God's Promise: Hope

 

"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." (NIV)

"For I know the plans I have for you , Says the Lord;  They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." (NLT)

Jeremiah 29:11

    The promise of hope and future are not a promise of an easy life.  You have to face consequences for the decisions you make in life.  This promise was that God was going to allow His people to face the consequences for 70 years in excile, but He would not forget about them. When the time was up, He would return them to the promised land.  The promise went a lot further than that though.  This promise was that God would send Jesus to be the eternal hope for every generation and all people.  God's character revealed here is his unchanging nature, sovereignty, compassion, and love.

    This hope is reassurance that things will not always be status quo or bad.  You will have good in life and perfection in eternal life if you choose to walk your life in faith with Jesus.  God's punishment is for direction and clarification when you go off path.  It is an act of love, not hate or display of power.  It is for your good.  It always benefits you in the long run.  

    While you wait on your promised land, do not sit around and literally wait.  Go out and live your life.  It is a gift, but live it righteously.  Walk with Jesus and tell the world about the most important relationship you have without shame.  Live life like you are already in the promised land because you have confidence that God will keep his word and provide it for you.  It will make the bad days a little more bearable.  

    Following Jesus is not always easy.  Having your eyes opened to the truth adds layers to your life, but it can be hard when not everyone see what God is offering like you do.  Being a Christians will not get you out of financial dept.  It frees you from the dept of sin, but you still live in this world and have to deal with the choices you make.  Following Jesus does not always heal you physically on Earth, but it will in Heaven.  

    Embrace where you are at and look for ways that God can use it now.  Life is hard, but it is also beautiful.  Don't focus on the hard, focus on all the things God is doing in your life and the direction He is leading.  Trust that Jesus will restore you when the time is right.  His plan it to bring you peace, not evil, but sometimes you have to go through some stuff to get there. When it is hard hold onto your hope for the future.  Hold onto that hope and allow the Holy Spirit fill you with joy and peace of your salvation.

Isaiah 40:31, Jeremiah 29:10-14, Romans 15:13, Hebrews 6:9

God's Promise: Holy Spirit

 

"The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners." Isaiah 61:1 NIV

    The Promise of the Holy Spirit is a promise to have an eternal connection with God.  The Holy Spirit is not only a gift, but an anointing to go out and tell the world the gift that God has given you.  The gift of salvation is called the "Good News".  No matter what God's path is for you, it always is leading you to share the "Good News" and headed toward eternity with Him.  All you have to do is accept His gift and allow the Holy Spirit to live in you.  The Holy Spirit is your seal of salvation that can never be removed.

    In Isaiah 61:1 the Greek references healing the blind.  It is talking about the spiritually blind.  In English we reference it as the Holy Spirit providing comfort when your heart is broken, release from bondage or being captive to sin, and being a freed prisoner.  It was talking about God's people being captivity.  It would not last forever, but it is also talking to you today.  Whatever sin has put you in bondage, you can get free.  You do not have to live your life pushing God away.  You can have eternity in His presence.  You can be close to Him now and for eternity.

    The Holy Spirit anoints you when He moves in and joins your soul.  He is healing your from the inside while you work in actions.  This is His anointing placed upon your life.  God help the people you can help.  Work to be kind and tell people the truth in love instead of being nice.  Do things to make people's lives better, but not so you will benefit.  Do it out of love that the Holy Spirit pours into you, so you can pour it out onto other people to ease their pain or bring them comfort.  

    Live out your freedom showing people how to become free.  Show people how to break their bondage.  Show them how to have joy in their lives.  Be a person that helps people find healing instead of causing more wounds and scars.  The truth can hurt when you first receive it, but if you accept it, then it brings healing and can even remove scars.  It just has to clean out what is causing the infection that is slowly killing you first.  

    The Holy Spirit will give you comfort, so you can comfort.  He will give you rest, so you can show others how to rest.  He will give you wisdom and understanding to handle situations.  Allow Him to counsel you so you can counsel other people.  He will give you the strength to follow through on your calling.  He will give you the knowledge you need to combat fear.  Trust God and the Holy Spirit will lead you to victory.  

Psalm 45:7, 147:3, Isaiah 11:2, 42:7, 57:15, 61:1, Jeremiah 34:8,  Luke 4:18, & John 1:32, 3:34

God's Promise: Freedom

 

"this is the kind of fasting I want: Free those who are wrongly imprisoned; lighten the burden of those who work for you.  Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people."  Isaiah 58:6

    This is a promise of freedom, but it is conditional.  It requires faith, prayer, and fasting.  God provided the ritual of denying yourself to focus on prayer so that people could pursue Him in times of need, difficulty, or growth.  It was never meant to become a ritual to show how good you are as a "Christian".  

