Tag: promises

Promises Give Power for Living

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Today I want to look at the two portions of scripture where the angel delivers the messages from God to both Mary and Joseph. We can compare what is told to each and marvel at how specific God is about this coming child.

Luke 1:31-35 “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” 34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” 35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.

Matthew 1:21-23 “She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,  and they shall call his name Immanuel (which means, God with us).“

Both Mary and Joseph are told that the child will be God’s son, he will be a descendant of David, he would be born of a virgin and he will be called Jesus which means God with us. All of these things had been prophesied in the Old Testament about the coming Messiah. Both of them would have been familiar with the scripture and must have marveled at how God keeps His Word. Isaiah 9:6 “For to us a child is born,  to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder,     and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 11:10 “In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious.” Isaiah 7:14 “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” Matthew 1:16 “and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.” All those things foretold about Jesus came to pass, and we can trust those things still future to us will be done as well. We know that God is and always will be a Promise Keeper. That which God say will come to pass and His will cannot be thwarted. Job 42:2 “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.

I love 2 Corinthians 2:20 “For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.” and 2 Peter 1:3-4 “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.” God has given us His great and precious promises so that we can know and trust Him fully. We can count upon His promises as all God promises are true.

I find God’s promises to be very powerful in my life. The knowledge of God’s promises give me power and assurance for living each day. Here are a few of my favorites that you can claim too! Deuteronomy 31:6 when I am experiencing fear or feeling lonely, “Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” When things seem bleak and I can’t see how things will work out, I claim the truth of Philippians 4:19 “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” When I am up against the world and need Jesus, I claim 2 Corinthians 12: 9-10 “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” God’s Word has power and helps us to live strong committed lives depending upon Him!

Be Assured along with Mary and Joseph that God is a Promise Keeper!

Linda

Cling to God’s Faithfulness- He will bring you through it!

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God’s faithfulness is a subject you can never talk enough about. Today’s promise is found in 2 Timothy 2:11-13 and is in a poetic format in the Apostle Paul’s letter to his ‘son’ Timothy.

2 Timothy 2:11-13 11 Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him;
12 if we endure,  we will also reign with him.
If we disown him, he will also disown us;
13 if we are faithless,  he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself.

Promises: God promises that our actions towards Him will be rewarded or punished in kind and that above all He is faithful.

Have you ever felt your actions for good will go unrewarded or that the things you say when trying to witness have fallen on deaf ears? This promise call us into account for our own actions towards both man and God. What we say and do does matter! The thing that makes this doable is God’s faithfulness towards us in spite of our failings. If we will cling to Him in faith, we will be victorious. Today if you are tempted to doubt that what you are doing is right then stop and ask God to guide you. Lean into Jesus and call on God’s faithfulness to see you through. Jeremiah 33:3 is one of my favorite truths to hold onto, “3 ‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’

What does this verse teach us about God: faith in Jesus brings assurance of salvation, God rewards perseverance, rejecting Christ will result in judgement, when I stumble in my faith God does not lose faith in me, God is faithful.

Lenten Reflections: How am I being faithful in my walk with Jesus? What doubts or temptations do I need to turn over to faithful God?

These lines make me think seriously about how I am relating to and speaking about God. He expects a lot from me in faith but He has given me everything for eternity. Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, I can know the faithfulness of God and cling to Him.

Linda

Related Verses: Jeremiah 33:3, Proverbs 3:3-4, Colossians 3:23-25, James 1:2-4

Lent 2025, Let the Promise Journey Begin

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Our world is filled with chaos and turmoil. Keeping our eyes on Jesus will give us wisdom and discernment for navigating the waters of life that seem to swirl constantly around us. Habakkuk 3:17-19 provides a window into the hope we have in God.

Even though the fig trees have no blossoms,
    and there are no grapes on the vines;
even though the olive crop fails,
    and the fields lie empty and barren;
even though the flocks die in the fields,
    and the cattle barns are empty, Does your world resemble this picture?
18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord!
    I will be joyful in the God of my salvation! Is your resolve set in the Lord?
19 The Sovereign Lord is my strength!
    He makes me as surefooted as a deer,
    able to tread upon the heights. Are you willing to trust in Him?

Promise: God promises He will be my strength and joy and enable me to endure life’s trials.

