Simple Thoughts On Promises

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He who loves a pure heart and whose speech is gracious will have the king for his friend. (Proverbs 22:11)

And if you are a child of God with the qualities described above, you will have the King of Kings, Jesus, as your friend.
Once Jesus told his disciples:
You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. (John 15:14, 15)

What's this "master's business" that Jesus is talking about? The master's business is doing the will of God. For the disciples and for us it means being a true witness for Jesus Christ and bearing fruit that will last. That's what Jesus told his disciples:
You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit - fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. (John 15:16)

If you are fulfilling the commands of Jesus to be a witness for the kingdom of God and bearing fruit that lasts, you have Jesus as your friend.

What better friend can one have? A friend who is always with us; helping, saving, healing, delivering, nurturing, pacifying and consoling.

The words of this song written by Charles W. Fry puts the matter quite aptly:
I have found a friend in Jesus, He’s everything to me,
He’s the fairest of ten thousand to my soul;
The Lily of the Valley, in Him alone I see
All I need to cleanse and make me fully whole.
In sorrow He’s my comfort, in trouble He’s my stay;
He tells me every care on Him to roll......
 
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Kings will be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers. They will bow down before you with their faces to the ground; they will lick the dust at your feet. Then you will know that I am the LORD; those who hope in me will not be disappointed." (Isaiah 49:23)

The Bible says,
And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. (Romans 5:5)

Abraham, called by God at around age 75, whilst living among moon worshippers was promised by God of many things of which one was:"To your offspring I will give this land." He did not see an offspring of his for the next 10 years and when he did, it was through his Egyptian maidservant turned wife Hagar. That was not the offspring of promise through his wife Sarah.

This must have been a good cause for disappointment and discouragement to Abraham. Yet the Bible says,
Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, "So shall your offspring be." Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead - since he was about a hundred years old - and that Sarah's womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God,
being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. (Romans 4:18-21)

Abraham,
1. Against all hope, in hope believed
2. Did not weaken in his faith
3. Did not waver through unbelief
4. Was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God

The waiting must have been a torture, but God rewarded him finally.

Much for us to learn.

In the promise for today, God says,
"Those who hope in me will not be disappointed."
Hope against hope and you will see a miracle. God bless you.
 
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With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. (Isaiah 12:3)

Travelling through Samaria, Jesus came to a town called Sychar.
Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, "Will you give me a drink?" The Samaritan woman said to him, "You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?" Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water."

The woman was perplexed and remarked, "You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again,
but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water."

The Samaritan woman had a life changing experience speaking to the Author of salvation. She saw a new well and new waters. And she wanted to drink of it.

The Bible says,
"Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. (Isaiah 55:1, 2)

What a wonderful promise.
Are you drawing waters joyfully from the wells of salvation?
If you are, blessed are you.
If you have still not experienced this wonderful blessing, Jesus invites you today. He says,
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30)

Will you accept his invitation?
 
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God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. (Psalm 46:1)(NIV)

This verse ends uniquely in several Bible translations:

...well-proved help in trouble--Amplified Bible
...very much found to be a help in distresses--Green's Literal Translation
...a helper who is always found in times of trouble--Christian Std. Bible
...always ready to help in times of trouble--New Living Translation
...a very present help in trouble--KJV

And all of it is true to the hilt.

Well-proved help (as the Amplified Bible put it) seems to be quite appropriate because Jesus proves time and again that he is truly our Savior and in fact has saved us from what would otherwise have been death or destruction.

Is he a very much found to be a help in distresses (as the Green's Literal Translation says)? Yes he is and he does not go back on the promise in his Word-I will never leave you nor forsake you.

What about the phrase used in the Christian Std. Bible?
...a helper who is always found in times of trouble.
People; even our near and dear ones may seem helpless, but Jesus does help like only he can.

The New Living translation says-- God is always ready to help in times of trouble. Friends may find faults and hold back their helping hand, but Jesus never fails us.

Like the Christian Std. Bible, the NIV also mentions God to be an ever-present help, meaning that he is always there with us from the beginning of the trouble to the end of it.