    The point of fasting is to get closer to God, but it also comes with many different types of perks.  The problem is that some people remove God from the process in hopes to just have the perks.  You focus on your relationship with God and who you are with Him.  Your prayers will be answered, but there are other benefits too.  You may look younger, become healthier, get more energy, and find wisdom that leads to freedom.

    The promise is conditional because you have to do your part to discover the freedom that comes with salvation.  As your eyes open to the truth you have to make changes in your life to maintain your freedom.  It does not mean you will be free from every type of oppression or discomfort.  It is a spiritual and sometimes healing kind of freedom.  It is freedom from the constraints of the world that say you have to be a certain way or live a certain way to be worthy, happy, or a person that matters.  

    Fasting looses the hold that evil has in your life.  It leads to a closer relationship with God.  You become more self-disciplined, so you are able to focus on your relationship with God as a decision.  It leads to patience and enables you to endure in life because you know what you have no one can take from you.  It build stronger character because you discover the value of it. The burdens of wickedness are removed as you desire to live your life with God.  Once you obtain this freedom, then you should want to help other people discover it.

    The promise of freedom comes with a command and laying out His expectations, so that when you worship Him you discover freedom.  Freedom always cost something.  Jesus paid that cost, so you can be a Christian and inherit a level of freedom.  The freedom become powerful when you learn to fast, pray, and dig into His Word.  The freedom helps you uphold justice, remove burdens yourself enabling you to identify them, and withstand being broken by oppression.  God's light lives in His people, so you can find the way through, find healing, and protect righteousness.  Freedom exist in faith.

Nehemiah 5:10-12, Isaiah 58:5-8, Jeremiah 22:3, 34:9, Micah 6:8, Zechariah 7:9-10, Luke 4:18, James 2:15-16, & 1 John 3:17-18

God's Promise: Compassion

 

"10 The mountains may shift, and the hills may be shaken, but my faithful love won’t shift from you, and my covenant of peace won’t be shaken, says the Lord, the one who pities you.  11 Suffering one, storm-tossed, uncomforted, look, I am setting your gemstones in silvery metal and your foundations with sapphires.  12 I will make your towers of rubies, and your gates of beryl, and all your walls of precious jewels.  13 All your children will be disciples of the Lord—I will make peace abound for your children.  14 You will be firmly founded in righteousness.  You will stay far from oppression because you won’t fear, far from terror because it won’t come near you.  15 If anyone attacks you, it’s none of my doing.  Whoever attacks you will fall because of you.  16 Look, I myself created the metalworker who blows the fire of coal and who produces a tool for his work.  And I myself created the looter to destroy.  17 No weapon fashioned against you will succeed, and you may condemn every tongue that disputes with you.  This is the heritage of the Lord’s servants, whose righteousness comes from me, says the Lord."  Isaiah 54:10-17 CEB

    This is a promise of compassion.  If you are a child of God it doesn't matter what happens.  God's love for you covers you in compassion.  His compassion gives you all the treasure you need.  It covers you in righteousness.  God's love is faithful.  It never stops.  It never holds back.  It will never break, so you know that His compassion is steadfast too.

    God is the foundation for your soul's peace.  He is the foundation of your life to have purpose and to be able to live in the kind of love you need.  This foundation gives you the ability to live wisely.  When you live in God's wisdom you are able to hold onto peace.  The ability to not live in terror is an example of God's compassion.  Him fighting for you is compassion.  

    God making you an eternal home with Him is compassion.  It is compassionate to allow eternity of peace instead of torment, but this compassion is circumstantial.  You have to believe, live in faith, and follow Jesus to have this compassion.  To reject the truth means that you choose eternity separated from God in an eternity of destruction and fire.  You have free will, but if you choose to follow worldly desires over God, then that passion will lead you to an eternity in the pit of fire.  That may not feel like compassion, but it is for those who sacrifice everything to follow Jesus.  It allows them to have eternity of peace, victory, and vindication.   

    The promise of compassion is a promise to comfort, restore, and protect His people.  It is extended to every living person, but it is your choice if you receive it or not.  It is a promise of unfailing love.  God's compassion is kindness. that will not depart you.  It is His mercy displayed every day.  He is your strength to face each day with confidence and self-control. 

    This is a promise that one day you will no longer face oppression, fear, conflict, or terror.  You will no longer have to accept horrible things as a part of life and everything you did experience will disappear.  God's compassion comfort will make it as if it never happened.  It will be an eternity of beauty, peace, and a close relationship with God.  He will destroy all that caused havoc in the world.  It will happen.  

