What does it mean when a Christian says that they are claiming the promises of God? In this article letβs consider what Godβs Promises are and how we can add our faith to them and adopt them as our personal prayer. We will talk about how it is the birthright of the Child of God and how we have access to Godβs promises found in scripture. Every Promise we claim by faith is an opportunity to grow closer in relationship to the Promise Keeper! Letβs learn about a faithful God who increases our faith to believe God has made good promises to us and actually wants to see them fulfilled in our lives! Claiming the promises of God is for every Believer of Jesus Christ!
What are the Promises of God?
What does the βpromises of Godβ mean?
The definition of a promise is, “a declaration or assurance that one will do a particular thing or that a particular thing will happen”.
The “Promises of God” are those that we believe God is calling us to trust Him to accomplish in our lives, for our good and for His glory.
Where are the Promises of God found?
The promises of God are found in scripture, which is the Bible, Godβs Holy Word.
There are so many promises God has given to us in His Holy Word.
We can find a promise relevant to every life situation and any issue that we could face. God has given us His Word to be a comfort and a help to us in our daily human lives.
Hebrews 4:15 tells us that Jesus sympathizes with us in our weaknesses, and in that He has given us precious promises in this life, so that we can live a holy life, set-apart unto Him, and for His glory.
So then, when people say they are believing God to fulfill a promise in their life, that means they are trusting God to be faithful to His word, concerning their individual life situation.
Who are God’s promises for?
Godβs promises are for those who Believe on the name of Jesus, and has accepted Him as their Lord and Savior. They are those who have be adopted as sons and daughters into the Kingdom of God.
“Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”
2 Peter 1: 2-4 (NKJV)
If you have ever wondered, “are God’s Promises for me”, and you are a Jesus follower, the answer is absolutely! The promises of God are for every Believer, and our heavenly Father invites us to come to Him boldly.
Every promise found in Scripture is the birthright of every child of God in the household of faith!
God has given us everything we need to live in victory – in this life! We are in covenant with a promise-keeping God!
Does God Keep His Promises?
God always keeps His promises!
When we are talking about the promises of God, we are not talking about a promise made by someone who can fail. God does not make mistakes or fall short, like even well-meaning humans do.
God Cannot Lie!
The Scriptures record over and over again the faithfulness of our Promise-Keeping God who does not lie!
Hebrews 6:18 mentions that it would be “impossible for God to lie”, because He is the source of all Truth! Without God we would have no truth, no love and no light.
God is not a man that He could lie, exaggerate or embellish for a reaction. God is God all on His own, and He is holy. His Word stands as Truth from generation to generations!
βGod is not a man, that He should lie,
Numbers 23:1 9 (NKJV)
Nor a son of man, that He should repent.
Has He said, and will He not do?
Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?”
God gives us promises because He wants to teach us how to trust Him, so that we would ask Him to fulfill His purposes within us.
However, we can have grandiose goals and dreams apart from Godβs plan, and those are not going to have Godβs blessing on them. It is important to know that God will not compromise His plans in our lives for our own comfort or happiness.
For this reason, learning to hear God’s voice is so necessary for the Believer, and one of God’s promises is that His sheep hear His voice! (More on that here!)
When we follow God’s grand plan for our lives, we will most definitely find the most satisfaction in this life, because we will be doing exactly what we were created for!
God’s Word WILL Accomplish His Purpose!
Philippians 1:6 gives us an amazing promise that tells us we can be confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ!
“So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;
Isaiah 55:11 (NKJV)
It shall not return to Me void,
But it shall accomplish what I please,
and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”
2 Corinthians 1:20 tells us, “for all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.“
The word “amen” in 2nd Corinthians means, “most-assuredly” or “so be it”.
When the word “amen” is spoken, it is a statement of faith that declares that we have spoken would be done, according to God’s Word and His promises already outlined in Scripture.
ALL that God has promised us in the Bible has His stamp of approval on it. So we can be confident in claiming the promises of God, and we can say, “So let it be done, in Jesus name”!
