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Tag: promises

  • Trusting the Promises of God (Part 2/2)

    Trusting the Promises of God (Part 2/2)

    Series: Don’t waste your waiting.

    During a season of prolonged illness in my own life, I got to a place where I wondered if I’d ever be healthy again. Discouragement and depression set in. However, my turning point came when I actively searched Scripture and started memorising God’s promises as if my life depended on them. As I spoke these promises of God’s faithfulness out loud, praying them back to God and believing them for my own circumstances, the thick cloud of despair was gradually replaced by a cocoon of hope and trust. Unlike us, God never makes a promise that He doesn’t keep. His promises are dependable and true, because they are founded on His unchangeable attributes and sovereign power. God cannot lie.

    In part 1, we saw that God’s promises are rooted in the salvation which Jesus achieved for His people in His life, death, and resurrection. The apostle Paul wrote to the Christians at Corinth, “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” (2 Cor 1:20). The whole New Testament affirms that Jesus is the Promised One of the Old Testament (Luke 24:25-27). Since Jesus is the fulfilment of all God’s promises to His people, we need to understand and trust those promises through the lens of the cross.

    Ten Promises you can bank on.

    One of the greatest treasury of God’s promises is found in Romans 8. I have crystallised ten promises from this chapter. Read the chapter on your own as we record, personalise, and believe God’s promises together.

    # 1. God has declared me “not guilty”!

    I am forgiven, not condemned (Rom 8:1) God declares this verdict, not me. I can trust this promise because Christ’s perfect sacrifice on the cross has turned away God’s wrath for all who have repented and believed in Him. It has nothing to do with me! This means that I can get off the performance treadmill because justification is a once-for-all time event and entirely God’s work. However bad my day may be, however unworthy I may feel, whatever accusers may throw at me, my sin has been fully paid for. Jesus, my righteous advocate, speaks forgiveness and acceptance, not accusation and shame. “Not guilty” is God’s Truth, not just ‘my truth’.

    # 2. God has set me free from the bondage of sin and death!

    I am now under new management, no longer ruled by the selfishness of Adam, but by the Spirit of God (Rom 8:5-11). “Free” is my permanent status. Although I still sin, I’m no longer helplessly in its grip. I’m no longer a slave to my sinful nature (Rom 8:2-4). This promise matters, because it assures me that I have been redeemed from sin’s power and penalty. Therefore, I can put off sin and put on a life of righteousness (Rom 8:13). My previous Master’s wages were death (Rom 8:6a) but my new Master’s wages are life and peace (Rom 8:6b). I am not the person I once was. I am slowly changing day-by-day.

    # 3. God’s Spirit lives in me to sanctify me.

    This promise matters, because I know that I cannot conquer sin on my own, but the Holy Spirit empowers me to live a fruitful and faithful Christian life, which pleases God (Rom 8:2-3; 9-11). Like a new navigation system, the Holy Spirit helps me to think, speak and act as Christ directs (Rom 8:5). Like a skilled surgeon, the Spirit enables me to surgically remove every sin that resists Christ’s lordship (Rom 8:12-14). Without the Holy Spirit leading me, I would have no desire nor power to conquer sin. Without Him, I would be on a trajectory of death. But because He lives in me, I am on the side of life (Rom 8:13).

    # 4. The Holy Spirit is a foretaste of heaven.

     The Spirit who breathed spiritual life into my dead soul and raised Jesus from the dead will surely do for me what He did for Jesus! He will give me a glorious new body on the Resurrection Day that has been promised to the living and the dead (Rom 8:11). I will rise to sin no more. Having tasted heaven, I long for the feast, but the hors d’oeuvres is the guarantee that the feast is going to follow.

    When I don’t have the right words or strength to pray, God promises that the Spirit will pray with me and for me, according to His will (Rom 8:26-27). So when I bring my requests to God, I can be sure that He will always do what is best. What blessed assurance the Holy Spirit gives me!

    #5. I am God’s adopted child.