1 Chronicles 29:2, Psalm 46:2, 89:33-34, Isaiah 45:24-25, 51:6, 54:10-17, Matthew 5:18, John 6:45, & Revelations 21:18

God's Promise: I am with You

 

"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze." NIV

"When you go through deep waters, I will be with you.  When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown.  When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you." NLT

Isaiah 43:2

    This promise that God will be with you is powerful.  He knows that living in the fallen world and following Jesus will be hard.  He understands that choosing to follow Jesus brings oppression and hardship into your life.  God promises that trials and tribulations will come upon His people, but He is in the worst of it with you.  He will not leave you to face this world alone.

    God does not give you the extra burden, but He doesn't take it away immediately either.  He allows it for your own good.  God knows all things including how you will react, but you don't know how you will react until you are under pressure.  He allows it so you will learn more about yourself and how He is there in it with you.

    Water is hard to move through, especially if you are going against the current.  Your muscles can get tired easily.  Satan and his world is the current you are moving against.  God knows you can't do it on your own, so He is promising to swim in stride with you.  He is there to help you when you can't go any further.  He will not let you drown.  Water is nice, but it can also be dangerous.  That is life.  It is full of beauty, joy, and excitement, but it is also dangerous.  

    The fires of oppression is accurate.  Oppression is intense.  It is pressure that you may not be able to identify.  It adds heat that makes you uncomfortable.  This is where God is working.  You may feel the heat.  You may be getting burned a little, but the flames are not touching you.  He will not allow Satan's fire to consume His people.  He is standing between you and the worst of it.  Satan brings the chaos and God brings the calm.  Satan brings duress and God brings comfort.

    This promise should give you comfort because you know you are not facing life's most difficult parts alone.  You can embrace the protection that you are getting with gratitude to help you endure the parts that you are dealing with.  You can lean into God to make this season easier.  It is only a season.  It will not last forever.  The bad seasons may come more often than you like, but realize that God is preparing you for something bigger than yourself. 

    This is a promise made in love.  Allow that love to fill you and heal all the broken places, so that it can make you strong.  God told you to be strong and courageous, but you will never be able to do that if you don't accept His love and the healing that it brings.  You have to believe that He will be there when He says He will be.  You have to believe the promise Jesus and follow him no matter where it may lead.  You have to believe that your soul is protected even if the journey is hard.

Deuteronomy 31:6-8, Psalm 66:12, 91:3, Isaiah 43:2, & Daniel 2:25-27

God's Promise: Be Your God

 

"Don't be afraid, for I am with you.  Don't be discouraged, for I am Yahweh Shammah.  Elohei Mauzzi will strengthen you and help you.  I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.  See, all your angry enemies lie there, confused and humiliated.  Anyone who opposes you will die and come to nothing.  You will look in vain for those who tried to conquer you.  Those who attack you will come to nothing.  For I hold you by your right hand-I, the Lord your God.  And I say to you, Don't be afraid.  I am here with you."  Isaiah 41:10-13

    The promise God made to be your God covers many things like giving you strength, being present, and protection.  He does not abandon His family (His people).  This promise is meant to be a comfort.  You choose to have a relationship with God and He will take care of you in every single situation.  

    If He feels far away, He is not.  Pray over and look into your life in the areas where things are not working.  It normally has to do with decisions you made or sin in your lifestyle.  Other times it could be God is pruning or preparing you for something.

    God is there.  He is prepared to give you what you need to work, worship, and honor Him in your life.  You need strength, then ask for it.   Sometimes it will come supernaturally to take care of a particular event or situation.  Other times, God will work your faith to make you stronger like a coach works his team.  

    God will not put you in dangerous situations without having an escape route.  He puts you in places that make you uncomfortable to help you grow and to serve His long term purpose.  It is an honor to be able to be a part of His plan even if you don't understand what it is all the time.  

    The more you understand who God is, the better you can understand your identity in Him.  He commands you not to be afraid not because life isn't scary, but because He wants you to trust Him and see how He is working in and around your life.  He wants you to choose to have a personal relationship with Him that provides safety, comfort, and security in your soul.  

    God knows that life gets overwhelming, but He wants you to lean on Him as He gets you through it.  Trust Him not to allow you to fall or fail if you obey Him as the Holy Spirit guides you through all of life.  No matter how powerful the enemy may appear, God is more powerful.  He will defeat anything that comes against you because they are coming against Him and His family.  To go to war against God's people is to go to war against God Himself because you are His redeemed.  You are His family.  

    God will keep you from shame, disgrace, or destruction.  You only need to understand what God considers to be shameful,  Society may tell you that something is shameful, but God may be removing things that are holding you back.  Consider and pray over the context.  Compare what the world is telling you to what God is telling you in His Word.  Listen to Him about what your value is in this world.

Exodus 23:22, Isaiah 41:10-14, 45:24, 60:12, & Zechariah 12:3

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