Precious Promises

Well, praise the Lord. I'm sure glad the Lord does reign, because otherwise we'd be in a losing situation, wouldn't we? But He is faithful. So I apologize for my piece of paper here today, but I had a lot of scriptures that were ... that came to me, and I didn't want to try to remember them all up here, because there's not that much up there anymore. So anyway, but the Lord is faithful, isn't He? Well, I think this is a, in many ways, a meat and potatoes day. There's so many things that we need to know about this kingdom to which we've been called and how it works, how the Christian life works, that many times I think we need to hear truth over again and kind of reconnect with our everyday life, because if it isn't part of our everyday life, what is it? It just becomes religion and theory, and we don't want that. Most of you, a lot of the people here, know that my dad was a preacher. I grew up in a preacher's home. I'm one of those dreaded kids, preacher's kids. But anyway, I remember one sermon that he tended to preach a number of times in different settings, and it had to do with the promises of God. It was just a very special message, and yet always relevant, always right on track as to what the people need. And so I want to go ahead and turn to a scripture that we used last week, but I want to focus a little bit differently. It's in 2 Peter, the first chapter, and this is Peter obviously writing to encourage the saints and speaking about the calling and the wonderful things that we have in the Lord. But then these familiar scriptures, beginning in verse 3. His divine power has given us everything we need for godly life, through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. 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. And then He goes on and talks about the different virtues that He wants us to lay hold of and grow in. So obviously it's a process, isn't it? And if you're at all like me, and I suspect you are, we have many times in our lives, we have to come to an honest realization that we're not there yet, and there's a whole lot of this that we haven't really laid hold of in a very practical way. Because what kind of a mentality do we have as we go through life? What are our attitudes, our demeanor? Do we live anxious lives? Do we live joyful, free lives? And I suspect most of us don't really exhibit the things that the Lord has given us as much as we should in practical matters. We've got a long ways to go, and the Lord wants to teach us. But the simple principle, again, is that God's given us everything, hasn't He? Is there anything that we need that He hasn't given us? And thank God for that, the simple truths that are bound up in so many of these words. Where does all this come from? What do we have standing behind what He has given us? His divine power, is that enough? Is there anyone who can challenge His divine power? This comes from His heart, His ability, and all that He gives us, all that He desires for us, all that He desires to share with us. And it doesn't say He's laid out a plan by which we can earn it. Because if that were the case, we would all just close the doors and go home and just live and die, and that would be the end of it. He has given us. Don't ever let the devil tell you differently that what we have in Christ is a gift. Thank God. Now, yes, we live in accordance with that gift, but we don't earn it.

We never deserve it. It is never based upon that. In fact, the only way to come to God in the first place is to come to a place where we recognize our true condition, our true need. That there's nothing I could ever do to deserve. But I embrace that reality and I come based upon the gift of His mercy and His character. Thank God. His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life. So He's talking about how we live down here. Does it reflect His nature? Does it reflect ours? his character, or does it reflect something else, okay? And I know everybody here is just, you've crossed over into the Jordan, you're there in the promised land, and you live perfect lives, right? We got room to grow, don't we? So God's given us a way to grow, and that's what this is about, all right? I think precious promises would probably be the better title maybe, but we'll just, we'll see. All right. Through these, all right, we all, everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Again, it always goes back to what he is, and who he is, and his character, not what I am, and how good I am, and how deserving I am, because that would never work. All right. Through these, what's he talking about, through what? Through his own glory and goodness and his power, all these things that he has enumerated for us, that's the foundation upon which we stand. Now I realize in the outworking of that, it's what Jesus did, but all of that comes from his heart, doesn't it? It's all a reflection of his character, his purpose.

Praise God. All right. Through these, his glory, his goodness, his divine power, he has given us, again that word given, what has he given us? Very great and precious promises. All right. These are declarations of God that are true. Things that we need to build our lives on because God said it, I believe it, that settles it. That should be the place that God wants to bring every one of us to. Okay? All right. So why has he given us this? Why has he given us these precious promises? How does that work? How does that fit in with what his plan is? So that through them, you may participate in the divine nature. Now we're right back to something that I think we've emphasized lately, that God does everything, but for me to benefit from it, there's something for me to do. I have a responsibility. He doesn't just dump this on me. There's something that I need to do and it's connected with his promises. All right? He has made the promise, but if I'm going to benefit from that, there's something I've got to do. I've got to actually believe in it and receive it. But that's his heart, isn't it? That's his heart for you and you and you and every single person who hears this. That is God's heart for you. There's something he wants to share that's incredible.