    This promise means that I’m no longer a cringing, fearful slave seeking to impress or appease God with my performance (Rom 8:14-17). I can give up on virtue-signalling. Fear-based religion has given way to faithful relationship with a good Father. I’m in line for all His treasures and can approach Him as Abba, daddy. I have all the privileges and responsibilities of a legitimate child in His family. One of these privileges is the Holy Spirit, who reminds me daily of who and whose I am. The Holy Spirit is my inner witness who signed my adoption order and assures me of my Father’s love.

    #6. Present sufferings are a prelude to glory.

    God promises that present suffering is a price for being identified with Jesus (Rom 8:17). It can also be traced back to the Fall, because “we know that all creation has been subjected to frustration because of the sin of Adam” (Rom 8:20). But we will share in Christ’s glory too! (Rom 8:17-18) The two are not even comparable. “Our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.”

    If I truly believe this promise, I cannot be complacent or discouraged. When I face trials or pressures to conform to the world, I am assured that glory is not just a place to which I go, but also a condition that is being revealed in me. My transformed body awaits me, but so does the perfection of my character, so that Christ will be admired and glorified in those who trust Him.

    #7. The curse will be lifted!

    God has promised that better things lie ahead. In my lifetime, I have never seen such physical, emotional, financial, social and relational suffering in people. For many, hope is lost. But when brokenness is all around, a believer’s anchor is the promise of final redemption, a day when God’s children are openly announced and the curse of sin is finally lifted. My hope is the climax and completion of my salvation. Sin and suffering will be replaced by glory! (Rom 8:19-25)

    Paul says, “For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has?” (Romans 8:24).

    Hope is not an optimistic wish for utopia, but the absolute certainty of our promised home where there is safety, peace, and plenty for all God’s people. Sin will never enter its gates. “The glory and honour of the nations will be brought into it. Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life” (Rev 21:27). No longer will there be any curse. This promise is confirmed throughout the Bible (Rev 22:1-5; Isaiah 65:17-25; 2 Peter 3:1-10; Matt 24:29-31; Rev 21:1-4).

    Until this promise of redemption is fulfilled, creation groans to be free, like a woman in labour longs to give birth (Romans 8:19-22). We groan too (Rom 8:23). The whole creation yearns for deliverance when all our longings will be met in the new heavens and new earth, the home of righteousness.

    #8. All things are working together for good!

    Romans 8:28-30 is probably the most cherished biblical promise for good reason. God promises that without exception, He is working all things together for the good of His people and for His glory. All things are not just some things. What does this promise mean?

    It means that the sovereign God who subjected creation to frustration still rules over it– pain, mistakes and evil included. God is in control of all nations, shaping events and decisions to fulfil his will. God is working in the hearts of people and leaders to move them to fulfil his purposes. Even the weather and laws of nature are operating according to God’s direct will. Good or bad, everything is part of God’s plan for us, to conform us to the likeness of Christ, our elder brother in the great family of God. All who love God are included in this promise.

    This sweeping promise assures me that God never wastes pain. He uses all things to accomplish His purpose, for His glory and my welfare. Therefore, I can trust Him even when my heart is broken or my body is racked with pain. I can always trust Him in all things.

    This monumental promise is all of grace. Not everyone has been foreknown by God in an intimate and loving way. But everyone who has been called by the gospel has been justified and glorified (Rom 8:29-30). It’s all in the past tense, so it’s as good as done. Not one person on whom God has set His love will fail to arrive in heaven. If this promise doesn’t move us to worship, nothing will.

    #9. God is for us!

    Are there any four words that move you to gratitude more than these? No “trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword” can alter the promise that God is for his people and will not hold back anything from us (Rom 8:32). “He will freely give us all things”. (Rom 8:31-39). No if’s, but’s or maybe’s.

    No enemy or circumstance can breach this promise. If God delivered up the greatest gift of His own Son for me, how can I doubt that He will give me the grace, courage, strength, wisdom and steadfastness to live through my present trials? My faithful God will hold me fast.

    Promise #10. God loves us!

