What if you believed what God said?

Quality, not quantity

Most of us read the Bible in the third person and do not see it as a letter written to us by our Father. This blog post is my effort to personalize God’s word, to examine the word as a letter written to me, to you, to anyone who is willing to believe.

We all face challenges, and we see in God’s word promises for victory—but how often do we settle for less because we just are not sure those promises are for us— “Perhaps it is not God’s will for me—that was just for those people way back then.” What if that is the lie? What if God meant those promises for you, for me today?

I would like for us to consider the powerful nature of God’s word and the importance of recognizing it as a personal letter to each of us. In the coming posts we will be examining the Book of Psalms and creating “Psalms for Today,” a personal psalm we each write focused on how God is speaking to us through the psalms we are examining.

The reason for starting this process of personalizing God’s Word in the Book of Psalms, is because this book best reflects the heart of our struggle—there are times of pure praise and joy, and then there are times of absolute despair—if you have felt it—there is a psalm that addresses it—anger, vengeance, disappointment and despair in God, hurt, it is all there.

Where do I start?

Most of us have had moments when God has spoken to us through His word, we have been encouraged, yet we often do not embrace God’s word as His powerful letter to us—a letter that reveals who He is, who we are, the power available to us, and the amazing lengths He will go to, to care for us.

Every word in the Bible has a purpose and a place, we gain great benefit in this world by realizing that it applies to us. It is not just an interesting old book; it is a love letter from our Father and He has hidden wonderful treasures in it for us to find—but we must seek.

What is the plan?

In this post we are examining the importance of the promises in God’s word and why we often do not see them manifest in our lives. In upcoming posts we will consider strategies for beginning the process of learning how to walk in the fullness of Gods word.

Additionally, we will do a little background on the Book of Psalms and then launch into an examination of Psalm 91 in preparation for writing our first Psalm for Today.

Matthew 6:33

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

What if God’s word is true for me?

What if you believed Jesus when He said He would never leave you nor forsake you (Hebrews 13:5)—you are not alone, even when you feel alone, He is present.

What if you believed that Jesus came to give you life and life more abundantly (John 10:10), everything that pertains to life and Godliness (2 Peter 1:3)—how would that change your attitude? How would it change your prayer life?

What if you believed that by the stripes of Jesus you WERE healed (1 Peter 2:24)—what if you took God at His word, believed his promises, and stood on them regardless of what your flesh is saying.

God has given us promises in His word, we believe them, but we leave all of the gifts unwrapped because often, we fear unwrapping them. Why? There are probably a variety of reasons, but I believe the main reason is that the enemy of your soul fully understands the power God’s word holds and sows seeds of doubt and deception to keep us from walking in the fullness of what God has for us. From his very first interaction with humans, Satan proved himself to be very subtle, deceptive, and his first attack was on the very word of God.

Genesis 3: 1-5 “Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (NKJV)

We allow the enemy of our soul to sow seeds of doubt— “Maybe He didn’t really mean that?” “Maybe His promises are for someone else—not me?” “Maybe ?????? The lies of the enemy are very subtle, and we begin to fall for the enemies lies—he will use whatever he can use to distract us from the truth of God’s unchanging word. We are sometimes, afraid it will not work for us, and then we will look foolish, but we know that God has not given us a spirit of fear (2 Timothy 1:7).

Is that true?

God’s word is the truth—not my truth, your truth, it is the ONLY truth, and the promises are not for someone else they are for me, for you. Let me give you an example.

In Mark 11:24 Jesus says “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” Wow! What if we believed that. Also note there is no qualification—“When pastor prays he can expect to receive or when really spiritual, holy people pray they can expect to receive—but all you other folks well it is rather hit and miss.” That is not what it says it says “whatever you ask in prayer.”

Well that never works for me.

