Standing on God's Promises

Let's look at Ephesians 6:13 and see how it relates to "Standing on God's Promises." I believe that God has promises that are specific and pertinent to every one of our lives. God has a promise for you! God has a promise that is relative to where you are, what you're doing, what you're facing, what you're going through, and the sum total of your experiences. God's promises can be found in Scripture.

We're going to talk about standing on His promises. "Stand" and "promise" are the two keywords we're focusing on. Ephesians 6:13 says,

"Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand."

This was actually a military term back in the day that literally meant, "Having conquered, be prepared to conquer again." Having done all to stand, STAND!

Now let's look at the book of Hebrews and see what it has to say about standing on the promises of God. Presumably, it is Paul who wrote this passage although no authorship can be firmly attributed to anyone. Most scholars believe that it was the Apostle Paul.

"Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward." (Hebrews 10:35)

According to this passage of Scripture, what has great reward? Confidence has great reward! Therefore, the writer says, don't throw it away; don't cast it away; don't just throw it off in the corner. Your confidence has great reward. What you place your confidence in is going to determine your level of success in this thing called life. The writer goes on in verse 36 to say, "For you have need of endurance." He's talking to you and me. We have need of endurance!

Endurance literally means, "patience, steadfastness." I have need of patience; we all have need for it! However, don't believe the Christian goobly-gob that says, "I prayed for patience, and God gave me tribulation." That thought process sells bumper stickers, but it's not biblical. Okay? Don't even confess that kind of stuff over your life! There's nothing biblical about it.

We all have need of patience . . . some of us, like myself, perhaps more so than others. I have good news though. As I'm approaching sixty-years old, I've learned to be much more patient. I've learned its great value. This is an important thing! And I had to LEARN it, especially since I've been impetuous, spontaneous, and had a, "Let's go, we have to do it now," attitude all of my life. There's just one problem with spontaneous decisiveness. A lot of times it can lead to wrong decisions.

Another definition for patience in my life is this: "Honor the process." Whatever is going on in your life right now, it is part of the process. Honor it without complaining or murmuring. It could be the devil in the works, but it's doubtful. Everything is not the devil. Every trial and tribulation is not the devil. And what we need to learn is to be patient. We have need of endurance.

Now look at the rest of verse 36: "You have need of endurance so that AFTER you have done the will of God, you may receive (experience or appropriate) the promise! In other words, we can back this up, turn it around, and repeat it backwards, "You will receive the promise after you have done the will of God; therefore, you need endurance." Do you see that? We all think that we just walk in to the Promised Land, and voila, we experience everything that God has for us. Granted, we have crossed over and everything that God has IS available to us. That doesn't mean we get it all at one time though. After we have done the will of God, we receive and/or experience the promise of God. That's what it says in His Word, so let's stand on it!

~ pg