And it's his own divine nature, his own life, his own ... the thing that makes him alive. He wants to share that with us. That's the only thing that can power a godly life. You can try in your own strength to keep rules and you'll just be a Pharisee. You'll deceive yourself and others. But I'll tell you, God wants to share his life. And it's interesting to me. Now this particular translation says that so you may participate. You may participate. Other translations say partake of. Something that he has that I need that I can actually participate in. It's interesting the Greek word behind that right there is the same word that's related to the word fellowship. Fellowship is not just simply a bunch of people who like each other and get together. There is a real living connection where fellowship happens. He's talking about people who share the same spirit and that becomes the foundation and the basis by which they have a relationship. Now I have a lot of parts of this aging body here and they're all in fellowship with one another most of the time. But what's the basis of that fellowship? Does my hand say, I disagree with you. I'm going elsewhere. There is a fellowship that is built on the fact that they all share me. They share my life. I live in and through them. That's what God is looking to reproduce in the earth is a people who literally live by his life. We participate. And he wants me to, as weak as I am and as unworthy as I am, he wants me to actually share in his life and his nature.

That's amazing. So this is why his power has given it to us is based on his goodness. It is given not earned. And there's a precious promises that God has given us and they're given us so that we can actually partake and share in his nature having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. Then he describes the fact that this is a process by which we you lay hold of. And that's kind of what I want to get into a little bit today because there is a process and how does that work? How does God actually do this in us? OK? Do we add to our faith virtue and all those things? All right, I want to go back and just reinforce some of this from Hebrews chapter 6 because how certain are these promises? I think we all know in theory they are perfectly certain. But let's read some scripture that would encourage that in our minds and our thinking. In verse 13, I believe, of chapter 6 of Hebrews, the writer has been seeking to bring people to the reality that it's through God's promise that we enter into what he has given us. But here he's talking about how certain is that. He's answering that question. When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, saying, I will surely bless you and give you many descendants. And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised. OK? Very simple process. But how many of you find out it's super simple when you just work it out in your life, right? And then you stand in need of, oh, sure, boom, God said it, that's it, I got it. It's a little bit of working out, isn't there? But still, regardless of the process, there is a certainty that God wants us to understand

every single day because the devil will attack that one way or another, all right? So now he goes to a human example. People swear by someone greater than themselves and the oath confirms what is said. So it's not just I say this, but I swear by something, all right? That's just a human process and it confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised. He confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. Anybody need to be encouraged this morning? Yeah, I sense that there's a lot of us that do because the devil has attacked a lot of this, all of it really. But think about the ... there are two things and I believe the two things that he says that are unchangeable are the purpose itself. God conceived a purpose before he did anything else, before creation itself. And it's unchangeable. He's not going to ... he didn't start this and say, oh, I'm changing my mind. This isn't working out the way I want. No, this is an unchangeable purpose that God determined from the foundation of the world. I'll tell you, when you lay hold of what God has given us in Christ, there's a certainty that God wants us to enjoy, not just on paper, but in our everyday lives. There's a greater level of certainty and rest. Is not that what God promised? Isn't that what Jesus offered when he said, learn from me? Scriptures we've used many times. What's the other unchangeable thing? The fact that he swore by himself and his character is, I can't tell a lie. When I say something, it's so, and that's the end of the story. So you need to realize my character is, I can't lie, so I'm swearing by the one who