If you had a chance to profess your faith and trust in God, would your words be similar to the prophet Habakkuk’s? He had learned that God alone would be His joy and strength in hard times. He knew he could count upon God to be there and give him the surefootedness of a deer when things got hard or steep. This confession of faith came after struggling with God, questioning Him and seeking to understand his world, faith and God’s actions or inactions. Doesn’t that describe each one of us? We say, why God did you allow such and such to take place? Why is this happening to me? Our answer, like Habakkuk’s comes down to trust and faith in Almighty God. Isaiah 55:8 “for my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither ar e you ways my ways,” declares the LORD. Just like Habakkuk, we have to acknowledge and trust in the sovereignty of God and depend upon His strength. May your resolve be empowered today as you step out and trust God in every trial you are facing.

From this promise we see: trusting God brings joy, God is our Savior, God is Sovereign, and God provides what we need to be able to endure or rise above the trials of life.

Questions for myself in this Lenten time of reflection. How is my trust in God growing? What joy from God am I experiencing in the trials of life I am currently facing?

God’s Word is deep and provides many other places where we can find similar assurances to this promise in Habakkuk. We are ‘slow’ learners and God knows we need things repeated to have them stick to our character. Here are some verses with related truths: 1 Chronicles 29:12, Psalm 18:46, Isaiah 43:11, John 10:29, Romans 5:1-5 and James 1:2-4.

Let us journey together the next 6 weeks and emerge steeped in His promises!

Linda

Lent 2025, Promises

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As I was praying about what to write on during our 6 week Lenten journey, God impressed upon me that He keeps His promises and not knowing His promises means you are are lacking something vital that God intends you to have! I decided to blog each day on a different promise that God has for us in His Word. The promises will come from both the Old and New Testament as He has been in the promise giving and keeping business since the beginning of creation.

In my book, Promises for Dynamic Living, I wrote the following in the forward. It seemed a very appropriate reminder of why we need to know and claim His promises. “In studying God’s promises I have seen a completeness to God’s Word and how He has woven it together to confirm, assure, and build us up to be the men and women He desires. His Word in us glorifies Him, and He longs for us to study and know Him. When I work with young people, I try to teach them that God’s Word, on the pages of our Bible, holds the same power as the spoken word of God, which brought the world into existence. There is power in His Word and He desires that we know His Word and claim it in our lives.

I am so encouraged because the depth of God’s promises span throughout the entire Bible. God’s promises are not just limited to those things given to us by Christ. God has been in the promise-making business from the very beginning of His relationship with man. He knows us and knows that we need assurance of who He is and what He will do in, and through our lives. I pray that you will find promises in both the Old and New Testaments to enrich your walk with the Lord and that it brings you assurance of His loving character. May His promises remove, any and all doubts you are experiencing. Claiming His promises in your life will dispel doubts and fear. It will lead you on the pathway towards assurance and HOPE in Christ.”

Are you feeling doubts about the future from the circumstances that surround you? Are you anxious about your finances or health issues? Studying God’s promises is guaranteed to reassure and uplift. If this is what you need. Join me for the next six weeks and be ready for joy and hope to invade your life!

Walking with His promises this Lenten Season!

Linda

What to Cling to in 2025! Be Encouraged.

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We live in uncertain times and do not know what this year will bring. However, as a believer I can know with certainty that I know the one who Holds the Future! As I testified in my reflections for 2024, God is faithful. Here are some scriptures to encourage you as you look into the New Year: (be sure to read the note to self at the bottom)

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God is faithful and His mercies are new each and every morning. Lamentations 3:21-23 “But this I call to mind  and therefore I have hope: 22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;  his mercies never come to an end;23 they are new every morning;  great is your faithfulness.” I can cling to God’s character as I traverse this year being assured of His unending love for me and His faithfulness to those who believe in Him.

God cares for me. Nahum 1:7 “The Lord is good,  a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him,” I can depend upon the goodness of God, His protective nature and His care for me.

God a plan for my life that is good. Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Whatever this year may hold, I can trust in God’s plans for my life as they are good and filled with hope. My future is secure in Him.

God’s salvation plan is secure because of my faith in Jesus. John 10:28 “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.” 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 “ Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, 22 set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.”

God’s promises are true and He is always with me. 2 Peter 1:4 “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.” I know God has given me His promises so I can live rightly for Him without fear. Deuteronomy 31:6 “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” I do not need to live in fear of them- the world, enemies, bad economic downturns and difficult times, because God is always with me. I can depend upon His faithful character.

May you look to the New Year with hope and anticipation of what God will do in and through your life in 2025! The world is constantly changing and often not in a good way. But we can remain steadfast and plugged into God as He is constant and will not change on us. Hebrews 13:8 is a promise to hold onto, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever”. Praise God we have a faithful, immutable God to lead us in 2025!

