Does God Keep His Promises?

 Does God Keep His Promises?

Now that is a very general question but there are some interesting aspects to God’s promises.

For example let’s take a look at the promises God made to Abraham.

Genesis 17:3-8

Abram fell face down, and God said to him, "As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. No longer will you be called Abram ; your name will be Abraham,  for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. The whole land of Canaan, where you are now an alien,

I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God."

Genesis 22:17-18 

I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me."

Some aspects of these promises have already been fulfilled but the completion of some of them are still yet to come. In some ways we are in a similar situation as Abraham.  We are still waiting expectantly for the completion of some of God’s promises (ex. Jesus second coming). As we wait patiently for God’s timing

here are some promises God has made to us that we can take to heart right now. I hope they will

encourage you.

Philippians 4:19  

And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 2:8  

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—

 
1 Corinthians 10:13  

No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond What  you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

Romans 8:28  

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who  have been called according to his purpose.

 
Acts 2:38  

Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.  And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

 
John 10:27-28  

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish;

no one can  snatch them out of my hand.

 
Philippians 1:6  

being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

 
John 11:25-26 

Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives  and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?

 
John 8:12

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.

Malachi 3:10  
Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty,"and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.

 
John 3:16 

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,  that whoever believes in him shall not perish  but have eternal life.

Matthew 6:25-26  

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

Philippians 4:6-7  

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

 

Reading these promises can be encouraging if we are willing to trust God with our lives.

The biggest hindrance from trusting God is the way we think. We should ask ourselves these questions:

• Do I have a God centered life or a self centered life?
• Do I love God more then I love the World?
• Is my relationship with God the number one priority in my life?

This idea about having a God centered life will make all the difference in being able to trust in God’s promises. This one verse will help us understand how we should think in a fallen (sin filled) world.

 Romans 12:2 

 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

How do we renew our minds?.............. Start by reading God’s word.

How do we know what God’s will is?.......................... Spend time with God.. Ask & Pray.

The Bible explains this idea of seeking God's will:

 

Matthew 7:7-8 New International Version 1984

Ask, Seek, Knock
Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

So with the Bible telling us not to conform to the pattern of this world and also to not love the world or anything in the world (1 John 2:15), we need to look to God to provide wisdom and perspective for all areas in our life (ex. Marriage, relationships, parenting, work, ministry, etc.). This means we need to let God in those places we have decided we still want to be in control over.    

We also need to be careful of people whose ideas stem from  a flawed worldly perspective.  We need to find God centered people to counsel us and help give us perspective on living a life set apart to God. Yet, because we are a work in progress, it takes time to see the flaws in our own thinking as well as others who have been exalted by the popular culture.  We have a tendency to look upon to those who are popular to be the main source of our inspiration. We look to them for wisdom even though our true source of wisdom comes from God’s word.

So here are the big questions: (You can fill in the blank with who is influencing you now)

• Who are you going to trust, God or _______?
• What are you going to believe, God’s Word or ______________?
• Who are you going to follow, Jesus or ___________?

The Bible tells us who we need to trust:

Proverbs 3:5-6 

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.   

John 14:1
[ Jesus Comforts His Disciples ] "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.

So the question for all of is:  Where are we getting our wisdom from?

I pray that we will look to God’s Word and the Holy Spirit for our source of truth, wisdom and discernment.

I pray that we will remember to live apart from this fallen world and set ourselves apart to God and His purpose. No matter what our circumstances, we should always try to be in a right relationship with God.

By living a life set apart to God our example we can influence others to live the same way.

The question again is: Does God keep His promises?

I challenge you to trust God with your entire life. I know He will keep His promises for you. He has for me.

 

Just Sayin..........................Dave