    Are there any three words more triumphant and affirming than these? (Rom 8:31-39). Who is going to condemn those for whom God’s Son has died? (Rom 8:34) God’s love is an unfailing and unconquerable love. It is especially precious to His own who suffer as sheep for the slaughter (Rom 8:36). No disaster or unseen forces of evil can separate us from God’s embrace or divert our path to heaven. None can cut us off from the presence of Jesus, whose nail-pierced hands and feet prove His Father’s great love for us. Not even death can sever this cord of divine love. Nothing can diminish God’s love for us because he has loved us in Christ Jesus from eternity. If I believe this great love is true, how can I ever be afraid?

    I pray that these ten great and precious promises will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus as you live out the Christian life. Write them down, meditate on them, memorise them, pray them back to God, so that you will be anchored by God’s sure and precious promises in the waiting room, before you see Him face to face.

    Prayer

    I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits,
        and in his word I put my hope.
     I wait for the Lord
        more than watchmen wait for the morning,
        more than watchmen wait for the morning. (Psalm 130:5-6). Amen.

  • Trusting God’s Promises in the Eye of the Storm (Part 1/2)

    Trusting God’s Promises in the Eye of the Storm (Part 1/2)

    Series: Don’t waste your waiting

    “The Lord is faithful to all his promises and loving to all he has made. The Lord upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down” (Psalm 145:13). 

    Unlike us, God never makes a promise that He doesn’t keep. His promises are always dependable and true, because they are founded on his unchangeable character, moral perfection and sovereign power. God cannot lie. His promises are like a secure anchor for believers, providing security and stability even when circumstances are hard and hopeless. In contrast, false promises are disappointing no matter how firmly one believes them. They are like eating soup with a fork. You get a taste but no satisfaction.

    False promises.

    It makes me sad when sincere Christians cling for dear life to ‘promises’ that God has not made to them, instead of clinging to God’s Word which is always trustworthy. One woman told me that thirty years ago a man of God had prophesied over her and her husband. According to this alleged prophet, God had promised them that her husband would rise to become a prominent businessman, “a king among men,” a “leader in Christ’s kingdom.” He would have a mighty ministry.

    In reality, the man spent his working life earning a modest salary before being retrenched in his late fifties. He struggled just to make ends meet. He was not a successful evangelist or ministry leader by any stretch of the imagination, just a faithful husband, father, and friend. However, he and his wife remained ever hopeful that their “big breakthrough” was just around the corner. Sadly, disappointment set in because they lived their lives based on a false promise.

    In Leviticus, God warns his covenant people, “You shall not swear falsely by my name and so profane the name of your God. I am the Lord.” (Lev 19:12). In their casual promises of healing and success, false teachers are no better than the false prophets of Jeremiah’s day, “prophesying false visions, divinations, idolatries and the delusions of their own minds” (Jer 14:14). God takes it seriously when people put words into his mouth, especially false promises.

    Many false prophets also claim that they’ve deciphered God’s word in such a way that they can match their Bible with people’s destinies or world affairs. They pluck verses out of context, scattering them like confetti. This causes Christians to put their trust in some other place than Jesus and his Word.

    In the New Testament, the word ‘hope’ does not mean a sincere wish, but an absolute certainty. Unlike false promises, God’s promises have a 100% fulfillment rate. There are three distinguishing marks of God’s promises in the Bible.

    Three marks of God’s promises.

    Firstly, God’s promises bring about hope, perseverance and sanctification in the life of a Christian. God’s promises are never about our earthly glory or greatness, but about our godliness and growth, especially during suffering. God’s promises are not carnal. Like the persecuted Christians of the first century, we need to trust God’s “very great and precious promises” daily, as we seek to live a godly life connected to Christ.

    To the scattered Christians all over the Greco-Roman world Peter writes,

    “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” (1 Peter 1:3-4).

    Secondly, God’s promises are all about Him, not us! They are about God’s character and the wonderful things that He has done. They are based on His attributes, power, and glory, shown through mighty acts on behalf of His people. They are God-centric promises, not man-centric.

