God's Promise: Renewed Strength

 

"He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless.  Even youths will become weak abd tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.  They will sour high on wings like eagles.  They will run and not grow weary.  They will walk and not faint."  Isaiah 40:29-31 (NLT)

    The promise God provides is that even if you get weary, He will provide the people that follow Him the strength to keep going.  It is more than that.  He promises you to feel younger than you are to be able to endure and it not be hard at times.  The strength that God gives you is powerful.  If you refuse to follow Him in faith, then you will grow weary and give up over time no matter how young you may be.

    There is no end to God's power.  When He lays just a little upon you will feel like you will never be weak, tired, weary, or touched by evil again.  If you rely upon your own strength, then you will find out what your limits are quickly.  You can not succeed in the long game without God.  You have to put your trust in Him and His plans for your life.  

    This is encouraging because you can access His strength at any time.  You do not have to rely on your limited strength, knowledge, or wisdom.  He will give you what you need.  He will give it to you as much as you need it to fulfill your purpose in this world.  A season of waiting is not a punishment.  It is an opportunity to get strong and prepare for what is to come.  A season of rest is a gift to make you stronger.  When you work with God you can do anything, even wait.

    When you feel like you have nothing left to give turn all those feelings over to God.  Pray for rest, the cobwebs to be cleared, and how to move forward.  There is no need to keep pushing forward.  It will only cause more harm than good to you and your ministry.  You have to rely on God and take direction from the Holy Spirit as it is given to you to avoid burnout.  It can take years to recover from burnout, so avoid it when you can.  Allow God's peace to work within you.

Psalm 29:11, 103:5, 138:3, Isaiah 40:29-31, Lamentations 3:25-27, 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, & Philippians 4:13

God's Promise: Steadfast Mind

 

"You will keep the mind that is dependent on you in perfect peace, for it is trusting in you." Isaiah 26:3 (CSB)

    This is a promise that you if you trust God, then you will have a steadfast mind.  This means you can hold onto your inner peace no matter what is going on around you.  You understand that God is in control and it does not benefit anyone to get all worked up and loose your peace over what you can't control anyway.  It is a steadfast mind focused on God that keeps you in a state of peace.  

    Trust is being dependent on God.  When your mind is fixed on God, then it becomes steadfast.  You are propped up by Him when you can't do it anymore on your own.  You don't experience the same kind of burnout because you stay in your lane.  You know what you job or purpose is and you let God handle everything else.  You don't get too caught up in the details because they can change or that was never under your control in the first place.  You trust God to do His job perfectly, so you can rest in knowing you are doing your part.  

    Prefect trust in God provides Shalom (perfect peace).  You have perfect peace because God is your everlasting foundation that will not break or shift.  You are safe with Him.  This peace gives you the freedom to problem solve, be creative, praise God, use your imagination, and more.  It frees you from living in a box, even a self made box.  God will never fit in a box.  That means that His children do not fit into a box either.  You have depth.  Free yourself to explore who God wants you to be to the fullest.  

    You never need to doubt your relationship with God.  You never need to doubt your salvation.  Worship God freely and openly for all He does for you.  When you sin, repent and get back in step with Jesus.  Listen to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  He will push you well out of your comfort zone, but he will never lead you astray.  God wants you to be all you can be.  You need the mental freedom that comes from a steadfast mind to achieve that.

Isaiah 26:1-9 & 57:9

God's Promise: Wisdom in Parenting

 

"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it" Proverbs 22:6

    God promises you wisdom in raising your children if you lean into him like a trusting child.  This promise is rooted in instruction.  If you want to have children that will grow up being respected and valuable members of society and the church, then you have to lead and instruct them.  Children learn more by observing than the lectures.  Talk to them about God, but living your life for God will teach them more. You are the most important teacher that your children will ever have.

    The promise is that your children may go through phases that make you question things, but if you do your job as a parent then God will handle everything else.  You can trust Him and give all your worry and concern about who they will be to Him.  No matter how hard you try to make them be a certain kind of person, they have their own free will.  You should not try to break that.  Teach them and let them become who they will be.  Their relationship with God is between them and God.  You have to choose to focus on your relationship with God when you are scared, angry, or hurt by your children.

    Train up your children and God will watch over them.  It take a tremendous amount of trust to be able to give them back over to God.  Do your best and forgive yourself over what you cannot change.  Trust that God is using everything in their lives including your mistakes.  Love them the best you can like God loves them,  Cherish your time with them, but let them become their own person.  Dedicate your children to God, so you can allow Him to mold them in the person He created them to be.

    Each child is different.  Your parenting style needs to be specific for the each child.  God created everyone to make the world more dynamic.  It may make parenting harder at times, but keep imagining the kind of person they may become.  Prepare them to face the world but at the same time lean on God.  Do not do them the disservice in keeping them naive where anyone can influence them and lead them astray.  Do your part, allow God to do His part, and allow the child become an adult responsible for their part in becoming a Christian and good member of society.  Lead them to the truth.  It is up to them to believe and follow.

Proverbs 22:6, Luke 15:11-32, Ephesians 6:4, & 2 Timothy 3:15

God's Promise: Financial Wisdom

 

"Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it."  ESV

"Dishonest money dwindles away, bur whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow" NIV

"Wealth from get-rich-quick schemes quickly disappears; wealth from hard work grows over time." NLT

"Wealth obtained by fraud will dwindle, but whoever earns it through labor will multiply it." CSB

Proverbs 13:11

    I put the scripture up four times because finances are important to God.  They can easily replace Him on the throne if we allow them to.  When you read it over and over with different wording it can give you a better overview of what God is trying to say to you.  The promise to financial wisdom is unconditional.  The only condition is that you have to trust Him with your finances and helping you grow to be able to utilize this promise.

