Seeking Which Promises of God to Stand Upon in this Season

The promises of God to His people are so many in number that Bible scholars cannot agree on how many there are. Some calculate the promises of God between the Old and New Testaments to be over 8,000! That leaves a lot of powerful, Scriptural options for you to stand on God’s promises for your life!

But when you are waiting on God for a promise to be fulfilled, there will be many hills and valleys along the way as you exercise your faith for your own situations and concerns, and for the people you love. You may grapple with some or all of these experiences:

1. The promise is taking a long time to come to completion.
2. It may seem like God is saying “no” to the promise you’ve been standing on.
3. Maybe it will look like everything is getting worse in the meantime.
4. You may struggle with discouragement, hopelessness, exhaustion, or even doubt and anger toward God.
5. You might wonder if God really does care or hear or honor His Word.

God’s Promises are “Yes” and “Amen”

The Apostle Paul wrote that his job was not to tell believers that one thing was a “yes, God will do it” and another thing was “no, God will not do it” but said, “For all the promises of God in [Christ] are “Yes,” and in Him “Amen,” to the glory of God through us.” (2 Corinthians 1:20, MEV)

Ultimately, God’s primary and most significant promise is salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ. And through Christ, all of God’s promises have already been fulfilled. What does that mean?

That means all that you need for “life” and “godliness” has already been given to you through Christ. (See 1 Peter 1:3-4) But…

• What about things you want for your own life like a better living situation, or a spouse? Or a child to raise?
• What about things you want for someone else’s life like healing, salvation, or comfort?
• What about the things you don’t yet see like victory, a miracle, or freedom from your strongholds?

Life can be so hard. Jesus said it would be so! (John 16:33) This is why it is crucial that you understand what the Bible says about the promises of God.

When you want something so badly, it is easy to slip into the mistake of choosing your own promises to stand on, instead of submitting your desire to the Lord, and trusting Him by allowing Him to choose a promise He intends to fulfill.

When you want something so badly, it is easy to slip into the mistake of choosing your own promises to stand on, instead of submitting your desire to the Lord and trusting Him by allowing Him to choose a promise He intends to fulfill.

~ Alicia Purdy ~

Of course, as you are struggling with these things, the enemy will continue to attack your faith and try to weaken you or disconnect you from the “joy of your salvation” (Psalm 51) so that you have no more strength, desire, or passion to continue to draw near to the Lord as you wait on Him.

But remember: Jesus Christ is the Rock of Salvation that cannot be moved.

When you are waiting on God to see HIS promises fulfilled, they will be fulfilled through the witness, testimony, teachings, patterns, authority and power of Jesus Christ, according to God’s Word.

That is why the promise you’re standing on must be one HE gave you, and you must continually draw closer to Christ and cling to Him through every storm as you wait. Satan will try to rattle you, but you can trust the Word of the Lord!

How Does God Fulfill His Promises?

• Jeremiah 1:12 says, “I am watching, and I will certainly carry out all My plans.” (NLT)
• Isaiah 55:11 says, “My word…goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” (MEV)

God will fulfill the Word that He sends.

Through the eternity of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit who indwells believers, God’s Word has life and movement (Hebrews 4:12-13). You can trust the Lord to fulfill His promises because He cannot lie. (See Numbers 23:19, Titus 1:2 and Hebrews 6:18)

But. Did HE give you the promise you are standing on? Here’s how you can know:

Under the New Covenant, Scripturally speaking, God sends His Word to His people (rhema) from His Word (logos), which is why you should not lay claim to just any promise in the Bible without first seeking to understand God’s will for your situation and asking Him for a promise for that situation.

God WILL fulfill HIS Word, and not only are God’s promises eternal, they are also applicable in specific moments in your life as the Holy Spirit quickens them to you as you seek and draw near to Him.

God acts according to HIS will, not anyone else’s.

In Matthew 6:10, Jesus demonstrated how believers should pray to the Father when He said: “Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” (MEV)

Remember, that Jesus submitted His will to the Lord’s will – and that meant He had to die, even though He asked to be allowed to live! (Luke 22:42)

Jesus could have blamed God for not fulfilling a promise “to prosper you and not to harm you,” (Joshua 29:11), but that promise was not given to Jesus. It was given to Joshua – and Jesus knew that promise didn’t apply to Him.