    Thirdly, God’s promises are anchored by the salvation which Jesus achieved for His people in His life, death, and resurrection. Christ is the thread woven through all God’s Old Testament promises (Isa 53; Isa 49:6; Gen 3:15; Gen 12:3). As Psalm 22 records, “They will proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn—for he has done it!” (Ps 22:31). Jesus is the Promised One of the Old Testament (Luke 24:25-27; 2 Cor 1:20). He is the anchor of all God’s promises to His people.

    Applying God’s promises.

    How can we go about trusting in God’s promises in our daily lives? There is no shortcut or hotline to heaven. We cannot read little bits of Scripture and take away inspirational promises. We must humbly submit to God’s Word daily and study it in context to understand the big picture of what God has done and is doing in the world. Since Jesus is the fulfilment of all God’s promises, we need to read God’s promises through the lens of the cross and the resurrection.

    Having said this, one of the habits that I have cultivated over the years is to write down and personalise God’s promises as I read through Scripture in my quiet time. I keep those promises in a box, to meditate on, memorise, and pray over so that I become an effectual doer of the Word and not a forgetful hearer (James 1:22-25). I want to stake my life on God’s sure promises and preach them to myself often, because I am prone to forget. When the waves of adversity break over my head and I am in the eye of the storm, I want to be anchored by God’s sure promises to His people. Christ and His Word is my only stable anchor.

    Memorising Scripture may seem like an overwhelming task, but if the passage is broken down into small sections, it can be memorised fairly easily. The rewards of having a special passage hidden in your heart will be worth the effort. It will be an anchor when your sails are torn.

    Every chapter of the Bible is full of God’s promises to all who have repented of their sin and trusted in the Lord Jesus, but Romans 8 is one of my favourites. Next week we will look at ten great and precious promises from Romans 8. Read the chapter on your own and join us next week as we record, personalise, and believe God’s promises together.

    Listen to “Eye of the Storm”.

     

  • Abram– Why we should cling to the covenant

    Abram– Why we should cling to the covenant

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    “When God makes a covenant he reveals his own job description and signs it.” (John Piper).

    However, in Abram’s case, there was a gaping chasm between God’s job description in Genesis 12 and Abram’s reality a decade later. What guarantee did he have that he had not been sent on a wild goose chase? God’s promises must have seemed like a distant dream, not a cause for confidence.

    Delay is one of the hardest tests of faith. Like Abram, it sometimes feels like we are on  endless probation. But remember that Abram camped in faith’s waiting room for thirty years! It must have been hard not to doubt God’s goodness and faithfulness. But in Genesis 15, when Abram was around 80 years old, God ‘cut’ a covenant with him and gave him a terrifying, unforgettable  vision. It is one of the Bible’s few theophanies, in which God graciously showed himself to his human friend as a smoking firepot with a blazing torch. During this encounter, God quietened Abram’s quaking heart; answered his honest questions, and offered two tangible signs that He could be trusted. Hebrews explains that God “swore by himself” and showed Abram “the unchangeable character of his purpose” (Heb 6:13-15). It was the ultimate show-and-tell. Today’s text gives us a glimpse into God’s eternal covenant with Abram and his spiritual descendants (Gal 3:29). It is an encouragement to every person who has fled to Christ for refuge and a sober reminder that God himself was torn to pieces to honour his covenant promises. Gospel hope is the only firm and secure anchor for the soul, because it depends on His performance alone (Heb 6:19). That’s why we need to padlock ourselves to God’s promises and cling to His covenant of grace.

    Genesis 15

    15 After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision:

    “Do not be afraid, Abram.
        I am your shield,
        your very great reward.”

    2 But Abram said, “Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 And Abram said, “You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.”

    4 Then the word of the Lord came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.” 5 He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”

    6 Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.

    7 He also said to him, “I am the Lord, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to take possession of it.”

    8 But Abram said, “Sovereign Lord, how can I know that I will gain possession of it?”

    9 So the Lord said to him, “Bring me a heifer, a goat and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon.”

    10 Abram brought all these to him, cut them in two and arranged the halves opposite each other; the birds, however, he did not cut in half. 11 Then birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away.

