Plead His Promises

Plead His Promises

Take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Ephesians 6:17

WHEN YOU FIRST EMBRACE a promise from God, you might think that’s the end of the story. He said it, you believe it, it’s a done deal. In a sense that’s true, but you’ll likely run into some obstacles along the way. You’ll wrestle with internal doubts about whether you’re understanding his promise correctly, with external forces that tell you this is not how life really works, with temptations that would have you give up or compromise, and with lies that say you’re wrong and shame you for it. Before long, you’re stuck in spiritual mud, caught by spiritual thorns, and dumped in a spiritual ditch. You feel like you can’t move forward, can’t go back, and can’t give in. You are in a spiritual limbo where once-powerful promises seem to wither away.

The promises are still powerful, of course. God doesn’t speak things that grow weaker over time. But our faith can grow weaker, and we can begin to wonder where God is in the situation. The problem is not God, or even that our faith was misguided. It’s our neglect of the sharp, penetrating weapon we’ve been given for our spiritual battles. We need to take up the sword of the Spirit, the words God has spoken into our hearts.

You’ll find some expression of those words somewhere in Scripture, even if they first came to you through an inner conviction, timely counsel from another believer, or the voice of the Spirit when you were praying. Look for them, embrace them, memorize them, and rehearse them again and again. Sometimes the only thing lacking in faith is a remembrance of the living Word and an active use of it in conversations and prayers. Sometimes you just have to wage war using the promises God has given you.

Learn those promises and take them into battle. Take them into your prayer closet too. You won’t wage war against God there, but you will use your sword against everything that opposes his truth. As you do, lies and contradictions will lose their power, doubts will give way to faith, and God will honor your trust in his integrity. His promises will come alive again in your heart.

Learn to plead the promises of God!