Simple Thoughts On Promises

[jeremiah7]

Simple Thoughts On Promises- 109

If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! (Matthew 7:11)

In the book of Esther we read of a wonderful blessing that God bestowed upon the Jews who were fearing annhilation because of a deadly plan by a man called Haman who had decided to wipe out every Jew. God overthrew his plan and instead of pain and death, they were blessed in this way as we read in Esther Ch. 8

The Jews had light, and gladness, and joy, and honour. (Esther 8:16)

Darkness, sorrow and belittling were replaced by light and joy and honour.

How remarkable.

Esther, Mordecai and the Jews fasted and prayed and God brought a total reversal of things as they were to be.

So do not despair because of the circumstances you are facing. Go into God's presence with prayer and fasting and God will stretch forth his hand to bless you just as King Artaxerex held out the golden sceptre for Esther.

Jesus loves you and he will give you light and joy and honour just as he gave it to Esther, Mordecai and the Jews. God bless you.

[jeremiah7]

Simple Thoughts On Promises- 110

Then the LORD said to Moses, "Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground. (Exodus 14:15, 16)

Are you stuck at some place dear brother/sister in Christ? Stagnating in your spiritual life? The Lord says, "Move on!"

How long are you going to latch on to your family traditions and stagnate in your spiritual life?

What are the things that are hindering you from having a close walk with Jesus? Free yourself from those shackles and move on.

You have to reach the heavenly Canaan and there are so many obstacles. God told Moses, "Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground."

Piece of cake? No way! But that's the Lord for you. Stretching Moses' faith to the limits, just to see whether he would snap. Almost did snap a few times, yet here, his obedience to God's command made him and the Israelites see the unbelievable.

There's a way in the Red Sea or the monstrous problem that you are experiencing in your life, dear brother/sister in Christ. You may not be able to see the way but God can and he will open the way if you trust in his words and be obedient to him. Move on.

[jeremiah7]

Simple Thoughts On Promises- 111

Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. He said to them, "Listen to this dream I had: We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it." (Genesis 37:5-7)

What if Joseph had kept his dreams to himself? Wouldn't his brothers have hated him? Sometimes people hate children of God for no fault of theirs. Jealousy is one of the root causes of hatred. The Bible is replete with many such instances right from the creation of Adam & Eve. Satan was jealous of the blessings that were being bestowed by God upon Adam and Eve. Look at Cain; he was jealous and hated his brother Abel because God accepted Abel's offering and not his.

And the stories go on and on...but the difference is made by the promise. And what God promises he fulfills despite the jealousies and the hatreds.

Joseph's dreams were God given and many things happened against their fulfillment but God saw to it that in the fullness of time, his time, they attained fulfillment.

Have you a promise given by God? And you are worried about all the hate that is coming against you. Remember Joesph and his dreams. Your's too will attain fulfillment in God's time.

As for now....Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall. (Psalm 55:22)

God bless you.

[jeremiah7]

Simple Thoughts On Promises- 112

'I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten - the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm - my great army that I sent among you. (Joel 2:25)

Joel's prophecy begins with the prophetic utterance of impending invasion of the land by different kinds of locusts destroying the produce of the land. It may also have indicated the invasions of the land by the Chaldeans.

"What the locust swarm has left the great locusts have eaten; what the great locusts have left the young locusts have eaten; what the young locusts have left other locusts have eaten." (Joel 1:4)

"The fields are ruined, the ground is dried up ; the grain is destroyed, the new wine is dried up, the oil fails." (Joel 1:10)

Then comes the summons from the Lord to the people of the land to fast and pray and repent of their sins.

'Even now,' declares the LORD, 'return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.' Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity. (Joel 2:12, 13)

And the promises for repenting and living a life pleasing to the Lord are detailed from verses 19- 27 of Ch. 2.

The verse that we have here as the title verse is a part of these, in which God promises to give back what they have lost due to the locust invasions.