    12 As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him. 13 Then the Lord said to him, “Know for certain that for four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own and that they will be enslaved and mistreated there. 14 But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions.15 You, however, will go to your ancestors in peace and be buried at a good old age. 16 In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.”

    17 When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces. 18 On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram and said, “To your descendants I give this land, from the Wadi of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates— 19 the land of the Kenites,Kenizzites, Kadmonites, 20 Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, 21 Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites.”

    Abram believed the Lord (Gen 15:6)

    By this time Abram had been in Canaan around ten years with nothing to show for it. No hint of a son and not a patch of land to call his own, much less a nation, a great name and a conduit of blessing to other nations. Abram had successfully launched a rescue mission to get Lot out of Sodom, but apart from this messy victory, he did not have a shred of hard evidence that God’s promises would come true. It is easy for us to skim through Genesis 12 to 21, but Abram was seventy when God first called him out of his comfortable home in Ur, and a hundred when Isaac was born! It was not a quick and easy faith journey.

    Despite his limited understanding of the future and unpromising reality, “Abram believed the Lord and God credited it to him as righteousness” (Gen 15:6). Abram was right with God, not because he was a worthy man, but because he took God at his word.

    The New Testament tells us that Genesis 15:6 was written not just for Abraham, but also for all “to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.” (Rom 4:23-24). Verse 6 applies to Abram and to us, if we have bowed the knee to Jesus.

    “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12; Rom 4; 5:1; Gal 2:16; 3:24; Rom 3:23-24).

    Do you know for sure you have been made right with God through faith in Jesus?

    God stilled Abram’s heart (Gen 15:1)

    Verse 1 is one of my favourite verses. God looked into Abram’s quaking heart and knew that his greatest fear was the gap between God’s promises and his disappointing reality.

    Is this not also our fear? Do you wonder if God is really a good and faithful Redeemer when you see brokenness in your marriage, your finances, your health and your family? God knows your deepest fears and will not leave you up the creek without a paddle. This is God’s word of comfort to you: “Do not be afraid, I am your shield and your very great reward!”

    It is the Lord himself who is our shield and reward, not His blessings and benefits, as much as we love and appreciate them.

    Delay does not mean that God has forgotten our plight. If God did not make us wait in prayer; if our lives were always ordered and our path clear, why would we need faith at all? Faith is trusting Jesus for redemption while still in chains. Faith is grabbing his light while in the darkness. Faith is taking refuge in Jesus, while reeling from punches in life’s boxing ring. He is our High Priest who deals gently with our human frailty (Heb 4:14;15;16).

    Whom or what are you using as your shield and reward today? What is the anchor of your soul?

    God answered Abram’s questions (Gen 15:2; 8)

    ”BUT Abram said….BUT how can I know?” Our BUTS expose the uncertainties which underlie our deepest doubts and fears.

    Abram’s awesome but approachable God welcomed his honest, humble questions about the promised son and land. The Lord took his questions seriously and responded with tangible signs. Faith is not immune to doubts, longings and fears, but faith grows when we hand them over to the God who cares. God’s response to Abram shows that He does not dismiss the honest concerns of believers.

    As a parent, I know that I cannot fix all my children’s fears or answer all their questions. But I can take their concerns seriously and encourage them to pray their doubts and heartaches to Jesus. I trust that even if He does not provide all the answers, He will reveal his goodness and faithfulness to them. That’s how He answers our questions too.

    God gave Abram tangible signs (Gen 15:5; 17)

    Not only did God respond with words, but also with tangible signs.

    First, Abram wondered how God could give an old, barren couple a child? In response, God took him outside to see the night sky and asked him to imagine his infinite descendants glittering over the vast expanse of the universe (Gen 15:5). I love this visual aid! The sovereign Creator stooped down to his creature-friend to give him a visible pledge. Abram would see this sign each evening when he stepped out of his tent. It was as tangible as Noah’s rainbow.