Claiming the Promises of God for Yourself!
What does it mean to claim a promise?
Sometime in life, we have a need and it causes us to seek Scripture for answers. In that case, God has many promises that speak directly to our life’s circumstances.
Other times, we may be reading our Bibles or spending time in prayer, and a specific verse is highlighted to us. We may feel the Lord is leading us to pick up that promise and believe it concerning our own lives.
Claiming the Promises of God:
- Begins in prayer. Asking God to do what only He can do on our behalf.
- Come into agreement with God’s Word and receive God’s Promises by faith.
- Embrace the Promise and Trust the Promise-Keeper.
Believe with the faith we have as children of God, that God’s Word is true, and that we have a faithful Father who loves to give good gifts to His children.
When we know that our God is willing and able to bless us, we can ask Him without doubting.
However, it is important to know that Godβs promises are often conditional. Look for the word βifβ in the context, because that means the promise is tied to an action on our part.
Oftentimes, God is calling us to trust Him more, and to reach way down and put our hope in Him even deeper. With those promises, they are not to cause us to strive for God’s blessings, but rather they are an invitation to rest in His goodness and TRUST Him to do what only He could do.
Praying the Promises of God.
Why praying God’s Word is Important!
Praying is simply talking with the God of all creation.
It is our honor as a Child of God to have access to the One who can speak LIFE into our life’s circumstances. Communing with the Lord invites God to be GOD in our situation!
The Bible directs us to ASK our petitions in the name of Jesus… that is, simply to pray using the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ!
“Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.”
1 John 5: 14-15 (NKJV)
God hears us when we pray! And if we know that God hears us, then we have what we ask!!
Who is this God who would see us in our weaknesses, comfort us in our trouble, and give us hope to believe for the BEST promises?
Our God sympathizes with us in hard times, and He cares when we are in need. In scripture we read how Jesus was often ‘moved with compassion” to help those in need, because He loves us so much.
Relationship with God is great honor! We have the ear of heaven listening for our cries, and the Lord wills for us to call on His name to be our help.
Our God is a good, good Father and He wants us to experience His faithfulness firsthand!
What an amazing promise it is that God said we have what we ask when we know that God hears us. And just one step further, God doubles down on this promise with John 14, to increase our faith to ASK in prayer!
“And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.”
JOHN 14:13-14 (NKJV)
On the other end of this thought, James 4:2 tells us that we “do not have because we do not ask”. So let us have hearts that want to stay connected to our loving Heavenly Father, so that we would ask Him in faith.
How to Pray with “Expectation”.
There is something that I have learned to do in praying that is so powerful, and it has helped me keep faith alive for the promises I am believing God for.
Pray with an expectation that God WILL do what He said He would do, according to scripture and according to the leading of the Holy Spirit.
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.“
Hebrews 11:1 (NKJV)
The Greek word for “Hope” in this verse means to “anticipate, expect, trust, and actively wait for God’s fulfillment of”. This word in this context tells us that we can believe God with a hopeful anticipation and an expectation that tells our own doubts and that God’s Word will be accomplished in our lives.
Praying with expectation in the midst of the unknown and often in the face of opposing circumstances are moments when we are actively putting our trust in a supernatural God.
I believe this is where we are activating our faith most, when we believe God to so something that only HE could do! Despite what our situations tells us, we can trust God with a heart of expectant faith that God is able and willing to help us in our time of need.
When we believe that God gave us a promise, then we can rest assured that God is going to complete that promise in our lives. Because that is WHO GOD IS!!
Wait on God with a Surrendered Heart.
What does it mean to “Wait on God”?
To wait on God means we make our heart and mind still before the Lord (usually during a time of uncertainty) instead of worrying or complaining we choose to trust God, and we allow Him the space in our lives to teach us.
Waiting on God is often the in-between place where the ‘going gets tough’.
This is the time where, right in the middle of life’s happenings, our eyes see the opposite of what God’s Word says. Everyone who has gone through anything with God can attest to this time.
It could feel like a trial or a time of desperation where we are literally holding on for dear life to the Words of Christ.