'I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten - the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm - my great army that I sent among you. (Joel 2:25)

Whatever blessings you lost because of your rebellion and sin will also be returned by the Lord if you fast and pray and repent and live a life pleasing to God. He is a good God. He loves you. Live for him. He will restore you. Praise the Lord.

[jeremiah7]

Simple Thoughts On Promises- 113

"See, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared. (Exodus 23:20)

A promise given to the Israelites as they travelled towards Canaan; the land of promise. God was sending his angel ahead of the travelling Israelites to fight for them and protect them from their enemies, but there were instructions for them concerning the angel:

Pay attention to him and listen to what he says. Do not rebel against him; he will not forgive your rebellion, since my Name is in him. If you listen carefully to what he says and do all that I say, I will be an enemy to your enemies and will oppose those who oppose you. (Exodus 23:21, 22)

"Pay attention, listen carefully to the angel and do all that God said"were the instructions. That was the Old Testament.

For us, as believers, God has given us his Holy Spirit to guide us till we enter eternity in heaven. The Counselor, the Holy Spirit, of whom Jesus said,

But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. (John 14:26)

But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth.... (John 16:13)

We have to pay attention and listen carefully to the Holy Spirit and obey the Word of God as detailed in the New Testament. The Holy Spirit will teach us all things through the Word and he will remind us of everything that Jesus said and he will guide us into all truth.The Holy Spirit will guard us and guide us to the place that God has prepared for us.

The question is: Are we willing to obey him?

If yes, then we can be sure that he will surely finish the work that God has begun in us. Praise the Lord.

[jeremiah7]

Simple Thoughts On Promises- 114

My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense - Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. (1 John 2:1)

What a blessing! You and me, when we sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense - Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.

And sin comes so easily. Maybe not in deed, but in thought and in speech it is rampant in the lives of so many believer's. No wonder the Lord told Cain the all too familiar phrase- "If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it." (Genesis 4:7)

Why does sin crouch at our door? Why does it desire to have us?

Simply because satan is jealous and wants to steal the fellowship that we have with God and wants sin to be a stumbling block in our lives from receiving God's blessings.

But as God advised Cain--You must master sin. What happened though was the other way around--sin mastered Cain and he murdered his brother Abel.

Let us not let sin master us. The Bible advises us thus:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. (Hebrews 12:1)

Sin can entangle us like a creeper entangles a good plant, but we must cry out to God to save us from such sins that entangles us. We have one who speaks to the Father in our defense - Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.

Let us abide in him so that the following maybe fulfilled in our lives too.

And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming. (1 John 2:28)

Confident and unashamed... Hope we can be found in such a state.

God bless.

[jeremiah7]

Simple Thoughts On Promises- 115

Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jahaziel son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite and descendant of Asaph, as he stood in the assembly. He said: "Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the LORD says to you: 'Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God's. (2 Chronicles 20:14, 15)

Jehoshaphat, king of Judah was afraid because the Moabites and Ammonites with some of the Meunites had declared war on him. Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the LORD, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah. The people of Judah came together to seek help from the LORD; indeed, they came from every town in Judah to seek him. Jehoshaphat praised and glorified God and cried to him for help. That is when the above prophecy and promise were given to Jehoshaphat and the people in Judah.

More specific directions were given to the king:

Tomorrow march down against them. They will be climbing up by the Pass of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the gorge in the Desert of Jeruel. You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the LORD will give you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the LORD will be with you.'" (2 Chronicles 20:16, 17)

Early in the morning they left for the Desert of Tekoa. As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, "Listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem! Have faith in the LORD your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful." After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the LORD and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: "Give thanks to the LORD, for his love endures forever." As they began to sing and praise, the LORD set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated. (2 Chronicles 20:20- 22)

The faithfulness of God was manifest again as he defeated the enemies of Judah. If you are being attacked by evil forces, cry out to God as Jehoshapat did. Never forget to praise and glorify God in the midst of the attack. Jesus will deliver you and you will glorify him again for his faithfulness. Praise the Lord.