    Second, Abram wondered how God would give a wandering nomad the land of Canaan? It was a legitimate question, as Abram was landless. In response, God rolled back the curtains of the future and showed how He would act on behalf of his people (Gen 15:10; 13-16; 18-21).

    The gory ritual God acted out while Abram slept under a blanket of “thick and dreadful darkness”, may seem like something out of The Vampire Diaries, but, against the backdrop of Abram’s Mesopotamian culture, it is a covenant with stunning visual effects (Gen 15:9-10):

    Whereas we ratify contracts with a signed document of mutually agreed terms and conditions, the Mesopotamians sliced animals into pieces and placed their bloodied flesh on the floor. The two parties bound themselves by walking between the pieces and acting out the breach clause which was clear and brutal: “If I am unfaithful to my contractual obligations, you can do to me what has been done to these bloody, broken animals. You can cut me into little pieces and leave my corpse for the vultures! ” (Jer 34:18).

    But instead of God and Abram walking together between the pieces of flesh, the smoking blazing firepot passed through the pieces ALONE (Gen 15:17). The firepot symbolised God himself in his holy, unapproachable perfection (Ex 3:2; 13:21-22; 14:24; 19:18; Deut 4:11).

    Could it be that God was pledging to fulfill the terms and bear the curse of unfaithfulness on behalf of both of them?

    It was not a mutual contract at all, but a one-sided, unconditional covenant that God guaranteed with his own life. Its fulfillment and default penalties rested entirely on the Lord, not Abram.

    Could Abram have imagined the great and terrible darkness that would descend on the whole land of Israel at noon, while the Lord’s body was broken to pieces? (Matt 27:45). Could he have conceived the scandalous way in which God would pour out his own blood to fulfill his covenant  promises (Matt 26:28; Luke 22:19-20)?

    Yet, that is exactly what happened when God took on human flesh and was cut off from the land of the living, pierced and crushed for our sins (Isa 53:5; 8). By bearing the curse of our unfaithfulness in 33 AD, God literally “swore by himself,” as he did to Abram in that thick and dreadful darkness. The Lord Jesus, who had no sin, became sin for covenant-breakers like Abram, you and me.

    Our soul anchor today

    Let’s massage Abram’s story in Genesis 15 deep into our own experience!

    When we cling to the covenant, we plead Christ’s promises and trust his grace. We padlock ourselves to God’s trustworthiness and throw away the key!

    • Human beings make and break promises every day in marriage, families, politics and business, because we are all untrustworthy sinners. But God died to guarantee His gospel promises and blessings that belong to all who are “in Christ” (Eph 1:3-14). It is the same gospel that was announced in advance to Abraham (Gal 3:8).

     

    • God’s oath to Abraham and to all his spiritual offspring is the gospel hope that “anchors our soul, firm and secure”. It is like a giant padlock linking us to Christ forever. Our hope is pledged by the tangible sign of the Holy Spirit– the giver of assurance, wisdom and revelation to know Christ better (Eph 1:17-18; John 14:16-17).
    • Like Abram found it hard to follow God wherever He led, we are challenged to follow Christ even though our lives are messy and God’s promises seem a distant dream. Jesus commands us to padlock ourselves to Him and throw away the key (John 15:4). Gospel hope takes us spiritually into the “inner sanctuary” of God, and will finally transport us into His  physical presence, where we will worship alongside all His people from every nation (Heb 6:19; Rev 7:9-11). What a solid anchor for the soul!

    “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ” (2 Cor 1:20)

    If you are doubting the faithfulness and goodness of God…if you wonder whether you can trust His gospel promises of restoration, redemption and reconciliation…if your faith is weary and weak from waiting…Plead His promises!

    Think of Abram and the smoking firepot walking between the pieces. Think of the bloodied, broken body of Jesus on the cross, and ask yourself: “What more could God have done to prove to me that He is trustworthy? Could there be a more tangible sign that He loves me and died to be my Redeemer to the very end?” 