In this time, it is important to encourage ourselves in the Lord, just as David did in his time of hardship. (1 Samuel 30:6)
With a prayerful heart that trusts that God is able to perform His Word, we can be confident that God actually wants to fulfill His promises in our lives!
Waiting on God encourages our faith to grow past our doubts and the longer we trust Him with our situations, He proves His character to be true and steadfast!
Waiting on God’s Promises Builds our Faith.
We cannot presume to know precisely when, where, or how Godβs promises will be fulfilled in our lives.
Sometimes the hardest things to do is to remain faithful in the hard moments, and still believe that God is working His plan for our good.
When we don’t see the end in sight, we can trust in the God who knows the end from the beginning.
Isaiah 40 gives us a beautiful promise that encourages us to wait well and to remain faithful in trusting the Lord.
“But those who wait on the Lord
Isaiah 40:31 (NKJV)
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.”
God is faithful, and He will give us strength in the midst of the waiting.
There is Purpose in the Waiting.
Waiting on God gives us the opportunity to grow in deeper relationship with the Lord as we wait on Him to lead us and teach us.
Romans 5: 3-4 tells us that perseverance produces character.
“And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope.
Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”
Romans 5: 3-5 (NKJV)
The Holy Spirit is our promised Comforter, and we can rest assured that as much hardship we may find ourselves walking through in this life, God is always with us and upholding us with His righteous right hand.
Sometimes the greatest thing that God wants to accomplish in a season of waiting on Him is to cultivate in us whatever is requires to be faithful stewards of the promise. For that we might need to grow in patience and perseverance.
There is purpose in the seasons of waiting.
God desires that our faith becomes so steadfast and unshakeable that we not be swayed from the TRUTHS found in the Word of God!
God is using His promises to build our faith, and trust in Him. He is inviting us to go deeper in relationship with Him as we entrust our hearts desires to Him. And with a persistent and steadfast faith we learn to trust in the faithfulness of His character.
Do Not Lose Heart!
There are so many reasons why we could get discouraged while we wait on the promises of God to be fulfilled in our lives. But do not allow your hearts to fear the future.
When we are in the season of waiting, it is usually a time when nothing looks like it is going right. This is why we are called to remain steadfast in our faith and are told not to lose hope!
“I would have lost heart, unless I had believed
That I would see the goodness of the Lord
In the land of the living.Wait on the Lord;
Psalm 27:13-14 (NKJV)
Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait, I say, on the Lord!“
Activating your faith looks like standing with a defiant faith that believes against all odds and in the face of the opposition that is sure to come your way.
Like how Romans 4: 18-24 Abraham did when “contrary to hope, in hope believed”, and it was documented about Abraham that “it was accounted to him for righteousness”.
Wow! I want to be like Abraham and believe against all hope.
With the strength that the Lord provides, He gives us hope to believe God for all the good plans He is leading us to. Doubt and discouragement can really be a big obstacle if we do not keep our hearts strengthened in Him.
“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”
Hebrews 11:6 (NKJV)
So, we are going to keep on asking, keep on seeking and keep on knocking, just as the Bible instructs us to. We have an audience with heaven, and our Savior is rooting us on!
God Answers Prayer!
When we put our faith in Jesus, we get to experience firsthand the faithfulness of the Lord and we get to testify of a prayer-answering who made a difference in our lives.
“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”
EPHESIANS 3:20-21 (NKJV)
What are you Believing God for?
Claiming the promises of God for your life is as simple as believing God to be God in the midst of life’s messy circumstances.
I pray these words have been encouragement to grow your faith in reading, praying and applying the Word of God to your lives.
My prayer is that we, as Children of God, would search out scripture, claim a promise of God and trust God who is more than able and willing to prove Himself faithful!
May we stay hungry for God’s Word and expectant of God’s Promises to be fulfilled in our lives!
Whatever you are believing God for today, my friends, trust in the loving character of our Heavenly Father, and He will see you through! So let it be, in Jesus name!! Amen!