Instead of telling God about His will and His expectations and claiming promises for Himself, Jesus prayed, and then submitted His will to the Father’s and trusted that God’s will would be accomplished. Jesus saw rejection, betrayal, and evil all around Him, and even though His flesh experienced unimaginable agony, humiliation, despair, pain, and suffering, He didn’t waver.

The Promises of God Are Always Sure…and Always His Way

In reality, is not Biblically accurate to say that every promise God ever made applies to every person at every point in time.

• Is it God’s will to save the lost? Yes!
• Is it God’s will to heal? Yes!
• Is it God’s will to provide? Yes!
• Does God have a will and plan for your life? YES!

The New Covenant through Christ keeps God’s Word living and active, but it is only according to God’s will that His promises can be applied and it is only through the Holy Spirit that you can discern which promises apply to your situation.

…it is only according to God’s will that His promises can be applied and it is only through the Holy Spirit that you can discern which promises apply to your situation.

~ Alicia Purdy ~

That is why believers must do what the Psalmist wrote when he said this:

“Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His presence continuously.” (Psalm 105:4)

In spite of all the promises in the Bible about life and health and blessing, it was God’s will that Jesus suffer and die for the sins of everyone. (Acts 2:23)

So, when you are waiting on God to help or intervene in a specific situation, you must draw near and seek the Lord and honestly explore God’s Word and examine yourself and ask: Am I standing on a promise God’s gave me according to His will, or a promise I chose for myself?

What is the True Purpose of God’s Promises?

In 1 Peter 2:3-4, the Apostle Peter wrote this:

“[Christ’s] divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who has called us by His own glory and excellence, by which He has given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, so that through these things you might become partakers of the divine nature and escape the corruption that is in the world through lust.”

According to what Peter wrote, the true purpose of God’s promises is that through His promises you will:

1. Become partakers of His divine nature
2. Escape the corruption that is in the world through lust.

When you are waiting on God for a promise, remember that the purpose of God’s fulfillment of His promises is not for someone to have a better or easier life, nor for a wish or dream or plan you hold dear, and not even for something you may really need.

God’s true purpose for His promises is for these two reasons: The salvation and sanctification of the world.

Through Christ, God’s people were given everything necessary for life and for their godliness, but sometimes the manifestation of that promise is not seen until after your time on earth has come to a close.

But remember: IS IT NEVER TOO LATE WITH GOD!

According to Hebrews 11, those who died in faith, but didn’t receive the promise God gave them did not change the reality of the promise. Because God, Himself, gave them the promise, God, Himself, fulfilled it – and His timeline doesn’t look like ours.

• Abraham did not live to see himself become the “father of many nations”, but it did happen!
• Elisha did not live to see himself have a double portion of the anointing of Elijah that he asked for, but it did happen!
• Joseph didn’t live long enough to see the freedom of the exodus of his people from Egypt, but it did happen!

Many believers suffered and died believing that Jesus Christ was Lord and did not live to see the “blessings” and “miracles” and “abundance” and “fruit” and many other things promised in the Bible, but does that mean God doesn’t keep His promises? Of course not!

It simply means this:

• God views the purpose of His promises differently than people do.
• God exists in eternity and so do His promises, whereas people are trapped within time.
• God honors promises He makes according to His will, while people expect Him to honor promises according to what they want.

The true purpose of God’s promises are for salvation and sanctification through Jesus Christ. It is only through the power of the Holy Spirit, and according to God’s will, that your the promises you stand on for your life are alive, active, and powerful.

Two Types of God’s Promises in the Bible

The Bible contains two types of promises, under which all of God’s promises fit:

1. Conditional promises (which require you to take specific actions for the fulfillment).
2. Unconditional promises (which the Lord fulfills on His own power for you).

When you have a desperate need, you need a promise from God about your situation and that is a GIFT give to you through the Holy Spirit, through God’s Word, which is alive through Jesus Christ.

Examples of Unconditional Promises in the Bible

• The Abrahamic Covenant: God’s promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob regarding descendants, land, and blessing to all nations were unconditional, focusing on what God would do independently of their actions, though their faith was also a factor. (Genesis 12:1-3)
• The No More Flood Promise: After the flood, God promised Noah (and all life) that He would never again destroy the earth with a global flood. (Genesis 9:11)
• God’s Unwavering Love: Romans 8:38-39 assures believers that no created thing can separate them from God’s love in Christ Jesus. 
• Eternal Life through Faith: John 3:16 states that whoever believes in Jesus will not perish but have eternal life, a promise secured by grace and not by human merit. 
• God’s Presence and Support: God promised to be with believers and to never abandon or forsake them. 