    Warm your hands at the fireside of Ephesians 1:3-14 and anchor yourself today to your spiritual blessings in Christ. God knows our tendency to doubt and forget. That’s why he has given us the Holy Spirit to whisper hope in our hearts and padlock us to the Promise Keeper. Could there be a more tangible sign that God will keep his covenant with you right to the end?

    “This hope is our anchor for the soul, firm and secure” (Heb 6:19)

    Pray

    Father, you know me inside out. You know my questions, doubts and fears even before I have words to express them. You know how badly I have broken your covenant again and again and how messy my life is right now. Some parts of my life look beyond redemption to me, and yet I believe that you died to give me an eternal inheritance and to make all things new. Thank you for never giving up on me and being my soul anchor to keep me stable and safe from the raging sea. I look to you to restore those things that seem too hopeless and broken to fix. I pray for patient faith like Abraham’s to cling to your eternal covenant with me. I plead your gospel promises today for me and my family, even though our faith is weak. I hide in the Lord Jesus today, my refuge and very great reward. Holy Spirit, help me to experience the reality of your presence and padlock me to Jesus until I finally meet my heavenly Father face to face, in the company of my father Abraham and all his spiritual offspring.

    In Jesus’s name, amen.

    Worship Jesus as you listen to There is a Name, by Covenant Worship.