can't lie. And this is concerning a purpose that I've already conceived and it is not changing. So I want you to have a solid foundation to stand upon when you come to me and believe what I say, all right? So the scripture about being greatly encouraged, we have this hope. Now again, we have to say that hope is not this, I hope so, but this is a confident expectation of something that hasn't happened yet. But it is as good as if it has happened. So expectation may be a better, a stronger word for us because we know that God can't lie and he's promised something and it's going to happen. And that should put an end to all argument. May God help us to live with that reality more than we do and to grow in that, okay? We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure, okay? And he's talking to Jews about, you need to leave the old covenant behind because that served its purpose, praise God, it was of God, but it served a purpose. purpose. Now we need to come to Christ and just lay everything at His feet and put our trust in Him and our hope in Him. Now there are certainly many other scriptures here. I'll just refer briefly to one in Romans chapter 4, I believe it is. And this is where we find Paul describing the fact that the relationship with God has to do not with our deserving and not with our works, but it was entirely on the basis of faith, of believing God's promise. Everything stands upon this. God has promised salvation. He has promised what you and I need to be changed into His image, to enjoy His spirit living within us and changing us. Every bit of that comes down to one simple transaction. God said it, but I need to actually believe it. And so Abraham is lifted up as the ultimate example of this. And we know that everything God did for him, particularly the promise that he believed and he was declared to be righteous, happened entirely before any part of the law happened. That was something that served a temporary purpose, but it had nothing to do with law keeping and deserving. It had everything to do with God said it and I'm going to believe it. And did you notice, of course, that Abraham just had a little bit of waiting to do, didn't he? There was a lot that stood in the way of something that God had said He was going to do. All right? And he talks,

and I don't want to get into some of the context here about the fact that he's talking about Jews and Gentiles all standing on the same ground. That's true enough. All right? Verse 16, the promise comes by faith. 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 have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all as it is written. I have made you boy that God did that before Abraham ever showed up, didn't he? Praise God. I'll tell you, I want to step into something that God has absolutely set in motion and can't fail. And that sounds like a good thing to be living for. Praise God. I have made you a father of many nations. He is our father in the sight of God in whom he believed, the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not. Boy, that's a pretty great God, isn't it? You see things that don't exist in your life right now and you know God wants you to have them? Can He do that? If He can create the universe from nothing, He can do what He needs to do in me and in you. God help us to come to that place of rest and faith. But here's the fact that we realize that when God works and when He gives a promise, part of the process of fulfilling that promise is allowing opposition to it. Think about the dynamic of what's going on. God has a promise and that promise is the way by which we get something. But in order for me to get something, I've got to come to a place where there's a need. I realize I need this. But in order for me to feel a need, what you have happen is that opposition has to arise to that so it becomes a contest. It becomes a battle. It becomes a war where God says one thing and all of my circumstances say no, like the song. We want to trust God when all the circumstances say no. We cry victory. Praise God. But if you didn't have that sense of need, now here's God saying, I want to give it to you, but you're kind of bopping along. You don't really feel the need for this. I'm going to help create that need. I'm going to let something happen in your life that's going to cause you to feel your need. But what's the nature of that opposition? Where does that come from? That comes from Satan's kingdom, doesn't it? You have literal beings we call demons that will many times be allowed to engineer circumstances and feelings in your life. And they're going to cause you to feel a need. And God did that because He loves you enough to say, I've got something for you, but you're going to have to lay hold of it. And this is the process.

by which you actually feel your need enough to do something about it, all right? So now what you've got going on is a contest, and what happens is not just that stuff happens that we would prefer that didn't happen, but we have a demon sitting there projecting thoughts into our minds explaining it to us. You know, our nature is when something happens, we want to know why. What does this mean? What's going on here? Is God punishing me? Did I do something wrong? Am I a bad person? I'm this. There's a thousand and one explanations that the devil will try to tailor to your personality and to your need, and he will absolutely plant lies in your mind if you receive them. Doesn't he do that? So here is the situation that God says, I promise this, I can't lie, this is true, and the devil comes and tells you something different. Now then what happens? What kind of gives us a choice, doesn't it? It puts the responsibility on us to choose who we're going to listen to, and choosing to believe God means going against all of that wisdom that is contrary to what he says, and it's not looking at the circumstances and say, well, that's in charge, that's just the way it is, when God says something different. When the Lord says, do this, and I say, I can't, and he says, you can too, and the devil says, you can't, no you can't, what am I going to choose? You see the choices you and I face every day. And what happens, here's a key, if I really believe God in the face of one of those situations and tests where the devil is allowed to attack God's promise, basically, if I'm in the middle of that and I'm having to choose, I can't even remember what I started to say there, Lord help me, but here I am having to make a choice, I'm having to learn how to recognize the enemy and absolutely, well, here's the thing that I started to say, it makes me live

