross Walk. Retrieved September 7, 2023, from https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/prayer/a-prayer-for-trusting-in-god-s-ability.html
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