And the original KJV says that God is a very present help in trouble--If the question is--who comes to the scene first? when a child of God falls into trouble....The answer is clear. It's their Savior, Jesus Christ.
 
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I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high. (Luke 24:49)

The promise was of the Holy Spirit and the disciples waited as Jesus asked them to. The Bible says,
They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers. (Acts 1:14)

They didn't know what exactly was going to happen, but they must have remembered Jesus' words...clothed with power from on high.

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.
Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. (Acts 2:1-4)

This was not the only occasion when the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit. The book of Acts cites several occasions where the disciples experienced what Jesus had promised them--being clothed with power from on high.

After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. (Acts 4:31)

Have you experienced the power of Pentecost in your life as the disciples did?
The Apostle Paul writing to Timothy exhorted him saying,
For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. (2 Timothy 1:7)

Power, love & self-discipline. Can you identify yourself with that? The presence of the Holy Spirit in you will bring godly power, love that is godly and self-control.

Our Savior, before his ascension, told his disciples:
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." (Acts 1:8)

Is the power of the Holy Spirit upon your life? Are you able to witness strongly? Can you speak the Word of God boldly as the disciples did when they were filled with the Holy Spirit?

If you are lacking the power, the remedy is simple. Ask..., Jesus said and you will receive. He also said,
If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" (Luke 11:13)

Ask...Seek...Knock....Be clothed with power from on high. The power of Pentecost is for you too.
 
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The angel of the LORD also said to her: "You are now with child and you will have a son. You shall name him Ishmael, for the LORD has heard of your misery. He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone's hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers." (Genesis 16:12)

Ultrasound scanning machines of this age sometimes do predict wrongly the sex of a child in the womb. Back in the good old days when there were no such machines around, heaven prophesied that Hagar, the Egyptian maidservant turned wife of Abraham would deliver a baby boy who would be called Ishmael and that when he grew up he would be a wild donkey of a man. Prophesy the sex, name and ability of the one to be born and be perfect in the outcome of all the things prophecied. Isn't that wonderful?

Hagar had received these prophecies from heaven and later God had promised Abraham to bless this son of his.
And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation. (Genesis 17:20)

Yet some years later Ishmael was on the verge of death being expelled from home with his mother and in the wilderness without food and water.
Then she went off and sat down nearby, about a bowshot away, for she thought, "I cannot watch the boy die." And as she sat there nearby, she began to sob. (Genesis 21:16)

But God does not forget the promises he makes; neither does he need help from others to fulfill it. So we find an angel helping Hagar out.

God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, "What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation." Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. So she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink. God was with the boy as he grew up. He lived in the desert and became an archer. (Genesis 21:17-20)

Still later, the Bible gives an account of the progeny of Ishmael.
These are the names of the sons of Ishmael, listed in the order of their birth: Nebaioth the firstborn of Ishmael, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish and Kedemah. These were the sons of Ishmael, and these are the names of the twelve tribal rulers according to their settlements and camps. (Genesis 25:13-16)

What God promised Hagar & Abraham, he fulfilled at the right time. He will fulfill what he has promised you too. Trust in him. God bless.
 
jeremiah7 said:
Simple Thoughts On Promises- 1

I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you. (Genesis 28:15)

Promised by God to Jacob and fulfilled by God. God is faithful and will fulfill that which he has promised you even though it may take some time.
Click to expand...


I think an important part of receiving manifestation of God's promise rests in His test and trials sent to us. From experience I know that the tests He has blessed me with have strengthened my trust and faith in Him exponentially. When Jesus said not to worry, I thought it was impossible; I had been a Christian for some twenty years and always worried about this, that and the other. However, today I am worry free, genuinley so, although of course there are still some concerns. This worry-free attitude is akin to letting go and letting God.

I have much more to say on this subject but I would be on the computer until I grew a beard two feet long so for now I wil have to depart as time does not permit.
 
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For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. (Matthew 6:14)

Sometimes it's so difficult to forgive; especially when the wound is deep in the spirit. The physical pain or the mental agony or both endured can bring bitterness, rage and an attitude of vengence and this can last for years. There are many who justify the keeping of such feelings but the Bible advocates forgiveness.