out, we tend to live out what we believe, right, at the moment, okay? If God is saying one thing and the devil is saying another, and I am living in anxiety, I'm living in fear, I'm living in guilt, shame, I'm living in something other than what God has given me because of Christ, who am I listening to? See that's the thing, I think we can get in a place where we affirm with our heads what God says, and that's great, but that's not what gives me what God wants to give me. I don't get it that way, I get it in the field of battle when I make a choice to believe God in the face of all of that other stuff that's coming in there. That's why Abraham prevailed, he believed God in the face of a 25 year gap between the promise and the fulfillment, and we see his faith played out in his life in many other ways. Just the willingness to say, I trust you, whatever you say is right, and I don't care what happens in the between, I'm sticking to it, I'm believing you. But here's the issue, and I'll go back to this, what characterizes our lives when we face the issues of life? If we live with fear, and that's the dominant condition of our thinking and our acting, are we really believing God? We can say, oh yes, I believe Him, but in practice, are we really living that out? Now, is God being mean to us because He puts us through that? Or is He recognizing where we're at, and the fact that if I want my children to grow, I've given them everything, but they're just kind of bopping along and not really gaining all of that, it's not really entering, it's not becoming the characteristic of their thinking and their living. How do I do that? I know, I've got to give them problems and trials and difficulties. I've got to give them challenges that will absolutely fight against my promises so that they will make it, and as they make a choice. They're going to lay hold of something that will give them strength in the middle of that and change them so that they will become a different person. They will become a person who's not ruled by anxiety and fear and resentment and anger

and all of those emotions that, of course, nobody here ever has those, right? Am I meddling? I heard a yes. We need God to do some meddling, don't we? I need Him to meddle with me because I recognize even when I come in here on a Sunday morning, there are things that I battle. Just being ready and I'm starting to realize, oh God, it's almost like I think being anxious is normal. How many of you feel like you're anxious about this and anxious about that and it's normal? I wonder how many times that the devil has justified that anxiety by saying, that just shows that you care. Something to think about, isn't it? The devil has all kinds of ways to give us stuff that, to give us ideas and feelings and thoughts and ways of looking at life and the things that we're experiencing that are totally contrary to what God has said when He wants us to have a peace and a rest and a joy in the midst of whatever the circumstance is. I know we all remember the occasion when the Lord had a purpose, the Father had a purpose in sending His Son across the lake and Jesus declared to His disciples, He said, let's go to the other side. Well, do you remember what happened? He got in the boat and went to sleep and they got out in the middle of the lake and there was a terrible storm that threatened their lives. And the disciples woke Him up and said, Master, don't you care that we perish? You're supposed to be anxious about this. What's the matter with you? And of course, the Lord enabled Him to speak the word and calm the storm but, and He looked at them and said, where's your faith? I think a lot of times our faith is more in the circumstance and how it affects us, the earthly circumstance, than it is in what God has said. Jesus was at perfect peace because He knew that God had said go to the other side.

He didn't say go out in the middle of the lake and drown. I believe that God wants us to have a greater peace and rest in a very practical sense. And this gets down to the nuts and bolts of how that works and how God wants to share His life with us. He is going to share situations that absolutely rise up against His promises, declare them to be null and void, or at least not applying to you, or not now, or because, you know, all the logic the devil can throw at it. When God wants us to come to a childlike faith that looks to Him and says, God, you said it, I believe it, that settles it. And even if I don't feel it or see it, I'm going to trust you and I'm going to look to you. Praise God. And, of course, faith is not just a feeling, certainly isn't a feeling. Faith is actually something that takes action, doesn't it? It goes ahead with a confidence that what God said is true. It's not just, okay, I'll wait for you to do something, God. In the meantime, I'm kind of resenting this a little bit. I got quiet. But we all experience those emotions. We all hear those voices at one time or another. The question is, and, of course, there's no sense in being guilty about it, feeling the emotion or feeling the thought. The question is, do we embrace that, treat that as the truth? You see what the problem is? How many times do we embrace the devil's lie in one form or another and treat that as more reliable than what God has said? The Lord is going to help us, isn't He, as we look to Him? I praise Him because He is ... It's not that He's sitting there saying, what's the matter with you? He's saying, you're my children.

