2nd Peter 1:4, “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious PROMISES: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”
I don't go outside too much, as I'm pretty much a homebody. If I don't
have a reason to go out, I usually don't. Albeit, I went out today to
take a walk and I saw one of the most beautiful rainbows over the ocean
that I've ever seen. In fact, it was the grandest rainbow, spanning
about 10-miles and towering into the heights of the clouds. It was the
most remarkable rainbow that I have ever seen, viewing it in the sky as
the rain drizzled. I just stood and admired it in all God's glory.
At first I wished that I had brought a camera, but then felt that the Holy Spirit in my heart say, “No, this is your rainbow. I love you and wanted to remind you that I will keep all my promises.” It brought tears to my eyes. There were other people watching the rainbow and I knew that it was certainly for them too. God gave the rainbow to all mankind to see.
I started to use a different photo of a rainbow for this article instead of the one that I saw, but it wouldn't be the same. There's no photo that can adequately capture the beauty of what I saw today. To feel the warmth of the sun, the gusting blowing wind, the blue sky in the background, the light drizzle, and see the spectacular reflecting spectrum of light from a towering rainbow is inexplicable. It was a complete rainbow, from one end to another.
It made me feel special to see such a grand rainbow, which the Bible tells us was given to mankind by God as a promise that He would never destroy the earth by flood again. Genesis 9:13, “I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.” Moreover, I believe that the rainbow is a reminder that God is a promise-making and promise-keeping God. God cannot lie, who promised eternal life before the world began (Titus 1:2). God's plan of redemption for humanity was already laid out before God formed the first man. What an awesome God!
As I felt the rain coming
down, the truth occurred to me that you'll never see a rainbow without
some type of rain or storm creating weather conditions conducive to
forming a rainbow. In other words, you cannot see a rainbow without rain
or storms accompanying it. I realized that the promises of God are most
precious to us during the times of rain and storms in our life. That's
when the promises of God become most precious to us.
God Has Given To Us Thousands of Promises!
My friend, God is a miracle-working God. Jonah was swallowed by a literal whale. The sun literally stood still for a whole day as the Bible says (Joshua 10:13). Elijah was literally caught up into Heaven by a whirlwind. God literally parted the Red Sea and the Jews walked across on dry ground. According to the intelligencia, the Jews crossed at low-tide. Listen my friend, you either believe in a miracle-working God or you don't. As Christians we “walk by faith, not by sight” (2nd Corinthians 5:7). Our faith rests secure in the PROMISES of God. There are over 7000 PROMISES from God in the Bible!
We are living in dark days, evil times of woeful apostasy. It is man's authority verses God's Authority. If you side with men, you will be sorry on Judgment Day, because God's Authority will prevail. You can either build your house upon the sand as foolish men who disregard the Bible do; or you can build your house upon solid ground by obeying the Word of God (Matthew 7:24-27).
Matthew 7:24-27, “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which BUILT HIS HOUSE UPON A ROCK: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which BUILT HIS HOUSE UPON THE SAND: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.”
God has given to us exceedingly great and precious PROMISES...
2nd Peter 1:4, “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious PROMISES: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”
What a wonderful God! The power of God
rests in the PROMISES of God. The demonic Charismatic Movement,
and other apostates in the religious realm today, have taught the masses
of humanity to trust in feelings and experiences; and to believe in a
false health, wealth, and prosperity gospel of greed. These are of the
Devil. The entire platform of New Age doctrine is rooted in feelings and
experiences, experiential knowledge; rather than trusting in the
character of God Who has given to us exceedingly great and precious
PROMISES.
Eternal Life is a Promise, Which Means Eternal Security!
I KNOW I am saved and on my way to Heaven, having “eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, PROMISED before the world began” (Titus 1:2). God promises to save every ungodly sinner who believes on the Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 4:5, “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.” For those who reject Jesus Christ, the only PROMISE that applies to you is suffering the eternal wrath of an angry God in the flaming fires of Hell (2nd Thessalonians 1:8-9; Revelation 21:8). I know that I am saved because God PROMISED to save those who believe on the name of Jesus Christ (John 1:12-13).
The power of God rests in the PROMISES of God. Many believers put God on trial, becoming discouraged because God doesn't work in their time, where and when they want Him to. Who are we or anyone else to say that it is always God's will for good things to happen, health to improve and prosperity to come? The Bible is packed full of real people with real problems, who had real faith in a real God. Don't fall for the fake Pentecostal religion of fruitcakes, twisted tongues-speakers, greedy TV preachers and fraudulent healing services. God's power is not for sale as entertainment!
Good is a good God, whether we are rich or whether we are poor. God is still on His throne, whether we have a job or whether we are unemployed. God is still worthy of our praise, whether we have good health or whether we are crippled and suffer in chronic pain every day. God keeps His PROMISES to us; but it's not for us to decide how, when, nor where God works. God ways are not mysterious to God; but rather, to men. Isaiah 55:8-9, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
I KNOW that I am saved because
salvation is of the
Lord, as Jonah learned in Jonah 2:9. Man has no part in God's
salvation except to believe on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts
16:30-31).
God is the Potter and We are the Clay
Isaiah 64:8, “But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.” Oh that men would trust in the Lord and lean not upon their own understanding (Proverb 3:5-7). God knows what He is doing. The unsaved world places God on trial, demanding irrefutable, documentable, incontestable proof that He exists and that the Bible is true; yet those same wicked people unquestioningly accept the bogus theories of Evolution, the scam of Global Warming and the deceptive lies of Satan.
As believers our peace should rest in the PROMISES of God; and not in experiences and feelings that are uncertain, vulnerable, and constantly changing. If you truly live for Jesus Christ, then you will be persecuted in this sin-cursed world (2nd Timothy 3:12). The world will hate you for following Jesus Christ (John 15:19); but Jesus tells us to BE OF GOOD CHEER, because He has risen triumphant! John16:33, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but BE OF GOOD CHEER; I have overcome the world.”
It is by obeying God's Word
that we are able to claim the thousands of exceedingly great and
precious PROMISES that God has given to us. This is where our joy and
hope rests. Thus, it does not matter how we feel, nor if we see answers
to our prayers or not, nor if things are going our way in life or
getting worse; what matters is that we trust the HEART of God when we
cannot see the HAND of God at work. God is not mentioned even once in
the Old Testament book of Esther; yet we see God's hand of divine
providence at work throughout. Amen!
God's Promise to Guide Us
God has PROMISED to guide us throughout life if we'll “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. (Proverb 3:5-7).
In Philippians 4:6-7 God PROMISES to give us peace to keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus if we'll “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
