Daily Devotions
December 30, 2016
“I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass.” Isa 46:11
Friends may fail to keep their promise to you, but not God! He has put His reputation on the line by promising to perform every word that He’s spoken. “You have magnified Your word above all Your name” (Ps 138:2 NKJV). If God has spoken it, He will do it! But there’s one qualifier: If He’s decreed a condition, you must fulfill it in order to receive His promise. After Elijah’s confrontation with Baal’s prophets on Mount Carmel, he told King Ahab, “Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain” (1Ki 18:41 NIV). Ahab ate and drank, and Elijah, atop Carmel, fell on his face in prayer. It hadn’t rained in three and a half years, but Elijah fulfilled God’s condition and the desperately-needed rains came. Often we claim God’s promises without checking the conditions. Yet His conditions are an integral part of many of His promises—and He expects us to fulfill them. God will do what He says if you follow the simple steps Elijah practiced: (1) Believe the promise. (2) Fulfill the condition. (3) Pray persistently, believing God will keep His Word. (4) Be patient. Elijah sent his servant out seven times to look for signs of rain, never once doubting God’s promise. On the seventh time the rains began. Question: Are you being obedient to the conditions that accompany the promise you’re claiming? Do your part and watch God honor His word to you: “I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it.”
What’s New
October 18, 2016
“The Lord upholdeth the righteous. . . . They shall not be ashamed in the evil time [the time of calamity]” (Psalm 37:17, 19, my italics).
You may ask, “What does this mean exactly?” It means simply this: God is faithful not just in His recompense of woes, but also in His promises. David is saying, in effect, “Look around you and see how God keeps His Word. His warnings are now being manifested in our headlines, His actions all over our media. Will not God also keep His Word to preserve His chosen ones?”
FEARFUL NEWS
Think of it: No matter what happens in the world — no matter how fearful the news becomes; how severely the world shakes; how closely economies teeter toward collapse — God’s people will not be left ashamed. Indeed, the Lord will act on our faith to fulfill His Word to us. We may suffer, but He will come through for all who fully trust in Him. The world will never be able to say, “Your God didn’t keep His Word.”
TESTIMONIES TO A NUMB WORLD
Make no mistake, we are going to face impossibilities in the days ahead. But our Lord says He is God of the impossible, providing miracles when there is no human answer. In fact, He willingly puts His reputation in the hands of His people, calling us to commit Him to His Word. You may think, “But God can defend His own name. He doesn’t need me.” Not so! God has chosen His people to be His testimony to a numb, unmoved world. And He is calling us to openly commit Him to do what He promises.
Publish date: 08/31/2008
Foundation Scriptures: Psalms 119:89-90, Luke 1:37
Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven [stands firm as the heavens]. 90 Your faithfulness is from generation to generation; You have established the earth, and it stands fast.
Psalms 119:89-90 AMP
For with God nothing is ever impossible and no word from God shall be without power or impossible of fulfillment.
Luke 1:37 AMP
The ASV says, “For no word from God shall be void of power.”
The TLB says, “For every promise from God shall surely come true.”
God’s Word is True.
- Psalms 119:160 KJV — Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.
- Psalms 138:2 — You have magnified Your Word above all Your name!
- Proverbs 30:5 AMP — Every word of God is tried and purified; He is a shield to those who trust and take refuge in Him.
- John 17:17 NKJV — Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.
Every Word God Speaks is Full of Power and Potential.
- Every word that God speaks is a true word. Every word that God speaks is a word that comes to pass.
- Isaiah 55:11 AMP — So shall My word be that goes forth out of My mouth: it shall not return to Me void [without producing any effect, useless], but it shall accomplish that which I please and purpose, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.
- God never wastes His words. He only speaks words that He means, words that produce life and words that produce results.
- Numbers 23:19 KJV — God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?
- God is Faithful to Keep His Word.
- Psalms 105:8 AMP — He is [earnestly] mindful of His covenant and forever it is imprinted on His heart, the word which He commanded and established to a thousand generations.
- 2 Timothy 2:13 AMP — If we are faithless [do not believe and are untrue to Him], He remains true (faithful to His Word and His righteous character), for He cannot deny Himself.
- 1 Kings 8:56 AMP — Blessed be the Lord, Who has given rest to His people Israel, according to all that He promised. Not one word has failed of all His good promise which He promised through Moses His servant.
- Hebrews 10:23 — He Who promised is reliable (sure) and faithful to His word.
- 2 Peter 3:9 – The Lord does not delay His promises, but He patiently waits for us.
God is a Righteous Judge.
- He keeps His promise to reward and His promise to punish.
- Ezekiel 12:25 AMP — For I am the Lord; I will speak, and the word that I shall speak shall be performed (come to pass); it shall be no more delayed or prolonged, for in your days, O rebellious house, I will speak the word and will perform it, says the Lord God.
- Daniel 9:14
God Expects You to Believe Him When He Speaks.