Examples of Conditional Promises in the Bible

Conditional promises in the Bible are divine agreements where God’s fulfillment of a promise depends on a human action or condition. These “if-then” statements show that while God’s character and faithfulness are constant, the realization of certain blessings requires human cooperation and obedience, such as:

• Deuteronomy 28:1-2 (Blessings for obedience)
• 2 Chronicles 7:14 (Healing for repentance)
• Psalm 37:4 (Receiving heart’s desires by delighting in the Lord)
• John 15:7 (Answered prayer for those who remain in Christ)
• Malachi 3:10 (Divine blessing for tithing). 
• John 14:15 (The promise of keeping commandments is based on the condition of loving Christ.) 
• Isaiah 26:3 (The promise of perfect peace is given to those whose minds are focused on and trusting in God.) 

The partnership of the Holy Spirit with God’s Word is known as “rhema” – the “saying” word – where the Holy Spirit speaks to your spirit through the Scriptures. The “logos” Word of God – the “said” Word – are the literal words written on the pages of your Bible.

Together, the “logos” and the “rhema” create not only a solid foundation upon which you can Scripturally stand, but also help you move with the Holy Spirit according to God’s will. You need both when you are seeking a promise of God for your situation!

The Promises GOD Gives You are YES!

When you are in a spiritual battle, or you are in a difficult season in your life, you must seek the Lord in His Word for a promise for your situation and partner with that word in your faith! How?

• Draw near to Him in your praises and dwell in His presence there.
• Intercede in prayer, in your secret place, and present your supplication to the Lord.
• Inquire of the Lord for His will and submit yourself to it.

It is “sinking sand” to simply grasp onto any promise you desire and just choose to stand on it and then expect God to honor what you want as you wait for it to “manifest”.

That unScriptural approach is a tactic of Satan to get you to:

1. Wait forever on something God didn’t promise you instead of seeking and standing on what He DID promise you and will fulfill.
2. Remain passive and inactive instead of taking a step of faith while you “wait on God”.
3. Keep you trapped in fear, indecision and/or denial about your situation while passing it off as “faith”.
4. Give up and doubt that God hears, or sees, or cares, or fulfills His promises.
5. Grasp onto empty, powerless wishes, dreams, plans, and desires instead of seeking God’s will for your life.

The fact is many people fall into the trap of thinking God is always going to do the heavy lifting in their lives and then they blame Him for not taking action. When, in reality, God has given His people the power and authority through Christ to partner with Him in your faith and actions to accomplish His will.

Think about it this way:

“Never use faith when you should use wisdom.”

When it comes to the promises of God in the Bible, sometimes you are waiting on God and sometimes… God is waiting on you.

Thought for today: Are You Standing on the Promises of God?

The Apostle Peter said that the Lord has already given you everything you need for “life” and “godliness” but that is a conditional promise that hinges on this: It is only though the knowledge of Christ that you will see that promise unfold in your life. (2 Peter 1:3-4)

Next, in 2 peter 1:5-8 he writes reveals that believers have a personal responsibility in how they proceed as God’s promises expand:

“For this reason make every effort to add virtue to your faith; and to your virtue, knowledge; and to your knowledge, self-control; and to your self-control, patient endurance; and to your patient endurance, godliness; and to your godliness, brotherly kindness; and to your brotherly kindness, love. For if these things reside in you and abound, they ensure that you will neither be useless nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

The truth is, you cannot control every circumstance, nor can you control the choices of other people – even when they are suffering. All you can do is what Jesus did: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, and in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct YOUR path.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)

God responds to His Word and acts according to His will, so you must seek Him for a specific “rhema” promise from His Word that He wants you to stand upon in this season.

In Romans 4, Paul noted that Abraham did not receive God’s unconditional promise he was given because he stood on “the law” of how he felt God’s promises should work, but instead received the promise, “through the righteousness of faith.” EVEN THOUGH HE DID NOT LIVE TO SEE IT FULFILLED.

“…the promise comes through faith, so that it might be by grace,” Paul wrote. “…Against all hope, Abraham believed in hope..He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully persuaded that what God had promised, He was able to perform.”

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