Perhaps you are thinking well that cannot be right because I have prayed and not received—let me suggest that it is unwise not to take the full counsel of God, which means you must know God’s word so you can understand what God is communicating. It should be easy, but it is not always. The point is, God answers our prayers--even when we do not recognize it. He is faithful to His word.

Think about who Jesus is talking to—He was talking to His disciples, so being a follower of Christ matters. Jesus also understood that His followers would be praying in His name. So based on John 14:13-14 “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.”

We know that anything we pray for in Jesus name He will do it. If we then consider this in light of 1 John 5:14-15 “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hears us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.”

We also know that as God’s children our desire is to see God’s will come to pass, so we can be confident of our prayers being answered "yes" when they are based on the promises in his word! Then of course there is the importance of faith in relation to prayer. Luke 17:6 “And the Lord said, if ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.” So we know that faith plays a role.

I cannot remember all that stuff?

This all appears complicated, but it is not. It is actually quite simple. Every promise in God’s word belongs to you—do you believe Him? Regardless of the challenges you face or the manifestation of the promise in your life immediately—God’s word is true—He cannot lie, He will not lie, and He is no respecter of persons.

Simple is not always easy. We have a part to play, we must learn about who God is. We need to know His word, and we must be willing to take a stand at the risk of failure or looking foolish or even being ashamed.

However, the payoff is well worth it; purpose—to learn to walk in the fullness of what God has for you, impact—being able to share the joy of God’s blessings with a hurting world and with those that are hurting within the body of Christ, confidence—knowing that when you ask, God will answer.

How do I get started?

The list could go on, but like all things there must be a beginning and so the beginning is to say to the enemy “God said.” No questions asked, no doubt, no fear—just a seeking heart and a ready mind willing to explore God’s word as a personal letter to you, to me, full of promises that we can claim and expect to walk in now, today.

It is time, the time for Christ’s return is drawing near. Maybe you do not feel that this is accurate—perhaps you think Christ’s return is far in the future—regardless we are to be prepared and expectant.

Matthew 24:36-42 “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.”

We are here not to live out our life so we can get to the end—instead, we are here to occupy until He comes—to claim the land, the promises, and walk in them as a testimony to the world so that they will see and consider Christ through the testimony of our lives.

What now?  

When you feel lonely—remember you are not alone. When you face a problem—turn to your Father for help, guidance, and tangible, in this world, right now answers. EXPECT AN ANSWER!  

He is able to do abundantly more than you or I can ask or think! Not only is He able, but He is also willing, anxious to show you, His love.  

You are your beloved’s and He is yours—He flies a banner over you that is love (Song of Solomon 2:4)—a flag that identifies you as one of His—as His beloved.  

Do not just read the words—but know that over your life there really is a flag that says “(insert your name here) is my beloved” and consider what that looks like in a practical sense.

This banner lets the enemy know you are under God’s protection. You are loved by the God who has met your needs before you knew you had them, the God that knows everything about you and still loves you with a pure love—a love that has no malice, no expectation, no hint of self-interest.

How does that make you feel?  

I do not know about you, but realizing this makes me a little more confident, I stand a little taller, I do not have to compete or struggle for acclaim—I am already loved, by the only one whose love really matters.  

God’s word is the truth. This week live like you believe it; see what kind of a difference it can make as you face a world that at times seems hostile.  

I am including a clip from the movie “Joe Verses the Volcano.” Although, Joe does not know God’s name we do know. However, like Joe I think many of us have forgotten just how big God is.

Dear Father,

It is so easy for us to forget just how big you are. Thank you Lord, thank you for my life! Thank you that you have already prepared provision, for my friends and for me—you have already prepared wonderful surprises of joy for us according to your word. You are present—always working in our behalf. As we walk with you—you will turn everything to our good—for our blessing and your glory. Amen

Disclaimer: "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12) My goal is to honor the word of God and the personalization of scripture is in no way meant to replace or change the word of God. God’s word has power, and it should always be the goal of His children to use scripture as it is written.

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Henri Nouwen

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