    The promise of financial wisdom is simple.  If you try to get money dishonestly or quickly, then you will lose it just as quickly.  If you do it dishonestly, then you could lose a lot more than just the money.  You could lose your life or freedom too.  If you work for your money, then wealth take a lot longer and depends on you being willing to give up something you want today to save for what you want in the future.  Honest hard work is good for the soul, mind, and your wallet.

    To sum it up shortcuts do not get you to your destination any faster or it makes it temporary.  God will not honor fraud, vanity, or scheming.  This lacks a foundation built on God and will disappear.  Do not be Jones looking around at everything other people have.  You don't have the full story.  Fraud is futile because you can't deceive God.  He will always know what you did.  It brings no substance to your life.  

    Find contentment in what you have and where you are in your journey with God.  You can have honorable pride in working for what you have.  It is a part of your purpose in this world.  If you build with God, then you are building your finances, but also builds character, faith, righteousness, and self-discipline.  This is where your wisdom develops and grows.  

Proverbs 10:2, 13:11, & 20:21

God's Promise: Understanding

 

 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.  Seek His will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take." Proverbs 3:5-6

    The promise of about understanding comes from Proverbs a book on wisdom.  It is the only book where you can take one or two verses and not need context behind them.  You read them, say them, and pray over them for understanding.

    This promise is conditional.  You have to let go of the death grip control over you life and trust God.  He sees the big picture while your perspective is limited.  If you choose to trust God in every area of your life, then you will find direction, wisdom, and purpose.  He is trying to give it to you unconditionally, but you have to accept it to actually obtain it.  You are what makes this promise conditional.

    Trusting God with all your mind, heart, and soul removes so much stress and confusion from your life.  It makes you more confident and secure because you know He is in control and will not let your fall.  God gave you a mind to grow in learning and wisdom.  You are meant to use your mind, but not to be so rational that you push God and His direction aside.  It is a difficult spiritual battle to desire control and wanting to allow God to have control when life is confusing, hard, or you are hurting.  You have to make that choice for yourself daily, sometimes hourly.

    When you submit to God you are acknowledging His divine power over your life.  He needs to be a part of every aspect of your life for you to find peace, wisdom, and comfort.  You need Him in your daily life.  You need Him in your decision making process.  You need Him to influence your routine and relationships.  He will not guide you in the wrong direction.  He will provide clarity in your journey even if He may not lay out every step of the way for you.  Trust God's way and you will get what your heart truly desires in and after life.

1 Chronicles 28:9, Psalm 37:3-4, Proverbs 3:5-6, & Jeremiah 9:23-24, 10:23

God's Promise: Protection

 

"I look up to the mountains- does my help come from there?  My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth!  He will not let you stumble; the one who watches over you will not slumber.  Indeed, he who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps.  The Lord himself watches over you!  The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade.  The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon at night.  The Lord keeps you from all harm and watches over your life.  The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever."  Psalm 121

    The promise to watch over you is not a casual promise.  God is the source of help.  He is constant and vigilant in protecting His people.  He does not sleep, so that you can.  God never sleeps.  He does not need to. His body doesn't need the healing and restoration that comes from sleep.  He made you and knows how you do need sleep, so He tries to comfort you so you can rest.

    God is your defense and camouflage when you need to be hidden from evil.  He will hide you and then fight for you.  He does not just preserve your life.  If you choose the gift of salvation that comes only through Jesus, then He protects your soul for eternity.  He is guarding you and protecting you every step you take in life.

    This is a promise from God to you to be your personal keeper and protector.  The author is unknown, so you do not know how God moved in his life to write this psalm.  The word it was based on was shamar which means "guard, keep, protect, observe".  What you do know is that God made you a personal promise of assurance of your soul's safety.  You can walk through all kinds of danger and it not affect you because God took care of it during your journey with Him.  Trust God and there is no reason to fear evil.

Deuteronomy 28:6, 1 Samuel 2:9, Psalm 16:8, 41:2, 91:5, 97:10, 109:31, 121, 124:8, 127:1, 145:20, Proverbs 2:8, 3:23-26, Isaiah 25:4, 27:3, 49:10, Jeremiah 3:23, & Revelations 7:16

God's Promise: Rescue from Evil

 

    El Elyon promises to protect you from every kind of evil if you are not determined to go after it.  Satan has hidden traps to make you fall or worse.  His goal is to silence all true Christians or make them so much like the world that they have no impact for God's kingdom.  If you walk with Jesus, then God will guide you around the evil traps.  He will reveal deceit and unseen dangers.  He will protect you from deadly diseases or plagues.  

    God provides spiritual armor to protect you from all kinds of evil.  It is your job to be prepared for Satan's attacks.  God covers and protects you, but you can't use the armor He has given you if you do not know how.  You have to spend time with God and build endurance to be able to use the full armor of God.  He has given you the truth in the Bible.  He gave your righteousness to protect your character's integrity.  He gave you peace to use the Gospel when attacked.  He gave you the shield of faith and helmet of salvation. He gave you the Holy Spirit to battle the unseen world.

    This promise was recorded in Psalms, so it is unknow who exactly recorded it.  It is believed to be written by Moses.  That means it is one of the first promises made to God's people.  It is meant to make you feel safe in the world especially when the world feels so unsafe.  This promise enables you to hold onto peace even when you face danger.  You may be helpless, but He is not.  God is your unseen shield protecting you because He loves you.

Psalm 17:8, 57:1, 61:4, 91:3-4, & 124:7