[jeremiah7]

Simple Thoughts On Promises- 116

He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap;

he seats them with princes, with the princes of their people. (Psalm 113:7, 8)

Who would have wondered that the lives of the people mentioned below would change dramatically by the power of the one mentioned in the verses above. Yes, El Shaddai- The Almighty God did it and he can do it for you too.

So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe - the richly ornamented robe he was wearing - and they took him and threw him into the cistern. Now the cistern was empty; there was no water in it. (Genesis 37:23, 24)

Yet having learned who Mordecai's people were, he scorned the idea of killing only Mordecai. Instead Haman looked for a way to destroy all Mordecai's people, the Jews, throughout the whole kingdom of Xerxes. When Mordecai learned of all that had been done, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the city, wailing loudly and bitterly. (Esther 3:6)(Esther 4:1)

So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and afflicted Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. Then Job took a piece of broken pottery and scraped himself with it as he sat among the ashes. (Job 2:7, 8)

The lives of Joseph, Mordecai and Job are just a few examples of what the Lord can do by his mighty power.

Read about their later lives after God delivered them by his mighty power.

So Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt." Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph's finger. He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. He had him ride in a chariot as his second-in-command, and men shouted before him, "Make way !" Thus he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt. (Genesis 41:41-43)

Mordecai left the king's presence wearing royal garments of blue and white, a large crown of gold and a purple robe of fine linen. And the city of Susa held a joyous celebration. Mordecai was prominent in the palace; his reputation spread throughout the provinces, and he became more and more powerful. (Esther 8:15)(Esther 9:4)

After Job had prayed for his friends, the LORD made him prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had before. The LORD blessed the latter part of Job's life more than the first....(Job 42:10,12)

If you are down in the dumps today, there's hope for you 'coz the God of Joseph, Mordecai and Job is still alive. He says,

"Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." (Isaiah 41:10)

He is still able to do great wonders. Praise the Lord.

[RebekahDavid]

Amen! thank You Lord

[jeremiah7]

Simple Thoughts On Promises- 117

By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned." Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death. (Hebrews 11:17-19)

This is a wonderful passage from Hebrews 11. What all would have gone through Abraham's mind when he had to travel 3 days to the land of Moriah and sacrifice his son there on one of the mountains will remain a mystery, unless of course we meet him some day and discuss it. Yet being acquainted with all the emotions that come to us humans, we can fairly assume that this was no menial task. The sorrow and anguish that must have burdened him must have been mighty. Perhaps there must have been quite a few "Why God?" that circulated in his mind while he travelled. Perhaps God would change his mind on the way. Perhaps this was just a bad dream.

No, but it was reality and he had to go through it. Isaac's innocent question must have broken his heart. It must have bled when Isaac asked,"Father?" "Yes, my son?" Abraham replied. "The fire and wood are here," Isaac said, "but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?" (Genesis 22:7)

Wonder how Abraham got the answer to that one. God must have put it in his heart I guess. Abraham answered, "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." And the two of them went on together. (Genesis 22:8)

Then came the heart rending part for Abraham. The Bible says,

When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. (Genesis 22:9,10)

I wonder how this man past 100 in age would have held that knife without his hand quivering because he was about to give away what he and his wife had yearned for and received after waiting for 25 years. Perhaps he must have kept his eyes open to a bare minimum and would have wanted the whole affair to be over swiftly. How would he answer the questions of Sarah when he went back?

A 1000 questions and most of them without clear cut answers must have swirled through the old man's mind in the 3 days after he set out from home, but now was the decisive moment. He could make it or break it. And he did not falter.

As he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son, the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!" "Here I am," he replied. "Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son." Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, "On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided." (Genesis 22:10-14)

Very true, what the writer of Hebrews says. Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death.

No human pats on the back for him, but heaven's recognition that he truly feared God. The Apostle Paul's interestingly arrives at this conclusion from his study of the life of Abraham.

Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham's offspring - not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. (Romans 4:16)

Praise the Lord.