The extent to which a person can forgive the offender varies and in the case of believer's it depends on spiritual maturity.
Bitterness, rage and a vengeful attitude caused by an unforgiving attitude can often bring about bodily sickness to the one having it.
The Biblical viewpoint regarding forgiveness is clear. For God to forgive our sins, we must forgive the sins that others commit against us.

Once Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?" Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. (Matthew 18:21, 22)

Jesus also said, "And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins." (Mark 11:25)

And how must the forgiveness be? Often we may forgive others with our words, yet we may hold a grudge against them.
Jesus warned his disciples regarding such an attitude saying,
"This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart." (Matthew 18:35)

So forgiveness that God expects is that which comes from the heart. Difficult yet possible because God has given the Holy Spirit to those who believe in Jesus.

And may God give us the spiritual strength needed to have a forgiving attitude at all times.
 
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And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19)

Needs are basic human requirements. People need food, air, water, clothing, and shelter to survive. Basic amenities in the household are also needs. Education is another need, so also some basic means of travel. The above needs become wants when they are directed to specific things that might satisfy the need. A person who needs good and clean food for maintaining his/her health may desire rich and costly foods which may not really bring him/her benefits. He can survive with other food but this is what he wants. Excesses are wants for specific things that we don't actually need but may only enhance our lifestyle.

In the verse that we read above, the Apostle Paul says that God will meet all our needs. Doesn't mean that God will give us the latest and fastest cars or the most posh apartments in town. Of course he may give us that if he so chooses but the promise is for providing all our needs.

There are many who preach and stress that God gives the best if you do this or that, but that hardly lines up with the Word of God.

Jesus even exhorted his disciples to seek first the kingdom of God and therein their needs would be met.

God knows our needs. He is a loving father. He will not withold anything that is needed by us in our life. He cares for us since we have put our trust in him. When Jesus taught his disciples to pray, he said,
And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. (Matthew 6:7,8)

Yes, God the Father knows what you need before you ask him. One of the simple requests in this prayer as taught by Jesus was:
Give us today our daily bread. (Matthew 6:11)

Any other need can be similarly prayed for and met.
Could it be so simple? Yes it can be, if we truly consider God as our Father.
 
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And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. (2 Corinthians 9:8)

The phrases used by Apostle Paul in the above verse are excellent...all grace abound to you, in all things.., at all times.., having all that you need..., you will abound...

It all starts with "And God is able to make all grace abound to you."
But Paul's exhortation regarding "giving" by the believers in the Church at Corinth is found in this chapter just before the verse given above. He told them:
Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. (2 Corinthians 9:6, 7)

The sowing principle is stressed upon here. It does not mention tithing but emphasizes the fact that God loves and rewards a cheerful giver. The heart attitude is important.
Give to whom? Paul lauded the Corinthian believers for their eagerness to give to all- God's servants, needy believers and generally others in need.

For I know your eagerness to help, and I have been boasting about it to the Macedonians, telling them that since last year you in Achaia were ready to give; and your enthusiasm has stirred most of them to action. (2 Corinthians 9:2)

Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. (2 Corinthians 9:13)

Giving does not begin or end with tithing. Each man/woman should give what he/she has decided in his heart to give.

Giving not only refreshes the hearts of the needy, but as Paul mentions later in the chapter....This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. (2 Corinthians 9:12)

Our giving with a cheerful heart also overflows in many expressions of thanks to God. God in fact gave us his greatest gift Jesus for whom the Apostle gives thanks to God as he ends the chapter saying:
Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! (2 Corinthians 9:15)

Let's not forget then that...God is able to make all grace abound to us, so that in all things at all times, having all that we need, we will abound in every good work.
 
The Lily of the Valley,........that has so many meanings,lily has been named as tempting adam and eve.the vally of bones is another example.i suppose we needed to ask the author his meaning,this is a spirit war,words can change the meaning to some people who are meaning the opposite.
 
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Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, "Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed." (2 Kings 5:10)

This was the prophetic promise given to Naaman, the commander of the army of the king of Aram when he had come seeking for a cure for his leprosy from the man of God Elisha.