     [/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container][fusion_builder_container background_color=”#ffffff” background_image=”” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_webm=”” video_mp4=”” video_ogv=”” video_preview_image=”” overlay_color=”” overlay_opacity=”0.5″ video_mute=”yes” video_loop=”yes” fade=”no” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding_top=”20″ padding_bottom=”20″ padding_left=”5%” padding_right=”5%” hundred_percent=”yes” equal_height_columns=”yes” hide_on_mobile=”no” menu_anchor=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_3″ last=”no” spacing=”yes” center_content=”yes” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”center center” hover_type=”none” link=”” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_imageframe lightbox=”no” gallery_id=”” lightbox_image=”” style_type=”none” hover_type=”none” bordercolor=”” bordersize=”0px” borderradius=”0″ stylecolor=”” align=”none” link=”” linktarget=”_self” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” hide_on_mobile=”no” class=”” id=””] [/fusion_imageframe][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”2_3″ last=”yes” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” hover_type=”none” link=”” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding=”2%” margin_top=”2%” margin_bottom=”2%” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_title size=”2″ content_align=”left” style_type=”default” sep_color=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” class=”” id=””]Receive our latest devotion in your Inbox[/fusion_title][fusion_code]PCEtLSBCZWdpbiBNYWlsQ2hpbXAgU2lnbnVwIEZvcm0gLS0+DQo8bGluayBocmVmPSIvL2Nkbi1pbWFnZXMubWFpbGNoaW1wLmNvbS9lbWJlZGNvZGUvc2xpbS0xMF83LmNzcyIgcmVsPSJzdHlsZXNoZWV0IiB0eXBlPSJ0ZXh0L2NzcyI+DQo8c3R5bGUgdHlwZT0idGV4dC9jc3MiPg0KCSNtY19lbWJlZF9zaWdudXB7YmFja2dyb3VuZDojZmZmOyBjbGVhcjpsZWZ0OyBmb250OjE0cHggSGVsdmV0aWNhLEFyaWFsLHNhbnMtc2VyaWY7IH0NCgkvKiBBZGQgeW91ciBvd24gTWFpbENoaW1wIGZvcm0gc3R5bGUgb3ZlcnJpZGVzIGluIHlvdXIgc2l0ZSBzdHlsZXNoZWV0IG9yIGluIHRoaXMgc3R5bGUgYmxvY2suDQoJICAgV2UgcmVjb21tZW5kIG1vdmluZyB0aGlzIGJsb2NrIGFuZCB0aGUgcHJlY2VkaW5nIENTUyBsaW5rIHRvIHRoZSBIRUFEIG9mIHlvdXIgSFRNTCBmaWxlLiAqLw0KPC9zdHlsZT4NCjxkaXYgaWQ9Im1jX2VtYmVkX3NpZ251cCI+DQo8Zm9ybSBhY3Rpb249Imh0dHBzOi8vY2hyaXN0Y2h1cmNobWlkcmFuZC51czE2Lmxpc3QtbWFuYWdlLmNvbS9zdWJzY3JpYmUvcG9zdD91PWVlNzY0YTZkZDk1ZDhkMWY4ZDIzN2UyZTcmYW1wO2lkPTRlNjczYTIxYzYiIG1ldGhvZD0icG9zdCIgaWQ9Im1jLWVtYmVkZGVkLXN1YnNjcmliZS1mb3JtIiBuYW1lPSJtYy1lbWJlZGRlZC1zdWJzY3JpYmUtZm9ybSIgY2xhc3M9InZhbGlkYXRlIiB0YXJnZXQ9Il9ibGFuayIgbm92YWxpZGF0ZT4NCiAgICA8ZGl2IGlkPSJtY19lbWJlZF9zaWdudXBfc2Nyb2xsIj4NCgk8bGFiZWwgZm9yPSJtY2UtRU1BSUwiPlN1YnNjcmliZSB0byBvdXIgbWFpbGluZyBsaXN0PC9sYWJlbD4NCgk8aW5wdXQgdHlwZT0iZW1haWwiIHZhbHVlPSIiIG5hbWU9IkVNQUlMIiBjbGFzcz0iZW1haWwiIGlkPSJtY2UtRU1BSUwiIHBsYWNlaG9sZGVyPSJlbWFpbCBhZGRyZXNzIiByZXF1aXJlZD4NCiAgICA8IS0tIHJlYWwgcGVvcGxlIHNob3VsZCBub3QgZmlsbCB0aGlzIGluIGFuZCBleHBlY3QgZ29vZCB0aGluZ3MgLSBkbyBub3QgcmVtb3ZlIHRoaXMgb3IgcmlzayBmb3JtIGJvdCBzaWdudXBzLS0+DQogICAgPGRpdiBzdHlsZT0icG9zaXRpb246IGFic29sdXRlOyBsZWZ0OiAtNTAwMHB4OyIgYXJpYS1oaWRkZW49InRydWUiPjxpbnB1dCB0eXBlPSJ0ZXh0IiBuYW1lPSJiX2VlNzY0YTZkZDk1ZDhkMWY4ZDIzN2UyZTdfNGU2NzNhMjFjNiIgdGFiaW5kZXg9Ii0xIiB2YWx1ZT0iIj48L2Rpdj4NCiAgICA8ZGl2IGNsYXNzPSJjbGVhciI+PGlucHV0IHR5cGU9InN1Ym1pdCIgdmFsdWU9IlN1YnNjcmliZSIgbmFtZT0ic3Vic2NyaWJlIiBpZD0ibWMtZW1iZWRkZWQtc3Vic2NyaWJlIiBjbGFzcz0iYnV0dG9uIj48L2Rpdj4NCiAgICA8L2Rpdj4NCjwvZm9ybT4NCjwvZGl2Pg0KDQo8IS0tRW5kIG1jX2VtYmVkX3NpZ251cC0tPg==[/fusion_code][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container][fusion_builder_container background_color=”#ffffff” background_image=”” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_webm=”” video_mp4=”” video_ogv=”” video_preview_image=”” overlay_color=”” overlay_opacity=”0.5″ video_mute=”yes” video_loop=”yes” fade=”no” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding_top=”20″ padding_bottom=”20″ padding_left=”5%” padding_right=”5%” hundred_percent=”yes” equal_height_columns=”yes” hide_on_mobile=”no” menu_anchor=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][fusion_title size=”2″ content_align=”left” style_type=”default” sep_color=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” class=”” id=””]Other devotions from the God Walk…[/fusion_title][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][fusion_recent_posts layout=”default” hover_type=”none” columns=”3″ number_posts=”6″ offset=”” cat_slug=”devotion” exclude_cats=”” thumbnail=”yes” title=”yes” meta=”no” excerpt=”yes” excerpt_length=”0″ strip_html=”yes” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][/fusion_recent_posts][fusion_text]– more devotions –[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]