I want you to understand how this is working. I've given you everything and I want you to have it, but this is how ... You're going to have to lay hold of it. You're going to have to actually believe me. You could go through a whole lot of specific promises, and I'll just refer to a few of them that ... You can think about the ones that have affected you and the ones where the devil has challenged you. But one of them, one of the promises of the Word is that God is always with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you. Now, does that mean that you'll always feel His presence? Or it will always be manifest in some outward way? No, there are many times like in the life of Abraham where it's going to look like the very opposite. God's going to withdraw the sense of His presence because He wants us to believe Him and to thank Him and to really act like it's true because it is. And so we have an opportunity. We see these things as trouble and go away, this doesn't have any purpose. But God is wanting to give us every one of opportunities, an opportunity to lay hold of more of Him. How do we have more of Him? How do we have anything that He gives us? He gives us a promise, we believe it and receive it and act accordingly and He honors His Word and His promise. Does He keep His promises? Yes, He does. So if you're one that's feeling that right now, that God's just not there and you don't know what's going on, what did He say about that? I will never leave you, never forsake you. I want you to believe in me whether you feel me or not. Will God always provide our needs?

Now I didn't say our wants, but God knows what we need. My God will supply all your needs. Praise God. What about the thing about working all things for our good? We quote that all the time. Is this thing right now that you would rather not happen, is this good or is it bad? What's God's purpose in allowing it because He did allow it? Is it really for my good? Do I have the right to sit here and feel sorry for myself and complain and be angry and upset with people around me as though it's their fault? Do I have a right? Do I have a right? I mean, is God doing that so that I will look inside and feel like, oh, I'm worthless and this proves it? Or do we recognize God, you see me as someone who has a need and there's so much you want to share with me so that I can conquer that thing in me. I can conquer that. I don't have to live that way. And so God is doing something to make me grow up. It's where I'm just not a little child being spoon fed. I'm going to have to start growing up and start exercising my faith muscles. So He does that. Praise God. Does He give me the strength that I need? He bedded this morning because I ain't got it. How did Paul know that he ... find out he needed strength? God put him in a situation where all he felt was weakness. Anybody here that's gotten to that place or you're there now? All you feel is I just can't, I'm weak, I'm this, I'm that. And what did the Lord say?

What's His promise about that? My strength is made perfect in weakness is what He told Paul. But also what about Isaiah? Even the youths will faint and be weary. They'll get tired. But those who hope in the Lord, those who wait on the Lord will do what? Renew their strength. And now that could take many forms. It could take flying like an eagle. It could take running and not getting tired. Or it could take just walking. I'd be happy to walk, wouldn't you? But I'll tell you, God knows what we need, but He is teaching us to trust in Him, to believe in His promise so that we can receive more of Him. How does that, how does what He is get to be a part of my life and that be the part that's in control of how I think and feel? This is the process. We'd like it to have, we'd like to come down here to the altar and get it all, but it doesn't work that way. It works in everyday life when we learn how to believe what God says instead of what the devil says. Really comes down to that. Does He offer peace? Scripture we've used so many times about taking everything to Him in prayer, and the peace of God will end its doing with what? Thanksgiving? Because there's a real need to something we might not want to happen. But can we actually not only say, oh God, help me. We can say, Lord, you told me to bring this to you. You've allowed it to happen, and I thank you that you've got this and that you are doing something for me, not against me.

And so I am going to have a thankful spirit. I choose to have a thankful spirit. I'm not going to try to work something up. Just a quiet, thank you, Lord. And what does he respond with? Peace. Isn't that what he wants for you? How many of you just live with a peaceful heart all the time? Everything's just, I'm just at rest. Do you think maybe the Lord has got some work to do in all of us? Yeah, this is kind of the process, isn't it? But it all comes back to these promises. How does he want to share his life? It's through the promises. Well, the promises doesn't do me any good if I don't embrace it, if I don't live with it and thank him for it and agree with it. Does he give me hope? Does he really give me something, somebody like me, an actual hope? I know the plans that I have for you. He wants to prosper you and not harm you, to give you a hope and a future. Praise God. That's his heart for you this morning. That's his plan for you. Do you believe it? Or are you looking in the mirror and saying, oh, all I see is need and trouble and trial and oh, what life, life is so bad. Praise God. What about salvation itself? How do people receive salvation? Isn't it that God gives a promise, that if people repent and believe and put their faith