Elisha did not come out to meet Naaman but had only sent a servant to give him the message. Naaman went away angry and said, "I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than any of the waters of Israel? Couldn't I wash in them and be cleansed?" So he turned and went off in a rage. (2 Kings 5:11, 12)

Naaman's servants went to him and said, "My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, 'Wash and be cleansed'!" So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy. (2 Kings 5:13, 14)

Obedience brought him healing and deliverance and he returned to his country a happy man.

To a disobedient king of Israel (Saul), God had this to say through Samuel the prophet:
"Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. (1 Samuel 15:22)

The Apostle Peter exhorts us regarding obedience in his epistle:
As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. (1 Peter 1:14)

God expects us to be obedient to his Word at all times. God delights in our obedience and his blessings rest upon us when we live in obedience to him. Praise the Lord.
 
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So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. (1 Corinthians 15:42-44)

Our human body ages after every day that we spend on earth. Sickness makes the body weaker as we get older and finally the time comes when the natural body becomes aged enough to be sown. Some natural bodies are untimely sown too. Sown natural, sown in weakness, sown in dishonor and sown perishable.

But the difference is marked with the sown natural body of an unbeliever and that of a believer in Jesus Christ. An unbeliever's body is raised spiritual and imperishable but neither in power nor in glory. The believer's body as Paul says here is raised up spiritual, imperishable, in glory and in power.

That was how Jesus was raised up. He is the "firstfruits" of the resurrection. He was raised up spiritual, imperishable, in glory and in power.

Here's a part from the gospel of Luke where Jesus appeared to his disciples after the resurrection....raised up spiritual, imperishable, in glory and in power.

While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have." When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, "Do you have anything here to eat?" They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate it in their presence. (Luke 24:36- 43)

And the Bible says,
If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you. (Romans 8:11)

That's the blessed hope for every believer. Praise the Lord.
 
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This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD. (Ezekiel 37:5,6)

"The valley of the bones" is an exciting part of this major prophetic book, "Ezekiel." This prophetic vision about the restrengthening of the Israelites then in exile, gives hope for everyone who is in a state that the Israelites found themselves in- dejection, forsaken and on the verge of annhilation.

In the vision, the Spirit of the Lord takes the prophet into the midst of a valley full of dead bones and asks him a question, "Son of man, can these bones live?" to which the prophet replied, "O Sovereign LORD, you alone know." Then came the command from the Lord for Ezekiel to prophesy to the dead bones.

Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones and say to them, 'Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.'" (Ezekiel 37:4-6)

And as he prophesied to the bones, something miraculous happened.
There was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them.

But they were still not alive. There was no breath in them.

Then came the second command from the Lord for Ezekiel to prophesy to the breath to enter these slain.

And as he prophesied there took place another great miracle.
Breath from the four winds entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet - a vast army.

The Lord explained the vision to the prophet saying, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, 'Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.' Therefore prophesy and say to them: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: O my people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. Then you, my people, will know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the LORD have spoken, and I have done it, declares the LORD.'" (Ezekiel 37:11-14)

Are you in a situation where you are saying like Israel of old, 'Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.'
We must remember that as believers we serve El Shaddai- God Almighty. He is able to dramatically change the hopeless situations that we confront in our lives.
This promise of his is for you if you are in a hopeless situation. He says,
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10)

God bless you.
 
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Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. He said to them, "Listen to this dream I had: We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it." (Genesis 37:5-7)

This dream given by God to Joseph took more than 20 years to be fulfilled. Joseph was sold by his brothers to the Ishmaelites who took him to Egypt and then sold him to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh's (King of Egypt) officials in whose house Joseph worked till he was thrown into prison by Potiphar whose wife had wrongly accused him of trying to forcibly lie with her. He spent two years in prison for no fault of his. Through a strange turn of events, all perfectly planned by God, Joseph was called in from prison to explain the dreams that Pharaoh saw; dreams which no one else could explain.

Pharaoh put Joseph in charge of the whole of Egypt to manage the crisis of famine that was to come upon the land after a season of abundance. As prophesied by Joseph famine struck the land and even Canaan was afflicted. So Jacob sent his sons to Egypt to get food for his family. That's how Jacob's sons who had tried to destroy Joseph's future by selling him as a slave now found themselves in Joseph's presence.

