- Overcomer Literature Trust
- Swindon
- Wiltshire
EVERLASTING PROMISES.
By the Editor
“Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4 v4).
Promises in the Bible are invitations to know God more and to see the fulfilment of Scripture in one’s life. Promises are also a tool in the “good fight of faith” (1 Timothy 6 v12) by which we can withstand the fiery darts of the evil one. They are to be taken as medicine for our souls and meditated upon regularly, for blessed is the one “who meditates on His law day and night” (Psalm 49 v1-2). With this in mind let us consider some of the precious promises that are our inheritance as beloved children of our loving Heavenly Father.
Whatever your circumstances of life His promises are for you. They are beyond our earthly experience or opinions, for the Word says, “let God be true, and every human being a liar”, (Romans 3 v2). The Old Testament’s promises were fulfilled in Jesus Christ, the Bible says “for all God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding ‘yes!’” (2 Corinthians 1 v20, NLT). You are adopted into the beloved, and the beloved Lord was sinless, so He fulfilled the promises. David was a great king but he was not sinless. Moses was a great leader but he was not sinless. Joseph was a great politician but he was not sinless. Abraham was a great friend of God but he was not sinless. Ezekiel was a great prophet but he was not sinless. Only our Lord was sinless and uniquely begotten of the Father, unlike us who were born sinners and inherited the Fall of Adam. However, the new birth has given us a divine nature, yet we sometimes wrestle with our humanity. As our example, the Lord took each promise as His possession, and we must imitate Him by taking them as the supreme truth in our life. So if we are attacked we must say, “it is written”, and find our promise for each dart of the enemy and problem in life. This may take time but with the Holy Spirit’s help each promise can become our testimony, and they must go beyond our reasoning, and we need to guard against any doubt. Jesus did not doubt, in fact as promised, He did many might acts (Psalm 145 v12).
Our battle is the good fight of faith. Recently I heard about someone who once fervently prayed and fasted but today is in a state of apparent unbelief. Doubt overcame the truth of the promises of the Bible. Jesus is true, He is real and He is our friend. Opposition comes from the enemy to steal the Word of God. It is not because the enemy has a personal war against us, no, the attack is on the Word itself because the enemy opposes the Lord Jesus continually. So how do we practically go about making sure the promises produce the desired outcome of earthly victory?
Firstly, we must pray, confess and thank the Lord in the secret place. “Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty” (Psalm 91 v1). Some Bible versions translate “shelter” as “the secret place”, meaning a place where we can be alone with the Lord in your hearts. Practically this may also be a quiet space in your house for daily devotions with the Lord.
Secondly we must worship the Lord at all times. David wrote, “I will extol the Lord at all times; His praise will always be on my lips” (Psalm 34 v1).
Thirdly we must meditate on the Word continually. David wrote, “my eyes stay open through the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promises” (Psalm 119 v148).
Fourthly, we must guard our minds with the Word of the Lord. Paul reminded us to “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10 v5), and in Proverbs we read, “above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it” (Proverbs 4 v29).
Fifthly, we need to rest on the finished work of the Cross. We are not asked to do the work of making anything happen. We must rest completely on the promises of the Lord despite our circumstances, and confess this. God will give the increase.
If we are sincere and do not give up we, “will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living” (Psalm 27 v13). Opposition can often come, so we must not be unaware of the enemy’s schemes (2 Corinthians 2 v11). The one who endures and is refined by fire will overcomer. In James 5 verse 11 we read that “we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about”. One translation puts it this way, “the end intended by the Lord - that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful”. The intended outcome was both Job’s new relationship with God, which brought healing to his soul, and a restoration of what the enemy had stolen in his life. We have all had good things stolen from us that the Lord had planned for our lives, because of us being born sinners. It was not until we were born again into a relationship with the promised Holy Spirit that our destinies were returned to us because of the blood of the Lamb.
Whether you live in a refugee camp or in a mansion the Lord’s promise is that He has a plan and a purpose that He wants to fulfil in you. Only be meditating on His word and with help of the Holy Spirit can this happen. By our attention being focused onto Him and without any effort of our own His purposes will be fulfilled in our lives. For example, “David was told, ‘the Lord has blessed the house of Obed-Edom and everything he has, because of the ark of the God’. So David went to bring up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with rejoicing” (2 Samuel 6 v12). The Ark in the Old Testament represents the Holy Spirit in the New Testament. We now have the fulfilment of the promised Holy Spirit, the Israelites had to physically have the Ark of the Covenant in their presence. Now the Holy Spirit is with each believer, “always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28 v20), as promised by the Lord Jesus Christ. It is the blessed Spirit who makes the promises a reality in our lives, working through our belief and faith. Take time to praise and thank our Heavenly Father for giving us the Lord Jesus who made a miraculous way for us to see His will fulfilled in our lives, because of the promised Holy Spirit who lives in us.