And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. – Hebrews 6:15
Abraham endured, and finally received his promised son Isaac. Enduring is more than passively waiting. Marathon runners know that to finish they must endure. To win takes yet greater endurance: they must give their all.
When God makes a promise, He is committed to keeping it. But He does not want us to sit back with the passive attitude, “If it’s God it will happen, and if it isn’t, it won’t.” We have a part to play. We must contend for our promises. Contending means striving against opposition or difficulties; competing, as in a race; struggling; disputing the case.
If God has given the promise, then why must we struggle to come into it? It is because of the constant spiritual battle in the heavenlies. Satan always wants to thwart God’s plans for us. Although the victory is already ours, we must press into it.
How do we contend for our promises? We continue to pray until we receive. Keep on asking and it will be given you; keep on seeking and you will find; keep on knocking [reverently] and [the door] will be opened to you (Matthew 7:7, Amplified). Praying in our promises is vital – but there is another thing we must do.
2 Corinthians 4:13 says, “We, having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, ‘I believed, and therefore have I spoken.’ We also believe, and therefore speak.” It takes faith. We must believe that God has spoken, and that He will be faithful to carry out what He has said. But this is crucial: we must speak what we believe. We actually have the power to speak our promises into existence. God spoke the worlds into being (Hebrews 11:3), and He expects us to speak our promises into being as well. Job 22:28 tells us, “You shall also decree a thing, and it shall be established to you….” Our spoken declarations birth our promises as long as what we are speaking is in agreement with what God has said.
We must also position ourselves by doing what we can to align our circumstances with God’s plan for us. We prepare ourselves, becoming available to Him.
Pray, prepare, believe, and decree your promises. If we will contend for them, we will receive.
Filed under: Bible, Bible studies, Charismatic, Christian, Christianity, Church, Devotional, Encouragement, God, Jesus, Nondenominational, Pentecostal, Prophetic, Religion, Spirituality, prayer | Tagged: declaring, decreeing, faith, God's promises