The Bible says,
Now Joseph was the governor of the land, the one who sold grain to all its people. So when Joseph's brothers arrived, they bowed down to him with their faces to the ground. (Genesis 42:6)

...they bowed down to him with their faces to the ground...fulfilling what Joseph had dreamt several years before.....my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it.....

Perhaps a dream that God gave you several years back has not still been fulfilled. Take courage from Joseph's story. The dream will find fulfillment in God's time. The Holy Spirit is working on it, even now. God bless you.
 
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"Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. (Psalm 91:14)

Are you acknowledging the name of Jesus?
Jesus said,
"Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. (Matthew 10:32)

"I tell you, whoever acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God. (Luke 12:8)

Even in the Old Testament times God wanted his people to acknowledge him; that he was the only true God.
Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other. (Deuteronomy 4:39)
"But I am the LORD your God, [who brought you] out of Egypt. You shall acknowledge no God but me, no Savior except me. (Hosea 13:4)

In the Gospel of Mark, Ch. 5, we read that Jesus once travelled to the region of Gerasenes to bring deliverance to a demon possessed man.
As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. Jesus did not let him, but said, "Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you." So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed. (Mark 5:18-20)

As believers, God calls us to acknowledge him ourselves and also before others, especially to them who have never heard about the salvation that is offered by God through Jesus.

Will you carry the baton of the gospel and run for Jesus, acknowledging and proclaiming his name?
He will fulfill his promises for you too. God bless.
 
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The Spirit of the LORD will come upon you in power, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a different person. (1 Samuel 10:6)

This is Samuel the prophet prophesying to Saul who was chosen by God as king of Israel when the Israelites heckled Samuel to appoint a king for them.
This was a turning point in Saul's life.
As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed Saul's heart, and all the signs that Samuel told him were fulfilled that day. When Saul arrived at Gibeah, a procession of prophets met him; the Spirit of God came upon him in power, and he joined in their prophesying. He was soon anointed king of Israel.

God anoints us with the Holy Spirit so that we can live strong lives as Christians. The Holy Spirit will guide us into all truth as Jesus said.
If the decisions that we take in our lives are guided by the Holy Spirit of God, we can live victorious lives as Christians.

Sadly, Saul, though he had the anointing of the Spirit of God, chose to take decisions on his own and was finally rejected by God for disobeying him.

Paul the Apostle, writing to the Galatian Church says,
So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law. (Galatians 5:16-18)

Paul goes on to describe the acts of the sinful nature which destroys our relationship with God and concludes by saying,
I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:21)

Here is a piece of good advice for all believer's in Jesus Christ from the Apostle Paul:
Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. (Galatians 5:25)

Shall we?
 
Awesome thread!

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Simple Thoughts On Promises- 175

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. (Matthew 10:29-31)

Sparrows! Who cares for sparrows? Not one of them beautiful birds. Nothing worth more than half a penny in Jesus' days. Wonder what people did with them in those days, buying two of them for a penny. Very surprising then that Jesus should mention them and also say that not one of them would fall to the ground apart from the will of our Father.
Why care about them? one may ask. Only because they are one of God's wonderful creations. May not look great to our sight, but to the One who created them and for whom they were created, they look wonderful.

You feeling like a sparrow these days? Of not much worth in the sight of family and friends and church members?
This message is for you. Jesus says you are of much worth to him. Not only that; he knows every detail of your life; even things you don't know yourself.Like the number of hairs on your head. Yes, he says they are all numbered.
Oh, really! And what for you may ask?
Nothing much..he's keeping track of what you are losing each day...and even gaining.

In fact God is a good statistician..the best. The Psalmist says,
He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name. Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite. (Psalm 147:4,5)

But the surprising fact is that though he is involved with these big numbers and accounts, he cares for you.
He cares for you more than he cares for sparrows. He says,
"So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows."

Jesus loves you because you have accepted him as Savior and Lord. Trust in him. He will never fail you.
[If you have still not accepted him as Savior, please do so. I assure you that, "that'll be the best decision of your life."] God bless.
 
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