and their hope and their trust entirely in what Jesus did, that he will receive you, forgive your sins and come in to live? Isn't that what we saw in that testimony? Praise God. God took a lady who was in prison, obviously there because she did some bad stuff. Most of us, I don't think any of us here have been in prison that I know of, but so what? Doesn't matter if you are. We are all sinners, but that promise is out there. And for those who are willing to believe it and trust in that and turn their trust away from everything else and everyone else, will he fulfill that promise or not? Is that for you as much as it is for anybody? The correct answer is yes. God help us. God hears our prayers. God is attentive to the prayers of the righteous. God is faithful. I'm going to turn over briefly to 1 Corinthians chapter, the beginning of 1 Corinthians. And Paul is beginning his letter there, and one of the things he says to the believers is said, verse 8, he will also keep you firm to the end. He will keep you firm to the end. Why? So that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, won't that be something for Jesus Christ to show up? The promise of his coming and to be able to face that with joy and thankfulness and confidence and to know that I can stand there because of what he has done. I can't look to him and say, Lord, I deserve to be here. It's all going to be because of what he's done, but I can stand there blameless. He's the one who does that in me. To him be glory. Praise God.

So that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. But now how certain is that God is faithful? Let that sink in. When God says something, he means it. God is faithful. God is faithful who has called you into fellowship with his son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Oh, praise God. Are these promises worth hearing again and again and again? Yeah, anybody need this? I sure do. Praise God. What about the reality that while we have battles, we have a God who fights for us. Scripture is full of examples of that, of David and Goliath. And how about Jehoshaphat in that battle? How about Hezekiah when the city was surrounded by 180,000 or more troops? And God fought Daniel in the lion's den. God shut the mouths of the lions, Gideon. I'll tell you, we've got scriptures full. Now these were literal battles, but God is with you in your battle right now. I don't care what that battle is. God wants us to face whatever we're facing and realize the battle is yours, Lord. Help me to just be the person you want me to be. I'm asking you right now to fill me with your spirit. Fill my heart with a peace and a rest and a faith. And when those thoughts come, help me to say, wait a minute, God says something different. I'm believing. And not only that, I can pick up that sword and say, devil, it is written. Do you believe God wants to fight your battles? Absolutely. And is God in control?

Let's look at a scripture over in Isaiah. That's one reason I've got a list here. I've got to, I can't find all this any other way. But Isaiah here is prophesying to people who are pretty rebellious, pretty unbelieving, but he wants them to realize who's really in charge. And so in verse nine of chapter 46 in Isaiah, he says this, remember the former things, those of long ago. I am God and there is no other. I am God and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times what is still to come. I say my purpose will stand and I will do all that I please. Boy, I want to be on his side. His terms, my life is in his hands. To God be the glory. But I'll tell you when, when everything looks like that's not true, we need to be ready to make the choice to believe that what God said is true and that whatever the process is that's necessary to do the work in us, however long that takes, whatever has to happen for that, for God's purpose to be worked out, he's in charge and it's going to turn out exactly the way he wants. And I have every reason to be full of joy and thankfulness. You know, if I've got his spirit, his nature living in me, am I going to be, are the characteristics of my life going to be things like fear and anxiety and anger and upset and all those kinds of human emotions that we all are so subject to, we're not careful. Is that a manifestation of his nature? The answer is no. I know you're thinking about all of this, but if that's, if that's what's coming out of our lives, where's that coming from? Isn't that kind of our old nature still being in charge up to that point? And God's looking to turn that around and, and change the way we think and act and react to life.

