Standing on the Promises

"And because of his glory and excellence,

he has given us great and precious promises.

These are the promises that enable you to share

his divine nature

and escape the world's corruption 

caused by human desires. . .

Therefore, I will always remind you about these things--

even though you already know them

and are standing firm in the truth you have been taught."

1 Peter 2:4,12 NLT

It's easy to forget.  This life is filled with troubles that tend to draw my attention away from the foundational truths upon which my faith is built.  My days are packed with activities, most of them beneficial; nonetheless they act as a distraction from what God has taught me.    Once I wake up in the morning, I'm off and running, working down my list of things-to-do with nary a thought of the great promises of God.

Therefore, I easily fall victim to fear.  Satan finds no resistance as He plants seeds of doubt or nuggets of lies into my defenseless mind.  Anxiety is my constant companion.

James exhorts me to yield to the Lord, placing myself under His leadership.  This means I must purposefully choose to let Him be in control of my life instead of wrestling the helm away from Him.  Secondly, it is necessary that I am on guard against the Devil's schemes, recognizing those destructive thoughts, hampering mindsets, and negative notions as having their origin with my enemy.  Once I realize the attack I am under, I can stand firm against his ploys, holding up my shield of faith against his flaming arrows. (James 4:7, Ephesians 6:10-18, 1 Peter 5:8)

As I resist the attacks of the Evil One, I can stand firm on the great promises of God.  When I remind myself that nothing can separate me from the love of God that is mine through Christ Jesus, the fear of abandonment subsides. (Romans 8:38-39) 

When I remember that God uses everything for my good, to grow my character and mold me into the image of His Son, difficulties will be transformed from something I avoid into a useful tool in the hands of a loving God.  (Romans 8:28-30)

When I recall that God will never leave me or turn His back on me, a new-found confidence grows despite my circumstances as I thrive in the eternal presence of my Father who loves me perfectly. (Deuteronomy 31:6)

When times of poverty come, as they always will, I can lean on the fact that my God will provide everything I need and will never let me go hungry. (Philippians 4:19, Matthew 6:32-33) Instead of feeling sorry for myself, then, I will rejoice in the opportunity God has given me to see His mighty hand at work in my life.

The promises of God are numerous and can be counted on; I can trust God to do as He has said He would do.  Therefore, I would be wise to build my life on the certainty of His Word, constantly reminding myself of what He has said He is doing.  As I do, I will find the cares of this world to be of no consequence and the schemes of the devil will lose their power while my vision of God will grow larger and larger until He takes up my whole field of vision.  It is then that I can say I am standing on the promises of God!

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can focus more on God and His goodness than on this world and it's troubles.

When do I let the cares of this world choke out God's amazing promises?

How do I trust only in what I can sense?