- 1 Thessalonians 2:13 AMP — And we also [especially] thank God continually for this, that when you received the message of God [which you heard] from us, you welcomed it not as the word of [mere] men, but as it truly is, the Word of God, which is effectually at work in you who believe [exercising its superhuman power in those who adhere to and trust in and rely on it].
- Romans 4:20-21 – Abraham was fully assured that God would keep His promises.
- Hebrews 11:11 – Sarah received because she believed.
God’s Promises are Conditional.
- God has made us over 30,000 promises.
- If you want to receive His promises and walk in His blessings, you must believe and obey His word.
- Luke 11:28 AMP — But He said, Blessed (happy and to be envied) rather are those who hear the Word of God and obey and practice it!
- Deuteronomy 28:1-2
- Proverbs 13:13 AMP — Whoever despises the word and counsel [of God] brings destruction upon himself, but he who [reverently] fears and respects the commandment [of God] is rewarded.
Reasons Why God’s Word Doesn’t Work for You.
- God only ever speaks truth. He never jokes and He cannot lie.
- If you don’t believe your own words—if you talk nonsense most of the time, joke around, and/or tell lies yourself—then you will have a hard time believing anyone else’s words: even God’s words. Ephesians 5:4 – Clean up your mouth.
- God takes our words seriously and He expects us to take them seriously.
- Matthew 12:36-37 AMP — But I tell you, on the day of judgment men will have to give account for every idle (inoperative, nonworking) word they speak. 37 For by your words you will be justified and acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned and sentenced.
- Religion and tradition robs God’s Word of its power in your life.
- Matthew 15:6
- God’s word + faith = results. God’s word + no faith = no results.
- Hebrews 4:2 NKJV — For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.
But the Word of the Lord (divine instruction, the Gospel) endures forever. And this Word is the good news which was preached to you. 1 Peter 1:25 AMP
Children’s Team · Dec 29, 2013 · 4 min
What is the longest amount of time you’ve had to wait for something? A month? Two years? A decade? Everyone is waiting for something but some wait more patiently than others. God’s timing is not our timing even when we wish it was. God has made some amazing promises and we can trust that He will always keep them… even if we have to wait 2,000 years! Remember: a promise delayed is not a promise denied.
FAITH: Trusting in God, His Word and His Promises
MEMORY VERSE: “Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.” Hebrews 11:1 (NLT)
This Week’s Finish Line: I can trust God even when I have to wait
Just like all good Jewish parents, Joseph and Mary took Jesus to the temple to present Him to the Lord when He was a baby. In Luke 2:22-38 we see that while they were there, they met two people who had been waiting patiently for Him. The Holy Spirit had promised Simeon that he would not die until he met the Messiah. Simeon recognized Jesus immediately for who He was and praised God for keeping His promise. Anna, a faithful 84 year old widow, also gave thanks to God and told everyone she saw that Jesus was the one God had promised them.
While He was on earth, Jesus promised in John 14:1-6 that one day He would come back for those who believed He was the one and only Way to the Father. That is the promise that we who have faith in God are still waiting for. God has always kept His Word in the past so we know that one day Jesus will come back again.
Family Questions:
- How do you see both Simeon and Anna live out their faith?
- What do you think they felt when they realized the promises God made them had finally come true?
- What amazing things has God promised you? Do you believe that what He says will come true?
- What do you believe about God that helps you have faith while you wait on Him?
Bring It Home: 3 Activities to Talk about Waiting in Faith with Your Kids
1. A Promise Delayed
Make a promise to your kids but don’t tell them how long they’ll have to wait for it. Tell them the promise will come true when the time is right. Do not give in to their requests to get what they want when they want it. Talk to them about the importance of waiting. Ask: Did you doubt I would do what I said? Did you doubt I was good? When you wait on God, do you doubt He will do what He says? He is the one good and perfect Father who will always keep His promises. Celebrate by fulfilling your promise to them!
2. Memory Verse Puzzle
Write this month’s memory verse, Hebrews 11:1, on a large sheet of paper. Cut the paper into pieces like a puzzle. See how quickly you can put it together and recite it. Take some of the pieces out and see if you can still put the puzzle together and recite our verse about faith.
3. Prayer Boxes
This week our 2-5 graders went home with a prayer box. You can make one of these at home with any small boxes you have. Write down a prayer request, date it, pray for it and put it in your box. This will help you know what to pray for each day. Once the prayer is answered, take it out of the box and thank God for whatever answer He gave you.
Prayer: John 14:1-6
Thank God for His constant faithfulness to keep His Word. Thank Him for the times He has made you wait. Ask Him to help you have patience and grow closer to Him while you wait on His timing.
Talk Back
Let us know how you teach your kids about waiting. What’s the hardest thing for them to wait for? What’s hardest for you to wait for?
The post We can have faith God will keep His Word even when we have to wait appeared first on Watermark Community Church Blog.
-
Log in
-
Join
Watch in our app
Open in app