Happy New Year!

Linda

Advent Day 20, Unfailing Love and Faithfulness-Where else can you find This?

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Today’s passage is from Psalm 89. This psalm begins with a declaration by the psalmist that he knows and trusts in God’s love. I will sing of the Lord’s unfailing love forever!
    Young and old will hear of your faithfulness.
2 Your unfailing love will last forever.
    Your faithfulness is as enduring as the heavens. Can you make this same declaration? Do you know that God’s love is unfailing and eternal? David had a life filled with challenges that serve as an example to us today that no matter what happens in our lives- God is always there with His eternal love.

Verses 19-26 Long ago you spoke in a vision to your faithful people. God made a covenant with His people and is faithful
You said, “I have raised up a warrior.
    I have selected him from the common people to be king. God choose David as king.
20 I have found my servant David.
    I have anointed him with my holy oil.
21 I will steady him with my hand;
    with my powerful arm I will make him strong. God promises to stand by David and support him.
22 His enemies will not defeat him,
    nor will the wicked overpower him.
23 I will beat down his adversaries before him
    and destroy those who hate him. His enemies will not overcome him.
24 My faithfulness and unfailing love will be with him,
    and by my authority he will grow in power. God promises faithful love and growth in our lives.
25 I will extend his rule over the sea,
    his dominion over the rivers.
26 And he will call out to me, ‘You are my Father,
    my God, and the Rock of my salvation.’ David acknowledged God and he was called by God a man after His own heart.

Do you seen God’s hand in you life as David did? The promises made to David are ours to claim in Jesus. He came that we could be part of his forever family. He came that we would know Him and have Him to depend upon in our lives. He promises that temptations and enemies will not overcome us and that we will be victorious in Jesus. Can you claim that God is your rock and your salvation? Can you call him Father? In Jesus all this is possible. It is said that “Wisemen” still seek Him, will you be wise and seek Jesus this season? He is ready and willing if you will just call upon Him. Learn to know Him like David did and your life will be mightily blessed.

Linda

Advent Day 19, Being mindful-day by day

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Today’s Advent passage comes from 1 Thessalonians 5. The Apostle Paul had been doing some final teaching as this letter to the Thessalonian Christians concludes. Verses 12-22 gives us advice about what God expects of our lives now that we know Jesus. Can you relate to these admonitions today?

We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, 13 and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. How do you view your church leadership? Do you praise their efforts? How about a special gift to them this season? Be at peace among yourselves. 14 And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.  Are you quick to judge the efforts of others? Do you carry your weight at work and at home? How are you at encouraging others? How’s your patience? 15 See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. Do you like to get back at people, waiting for the right time? Do you look for ways to help others regularly?

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.  This one is hard- always be joyful, praying a lot and being thankful whatever happens! 19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies, 21 but test everything; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil. Paul ends with this one two punch. We are not to try to subdue, thwart, put down the work of the Holy Spirit. Love all of God’s Word and cling to what is good. Do you claim God’s promises and hold onto them? Do you watch your actions to be sure you are not participating in anything evil?

Having given the Thessalonian Christians his parting advice, Paul leaves them with these words. Verses 23-25. Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.

Paul is confident that God would see them and us through the trials of life. We just need to stay focused on Jesus and seek to live for Him daily. God is faithful and will not leave us or forsake us! Philippians 1:6 is a promise we can cling to with assurance. “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

I pray that Paul’s words will encourage you and cause you to reflect this Advent season. Jesus is the reason! Keep that in mind always.

Linda

Promises Require Trust and Commitment

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Psalm 37: 5-6 contains powerful promises we can count upon in your lives. Commit your way to the Lord;
    trust in him, and he will act.
6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
    and your justice as the noonday.

God promises to act on my behalf, bring out righteousness and justice for me if I will commit myself to Him and trust Him.

How are you at commitment? Do you start things and then lose interest or quit when things get too hard? All of us do that at times but we do not want to make a habit of it. Learning to commit to the Lord is a lifetime process that increases as we study His Word, pray and seek to follow Him. Truly committing to Him, in both faith and action, allows us to walk in God’s light and see His Righteousness and Justice more clearly. The thing I love about this promise is that I am committing and trusting in Him but HE promises to do the acting. God will cause things to come about and work out. I do not need to worry about the outcome- God has it handled. I just need to be committed to Him and trust Him. As we go through life and see this come about over and over, we see our trust in Him grow. When the bigger things in life happen, we have experience with God to refer to and know He will do the acting. God keeps His promises, always! Trusting God with the outcome, we can know that He will not be stopped or thwarted and His way is victorious. He will lead us to light and right and all His ways are just.

Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, I can be assured that God desires good for me and is trustworthy. Jesus said on his Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7:11 “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” God has good things for us and sent His best in Jesus. Christ did this for us and can be trusted, 1 Peter 2:24-25 “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. 25 For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.“

Linda

Thanksgiving 2023, A Day for Giving Thanks

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I pray this has been a wonderful day filled with thankfulness. Whether you are alone or with family, it is a time to reflect and take stock on what God has graciously given to you this past year. Be it health, shelter, friends, wealth, an improved attitude, hopefulness or peace, God’s goodness puts it all into perspective. We could be ill, homeless, friendless, poor, experience depression or anxiety, despair or agitation BUT if we place our focus on Jesus, He will help us to see His good, His provision in whatever circumstances in which we are tangled. May you see this psalm in your day and in your own time. Let your voice be raise din thanks and praise.

A Psalm for giving thanks.

1 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
2     Serve the Lord with gladness!
    Come into his presence with singing!

3 Know that the Lord, he is God!
    It is he who made us, and we are his;
    we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
    and his courts with praise!
    Give thanks to him; bless his name!

5 For the Lord is good;
    his steadfast love endures forever,
    and his faithfulness to all generations.

Blessings this Thanksgiving and may you find a reason to praise God each and every day. Praise Him and claim Deuteronomy 31:6 “Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” and 2 Corinthians 12:9 ‘But he (Jesus) said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.as you navigate each day.” He will provide all you need!

Linda

Choices-when you Know you’re wrong! Can you live with it?

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What do you do when you know you’ve done wrong? You can deny it. You can wallow and continue doing wrong. You can stop doing wrong and turn over a new leaf, so to speak, on you own. OR You can stop, repent- be sorry for your wrong doing- and turn from doing what is wrong, seeking God’s help to go in a new way away. In Isaiah 57, God is confronting the people of Israel through the prophet Isaiah. In verses 1-13, Isaiah points out their sins towards God. They were worshiping other gods as they made offerings to stone idols, put up pagan symbols in their homes, and burned incense to the wicked god Molech. God questions the Israelites and asks, who will you turn to when you are in trouble? Your collection of idols will not answer and no help will be found in them. God ends this confrontation with challenge and hope. Isaiah 57:11-13 “Are you afraid of these idols?
    Do they terrify you?
Is that why you have lied to me
    and forgotten me and my words?
Is it because of my long silence
    that you no longer fear me?
12 Now I will expose your so-called good deeds.
    None of them will help you.
13 Let’s see if your idols can save you
    when you cry to them for help.
Why, a puff of wind can knock them down!
    If you just breathe on them, they fall over!
But whoever trusts in me will inherit the land
    and possess my holy mountain.”

What are you doing now or have done in the past that God is confronting you about it? Where are you putting your hope and trust? Are you placing your hope in man-made things or people instead of God? God says the idols you so hopefully worship and put your trust in can be knocked over by the wind, they will not answer you or support you when you ask for help. God alone promises help and restoration with an inheritance!

I love God’s promise in Isaiah 57:15 “The high and lofty one who lives in eternity,    the Holy One, says this:
“I live in the high and holy place
    with those whose spirits are contrite and humble.
I restore the crushed spirit of the humble
    and revive the courage of those with repentant hearts.” God says He dwells with the one who is contrite in spirit and humble. Contrite is an old-fashioned word that means one who shows sincere remorse, and has a sense of guilt and desires atonement. God seeks those who have a repentant heart and desire to turn to Him for help. He promises restoration and revived courage to live rightly. In verse 19 He promises peace, “I will comfort those who mourn,
19     bringing words of praise to their lips.
May they have abundant peace, both near and far,”
    says the Lord, who heals them.”

Restoration, peace and healing are to be found with God! Praise God! In Him we will find hope and forgiveness. If we do not make the choice to come to Him with a contrite and humble heart, verse 20-21 tell of the consequences that await us. “But those who still reject me are like the restless sea,
    which is never still
    but continually churns up mud and dirt.
21 There is no peace for the wicked,”
    says my God.“

Again, I ask, what do you do when you know you’ve done wrong? The Isarelites who turned back to God and recieved His forgiveness that was filled with grace, mercy and hope. Those who did not turn back to God were rejected and found no peace. Consider the power of repentance and the cost of being unrepentant. Which will you choose?

Linda