How does that happen? You're going to have to start looking up and saying, God, you said in this circumstance, this is what you said about it. And I'm going to stand on that and let you work it out. I'm going to trust you and not what, not all these thoughts and not my ability to reason it out and not just, oh God, I don't like this. I'm mad at you. Lord, thank you for loving me enough to show me my need. Thank you enough to bring me to a realization that you've got a promise about this and that if I lay hold of that promise and stand firm on it, you're going to actually impart your ability to go with that. Praise God. Let me throw this in here because I remember years ago preaching a message and I guess it was an article and everything about it, but commands and promises, you remember that? And the basic idea of it is this, every command that God gives us, every instruction that God gives us about the Christian life and living for him is really a promise. Because what good would it do for God to tell me to do something knowing that I can't do it? Does that not have a built in implication that God is not only telling me what to do, but saying, when you step out and you are willing to do it, don't worry, I'll be there to power it. I'll give you what you need to make it happen. I mean, he might as well tell me to, he might as well command me to fly. Well, I can't fly. I've got to have a power beyond me. And so, and every one of us needs his power, but I'll tell you, whatever he tells you to do, whatever his instruction to you is in a given situation and how you need to handle it, don't you worry. You step out by faith and say, thank you, Lord, you told me what to do and by faith I'm going to do it and I'm trusting you for the ability and the strength to do it.

Is he faithful? Yes, he's faithful. Praise God. And of course, you remember, I don't think this needs to go on a long time, but I thought about one scripture that I'll just, I'll read. here because I printed it out, Isaiah 41 10. So do not fear. Do not fear. The thing is we all experience that, don't we? You get the right set of circumstances, fear is going to come up. So when he says do not fear, he says do not give in to that, do not surrender to that emotion. Say, wait a minute, I don't have to listen to that voice. God is the one who's in charge, not the circumstance, not the enemy I may see. Do not choose to fear is what he's really saying. Why should we not fear? For I am with you. Do not be dismayed. Dismayed means there's no hope here, I'm going to just give up. Don't be dismayed, for I am your God. Oh, praise God. He's not just the God, He's my God. Is it personal to you? Have you ever put your life truly in His hands and surrendered and say, you're my God, I'm yours? Call it hell or high water or whatever. Praise God. I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will uphold you by my righteous right hand. Praise God. I'll just throw this in at the end. Every time I heard my dad preach on this subject, he always at some point threw in an illustration. And I guess it goes back to the old days because he started his preaching back in the late 30s. But some guy was walking across country, I guess, I don't know where, it was wintertime. And he came to a body of water and there was ice on it. And he's sitting there, what am I going to do? I don't know if that ice will hold me. Oh God. And he tested it and he tried to, oh God, I guess I got to get to the other side. Okay, just, and he got down on his hands and knees and was crawling across the ice and just, you know, oh God, just living in a state of fear. And all of a sudden he heard a big noise behind him. And he turned around and there was a huge wagon load of stuff pulled by horses. And the guy sitting there driving the wagon was singing and singing and rejoicing, and they rolled out onto the ice. Which one are you when it comes to the promises of God? God wants us to get to the point where we can be confident enough in what He says that we can actually rejoice and say no to the other voices when they come. Now, ice is one thing, but God is absolute, isn't He? He is absolutely in charge. So, I don't know, there may be other

things that people want to share. Maybe it is a promise that's been made specially real to you lately. I don't know. But I'll tell you, God has a way of shining a light on a particular promise that you need. Because there's part of His character that enables you to lay hold of that. And there's a virtue He wants to share so you don't give in to fear. You can love, you can have peace, you can have self-control. All the virtues that come from having divine nature operating in spite of all of this. God's raising sons and daughters, and this is kind of how it works. And God wants you and me. Of course, we've said these same things in so many different ways, but think about the promises that He's given you today. Do you really believe He means you? Does He mean you now? And the answer is yes. So, wherever you're at in your life, look to Him from the bottom of your heart and ask Him for the strength and thank Him for the strength. Don't just say, oh God, please help me. Say, Lord, you know I need your help, and I'm looking to you. And I thank you for the answer because I know I'm leaning upon not my ... I don't deserve this, Lord. It's not about me. But you promised. And I need you. And so I'm trusting in you this moment. And I'm going to put my foot forward and thank you. And rejoice in you. And when those darts come, I'm going to use that faith that you gave me. But I'm not going to sit here and wait for you to move the water. I'm going to step, put my foot in that water, and then you move it. I'm trusting in you. Are His promises precious? Are they real? Are they for you? Does He want to ... does He want to make them live in our hearts? This is the way He shares Himself with us, is the simple process of believing. Whether it's ... believing Him for salvation at the beginning, or believing Him as any part of that process. It's all we walk by faith and not by sight. And one day it'll be sight, won't it? Praise God. Hasten the day. Praise the Lord.