Victory Blog

God is God who promises. Note below some of the many verses (over 100) in which God promises…

Exodus 12:25        And it shall come to pass, when ye be come to the land which the LORD will give you, according as he hath promised, that ye shall keep this service.
Deuteronomy 27:3        And thou shalt write upon them all the words of this law, when thou art passed over, that thou mayest go in unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, a land that floweth with milk and honey; as the LORD God of thy fathers hath promised thee.
God is a God who promises. Note below some of the many verses (over 100) in which God promises.
Joshua 22:4        And now the LORD your God hath given rest unto your brethren, as he promised them: therefore now return ye, and get you unto your tents, and unto the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave you on the other side Jordan.
2 Samuel 7:28        And now, O Lord GOD, thou art that God, and thy words be true, and thou hast promised this goodness unto thy servant:
Psalm 105:42        For he remembered his holy promise, and Abraham his servant.
Luke 24:49        And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.
2 Corinthians 1:20        For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.
Galatians 3:16        Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.
Galatians 4:28        Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.

God’s promises are based upon His character:

Titus 1:2        In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;

What is to be our response to God’s promises? Simple faith:

Romans 4:16        Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,
Galatians 3:22        But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.
Hebrews 11:13        These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
Hebrews 11:17        By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son.

“And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.”¹

What are your hard circumstances in life? Financial, job related, health, people?
With David it was circumstances and people. What did he do? The text says, ‘He encouraged himself in the Lord.” Encourage means to be strengthened. So David turned to his God, and received strength from Him.
How did David do this? In the next two verses we have this, “And David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech’s son, I pray thee, bring me hither the ephod. And Abiathar brought thither the ephod to David. And David enquired at the LORD, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.”²
IOW, David went into the presence of the Lord and poured out his heart before Him in prayer. And the wonderful thing is that God answered and encouraged David.
What do we usually do in similar circumstances? Get angry? Pout? Get discouraged? Fear? Turn away from God? Quit?… Why not do what David did?

1. 1 Samuel 30:6 [↩]
2. 1 Samuel 30:7–8 [↩]

“Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort: thou hast given commandment to save me; for thou art my rock and my fortress.”¹
When you are hurt, where do you go? What do you do? When times are hard, what do you do?
Do you look to God, or are you focusing upon the people who have hurt you? or upon the rampant unfairness of life?
The psalmist looked to his strong habitation, or cliff of dwelling. He he ran into the presence of God. It was his practice, and so much so, that it became a habit.
Why? Because of God’s commandment to deliver him. God actively protects, vindicates and provides for His own. It sometimes may take time, but He always comes through.
Why? Because God was the psalmist’s protection, my rock and my fortress. What better protection can you have than the Almighty God. Who else has the power to deliver and protect you? Who else has the power to provide? Who else but your God.

1. Psalm 71:3 [↩]

“Let my mouth be filled with thy praise and with thy honour all the day.”¹

What do you talk about? What is burning in your heart right now that you want to tell others? How do you say what you say?

Notice the psalmist’s prayer, “Let my mouth be filled…” The Hebrew word “be filled” means to proclaim loud.” He is saying, “Let my mouth say that which is important with fervency.” Will what you say today be worth it? And with what attitude will you say what you say?

Notice the direction of the speech: to God. Do you realize that everything you will say today will be in the presence of God? He will hear and He will evaluate. God is keeping a record of what proceeds from your mouth and how you say it.

Notice the content: praise and honor. Praise means adoration and thanksgivings. It is to speak positive things about God. Honor means splendor and glory. It is to tell God how wonderful He truly is (and He is).

Finally, notice the duration: all the day. The phrase is first in the Hebrew sentence, giving it emphasis. You and I are to praise and honor God all day long. Not just when we fell like it. Not just when things are going good. Not just to impress the people around us as to how spiritual we are. But as a natural part of our lives, our mouths need to be proclaiming with true fervency the goodness and greatness of our God.

1. Ps 71.8 [↩]

“Thou always thinkest of me, O God. The bowels of thy love continually yearn towards me. Thou art always making providence work for my good. Thou hast set me as a signet upon thine arm; thy love is strong as death, many waters cannot quench it; neither can the floods drown it. Surprising grace!”